Regional Inbound Materials Operations Lead

Mars Incorporated; Creve Coeur (MO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars Incorporated in Missouri is seeking an Operations Materials Manager to execute inbound supply chain strategies for raw and packaging materials supporting Royal Canin North America manufacturing facilities. The role interfaces with Sourcing, SQA, Planning, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Trade Compliance, Finance to ensure materials are available on time, in the right quantity, and with quality compliance.

The position requires translating strategies into operational priorities, leading

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in business, economics, supply chain, engineering, procurement, or related discipline preferred.
• Fluent English required; French is a plus.
• 3–5+ years of experience in Commercial Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement Operations, Planning, Manufacturing, Logistics, or a similar environment.
• Experience with raw and/or packaging materials, inbound supply chains, supplier performance, factory service, and inventory management preferred.
• Ability to analyze issues quickly, define root cause, and drive cross-functional resolution in urgent or ambiguous situations.
• Experience working across regional, factory, supplier, and global stakeholders to execute strategies and improve performance.
• Demonstrated capability in crisis management, conflict resolution, project management, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Act as the regional Commercial Operations expert for assigned materials/categories and co-pilot with Sourcing Managers and SQA on supply risk evaluation, mitigation, and execution.
• Translate regional sourcing and supply strategies into clear operational priorities for assigned factories, materials, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Develop and implement inbound pipeline strategies with Manufacturing, Planning/Flow, Logistics, SQA, Regulatory, Trade Compliance, Finance, and suppliers.
• Ensure execution of agreed materials strategies, including service, cost, quality, inventory, data integrity, and compliance requirements.
• Support operational buying and day-to-day material availability needs where required for the region.
• Lead 0-12 week supply issue resolution and crisis management for assigned categories, including escalation, concession/reformulation requests, recovery plans, and stakeholder communication.
• Partner with Flow, Planning, Manufacturing, SQA, and suppliers to solve and prevent material shortages, supplier bottlenecks, ATS/downtime risk, and service disruptions.
• Participate in relevant S&OP and factory governance routines, including Factory Service Reviews, factory TLTs, daily JTM, and daily CMOS as applicable.
• Use data and periodic reviews with manufacturing facilities to improve supplier performance, OTIF, inventory health, and execution discipline.
• Serve as the primary operational contact for suppliers and internal teams on assigned materials, supporting forecasting, logistics, supplier-owned inventory/floor stock programs, and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional partners to drive continuous improvement, technology adoption, process excellence, and competitive advantage.
• Own supplier logistics interfaces for supplier-owned transport material, including requirements communication, transport specifications, performance management, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Sourcing, SQA, and strategic suppliers to bring innovative ideas, products, and process improvements back to Mars.

Skills

Inbound logistics

Sourcing coordination

Cross-functional teamwork

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Mars Incorporated in Missouri is seeking an Operations Materials Manager to execute inbound supply chain strategies for raw and packaging materials supporting Royal Canin North America manufacturing facilities. The role interfaces with Sourcing, SQA, Planning, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Trade Compliance, Finance to ensure materials are available on time, in the right quantity, and with quality compliance.

The position requires translating strategies into operational priorities, leading