Senior Material Planner

Task Force Tips; Valparaiso (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading manufacturer of firefighting equipment as a Senior Material Planner. This role is pivotal in optimizing inventory, improving material flow, and driving planning processes. You will collaborate with multiple departments to ensure timely availability of materials essential to life-saving equipment, while promoting a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork.

Benefits

Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance

Paid Maternity/Paternity Leave

401K plan and Profit-Sharing Plan

Tuition Assistance

On-site Fitness Center

Qualifications

• Minimum 2–4 years experience in material planning.
• Ability to analyze inventory data for forecasting needs.
• Familiarity with Lean concepts like Kanban and JIT.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the material planning process across manufacturing areas.
• Monitor material availability and release work orders as needed.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve material constraints.

Skills

Excel

Data Analysis

Lean Manufacturing

Communication

Inventory Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain

Associate’s degree with experience

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

Join to apply for the Senior Material Planner role at Task Force Tips

1 week ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Join to apply for the Senior Material Planner role at Task Force Tips

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

Task Force Tips, LLC. is an established manufacturer of firefighting equipment based in Valparaiso, IN. Our continuous improvement process ensures we help first responders save lives and protect property more safely and effectively than the day before. TFT is part of Madison Industries, one of the largest and most successful privately held companies in the world.

We are seeking a Senior Material Planner who is responsible for leading material planning activities including scheduling to ensure timely availability of raw materials, components, and TFT-manufactured parts. This position plays a key role in driving inventory optimization, supporting production scheduling, improving material flow, and implementing Lean principles throughout the supply chain.

Our desired team member should be goal-driven with integrity, have grit and a passion for putting lifesaving equipment in the hands of our first responders.

Our Culture is Contagious! Come grow with us and be part of the TFT Proud Culture! Be a part of saving lives and protecting property by putting life-saving products in the hands of our first responders! View our video - TFT, a Firefighter Legacy

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the material planning process across multiple manufacturing areas to meet customer delivery commitments.
• Monitor material availability using Reorder Advice, Deficit, and Exception reports; release work orders and initiate corrective actions to prevent shortages.
• Collaborate with purchasing, production, engineering, and sales to resolve material constraints and expedite critical orders as needed.
• Develop and implement planning strategies for long-lead items and critical components, aligning with production and sales forecasts.
• Analyze BOMs and inventory to determine realistic ship dates for custom or spike orders.
• Support capacity planning by identifying material-driven bottlenecks and recommending solutions.
• Champion continuous improvement in planning processes, including implementation of Kanban systems and reorder point strategies.
• Conduct routine Kanban audits, lead root cause investigations, and reinforce best practices across departments.
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior planners on scheduling methods, system usage, and Lean practices.
• Ensure data integrity in planning systems (item master, BOM, lead times, reorder points, safety stocks, Kanban batch sizes etc.).
• Runs the Manufacturing Report (Reorder Advice Report) to identify items that have reached reorder points to release work orders to upstream work centers in a timely manner.
• Runs the deficit report every morning to proactively identify part shortages for upcoming orders in CNC, Anodizing and Special Operations areas and communicates with concerned managers to help reprioritize their daily schedule.
• Works with order entry to provide custom ship dates on spike orders by referencing bill of materials to identify long lead time items, reviewing on hand inventory and available capacity.
• Schedules Assembly Work Cells and CNC jobs as required.
• Identifies opportunities for efficiency improvements in planning and scheduling processes through automation and works with IT to have them implemented.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Business, or related field; or Associate’s degree in combination with relevant work experience.
• Minimum 2–4 years of experience in material planning, production control, or related supply chain functions in a manufacturing environment.
• An ability to query and analyze large amounts of data on inventory, sales, etc. to make long-range forecasts of material requirements.
• Must have basic to advanced excel skills such V-lookup, Pivot Tables, Power-Query, “If” logic and “Index Match” logic, etc.
• The ideal candidate has experience with data visualization tools like Tableau/Power BI.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing concepts like Kanban, Heijunka, JIT is a plus.
• Must be detail oriented, professional, responsive, resourceful, flexible, and well-organized.
• Must have a strong bias for action and self-motivated with superior time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across departments and lead through influence.
• Ability to resolve conflicts professionally and promote team alignment.
• Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with other company personnel, including being sensitive to professional ethics, gender, cultural diversities, and disabilities.
• Must be local - relocation is not offered for this position.
  
  

We Offer An Excellent Benefits Package Including

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance (Effective on the 1stof the month after hire.)
• Paid Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Vacation & PTO Days
• Employee Assistance Program
• 10 Paid Holidays
• 401K plan and Profit-Sharing Plan
• Monthly Bonus
• Employee Recognition Program “We appreciate our ALL STARS”
• Off- Site Health Clinic
• On-site Fitness Center
• Tuition Assistance
• And more!
• All Hires are subject to a background check and drug test
  
  

What happens next?

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply, and we will review your application as soon as possible. Attach your resume with your application.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy

Task Force Tips LLC is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of Task Force Tips LLC that we evaluate qualified applicants and not to discriminate on the basis of disability status or veteran status in its hiring decisions. Task Force Tips LLC offers reasonable accommodation in the employment process for individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation with Human Resources at any time.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Management and Manufacturing

• Industries

  Public Safety

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Task Force Tips by 2x

Sign in to set job alerts for “Senior Materials Planner” roles.

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.