Senior Materials Manager

Trystar; Faribault (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Trystar, in Faribault, MN, seeks a Senior Materials Manager to lead materials strategy across receiving, warehousing, inventory control, and material delivery. You will drive performance, workforce capability, and cross-functional alignment with Production, Quality, Finance, and Sourcing to ensure material availability and scalable growth.

The role emphasizes governance, continuous improvement, and Lean principles to optimize inventory, turns, and working capital while maintaining safe,

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in materials management, inventory, warehouse operations, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years of people-leadership experience, including responsibility for leaders, team development, performance management.
• Experience owning inventory accuracy, material flow, ERP transaction discipline, and materials performance metrics.
• Experience leading cross-functional continuous improvement in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Lean manufacturing knowledge including Kanban, cycle counting, and root-cause analysis.
• Experience with Epicor 10 ERP or a comparable manufacturing ERP system.

Responsibilities

• Own the site materials strategy, operating plan, budget, and performance objectives in alignment with business and production priorities.
• Lead and develop the materials organization, including receiving, warehousing, inventory control, picking, kitting, staging, and material delivery.
• Build organizational capability through workforce planning, coaching, succession planning, cross-training, and development of Materials leaders and front‑line employees.
• Partner with Operations and Production Scheduling to translate demand and capacity plans into reliable material availability and execution priorities.
• Ensure materials are received, transacted, stored, issued, transferred, and delivered accurately and on time in Epicor 10 ERP.
• Establish governance for inventory accuracy, cycle counting, root‑cause analysis, corrective actions, and transaction discipline.
• Drive measurable improvement in inventory accuracy, shortages, schedule attainment, internal delivery, and material‑related downtime.
• Develop and maintain key performance indicators, visual management, and regular business reviews for the materials function.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Team development

Materials planning

Analytical skills

ERP proficiency

Cross-functional influence

Prioritization under change

Lean/continuous improvement

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Operations/Engineering

Tools

Epicor 10 ERP

Microsoft 365

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Salary Range: $90,000.00 To $115,000.00 Annually

Job Description:

The Senior Materials Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for inventory control, material planning, receiving, warehousing, and material flow supporting the Faribault manufacturing operation. This role owns materials performance, develops leaders and team capability, aligns materials strategy with production and business priorities, and partners across Operations, Supply Chain, Scheduling, Quality, Engineering, and Finance to improve service, inventory accuracy, working capital, cost, safety, and scalability. The Senior Materials Manager establishes standards, metrics, and continuous improvement priorities while ensuring reliable material availability to support customer commitments and growth.

In this role you will:

• Own the site materials strategy, operating plan, budget, and performance objectives in alignment with business and production priorities.
• Lead and develop the materials organization, including receiving, warehousing, inventory control, picking, kitting, staging, and material delivery.
• Build organizational capability through workforce planning, coaching, succession planning, cross-training, and development of Materials leaders and front‑line employees.
• Partner with Operations and Production Scheduling to translate demand and capacity plans into reliable material availability and execution priorities.
• Ensure materials are received, transacted, stored, issued, transferred, and delivered accurately and on time in Epicor 10 ERP.
• Establish governance for inventory accuracy, cycle counting, root‑cause analysis, corrective actions, and transaction discipline.
• Drive measurable improvement in inventory accuracy, shortages, schedule attainment, internal delivery, and material‑related downtime.
• Lead efforts to reduce excess and obsolete inventory, improve turns, optimize storage capacity, and strengthen working‑capital performance.
• Develop and maintain key performance indicators, visual management, and regular business reviews for the materials function.
• Lead cross‑functional problem solving for critical shortages, supplier disruptions, quality issues, engineering changes, and production constraints.
• Partner with Supply Chain and strategic suppliers to improve inbound flow, delivery reliability, freight efficiency, and risk mitigation.
• Ensure supplier quality concerns and material nonconformances are escalated, contained, and resolved with Quality and Supply Chain.
• Establish standardized work, policies, controls, and work instructions that support consistent execution and audit readiness.
• Sponsor and implement scalable process and technology improvements, including barcoding, Kanban/e‑Kanban, warehouse optimization, and ERP enhancements.
• Provide leadership for materials‑related capital projects, layout changes, system implementations, and growth initiatives.
• Ensure subcontracting and outsourcing processes maintain inventory accuracy, traceability, cost control, and timely material movement.
• Optimize receiving, warehousing, supermarket, point‑of‑use, and production‑floor replenishment processes.
• Partner with Finance on inventory valuation, reserves, physical inventory, variance review, and financial controls.
• Anticipate materials risks and create recovery plans that protect production schedules and customer commitments.
• Champion Lean principles, Daily Gemba, tiered accountability, and continuous improvement across the materials organization.
• Ensure compliance with safety, PPE, material handling, and environmental requirements while actively promoting a safe workplace.
• Communicate performance, risks, resource needs, and corrective actions clearly to site and functional leadership.
• Serve as the senior site leader for materials‑related decisions and escalation management.
• Perform other duties and lead special projects as assigned to support business growth and operational excellence.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field required; equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible experience may be considered.
• 7-10 years of progressive experience in materials management, inventory, warehouse operations, production control, or supply chain within a manufacturing environment.
• 3 or more years of people‑leadership experience, including responsibility for leaders, team development, performance management, and organizational capability.
• Demonstrated experience owning inventory accuracy, material flow, ERP transaction discipline, and materials performance metrics.
• Experience leading cross‑functional continuous improvement and change initiatives in a fast‑paced, high‑growth manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, Kanban, cycle counting, root‑cause analysis, and warehouse/material‑handling practices.
• Experience with Epicor 10 ERP or a comparable manufacturing ERP system required.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English; bilingual English and Spanish skills are preferred.

Skills:

• Strategic leadership and business acumen with the ability to translate business objectives into materials priorities and measurable results.
• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop high‑performing teams and front‑line leaders.
• Strong knowledge of materials planning, inventory control, warehousing, internal logistics, and manufacturing operations.
• Advanced analytical and problem‑solving skills, including KPI development, trend analysis, root‑cause analysis, and corrective action.
• Proficiency with Epicor 10 ERP, Microsoft 365, and data/reporting tools used to manage materials performance.
• Effective cross‑functional influence, executive communication, and escalation management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, lead through change, and make sound decisions with incomplete or changing information.
• Strong continuous improvement mindset with practical experience implementing Lean material‑flow solutions.
• High attention to detail, accountability, integrity, and commitment to Trystar values, safety, growth, and performance.