Senior Materials Planning Specialist

Rauch & Associates; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Rauch & Associates is recruiting a Senior Material Planner to support the North American supply chain of a global industrial manufacturer. This hands-on role will drive forecasting, inventory planning, MRP utilization, and cross-functional planning discipline.

You’ll own material and finished-goods planning across a complex NA network, participate in S&OP/SI&OP, partner with Sales to improve forecast visibility, and manage replenishment from international locations to strengthen ERP/MRP

Qualifications

• 6+ years of material, supply, or inventory planning experience in manufacturing.
• Strong ERP/MRP experience with SAP, Infor, Oracle, or similar.
• Experience with forecasting, inventory planning, and replenishment.
• Experience leading S&OP/SI&OP processes.
• Understanding of manufacturing planning.
• Ability to improve planning processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead material and finished-goods planning across a complex North American supply chain.
• Support the monthly S&OP/SI&OP process, aligning demand, supply, and inventory plans.
• Partner closely with Sales to improve forecast visibility and demand planning.
• Manage replenishment from international manufacturing locations and suppliers with longer lead times.
• Improve inventory performance through stronger safety stock, reorder point, and inventory segmentation strategies.
• Help strengthen ERP/MRP processes and reduce reliance on manual planning.
• Identify root causes behind shortages, late deliveries, stock imbalances, and service issues.
• Partner with Procurement, Operations, Logistics, Customer Service, Finance, and other supply chain teams.
• Support new product introductions, phase-outs, and engineering changes.
• Drive practical process improvements that strengthen service levels while controlling inventory and working capital.

Skills

Material Planning

Inventory Planning

ERP/MRP

Forecasting

S&OP

Collaboration

Manufacturing Planning

APICS Certification

Tools

SAP

Infor

Oracle

Job description

We’re recruiting for a Senior Material Planner to support the North American supply chain organization of a global industrial manufacturer.

This is a hands-on planning role for someone who enjoys improving how things work. The company is moving from a more manual, reactive planning environment toward a stronger, systems-driven approach and needs someone who can help improve forecasting, inventory planning, MRP utilization, and cross-functional planning discipline.

This is a good opportunity for a senior planner who wants more ownership and visibility. You’ll be joining an organization that is actively investing in better planning processes and is looking for someone who can help shape how the function operates going forward.

What You’ll Own

• Lead material and finished-goods planning across a complex North American supply chain.
• Support the monthly S&OP/SI&OP process, aligning demand, supply, and inventory plans.
• Partner closely with Sales to improve forecast visibility and demand planning.
• Manage replenishment from international manufacturing locations and suppliers with longer lead times.
• Improve inventory performance through stronger safety stock, reorder point, and inventory segmentation strategies.
• Help strengthen ERP/MRP processes and reduce reliance on manual planning.
• Identify root causes behind shortages, late deliveries, stock imbalances, and service issues.
• Partner with Procurement, Operations, Logistics, Customer Service, Finance, and other supply chain teams.
• Support new product introductions, phase-outs, and engineering changes.
• Drive practical process improvements that strengthen service levels while controlling inventory and working capital.

What We’re Looking For

Strong candidates should bring:

• 6+ years of material, supply, or inventory planning experience in a manufacturing or finished-goods environment.
• Solid ERP/MRP experience with systems such as SAP, Infor, Oracle, or comparable platforms.
• Direct experience with forecasting, inventory planning, and replenishment.
• Experience participating in or leading S&OP/SI&OP.
• A strong understanding of manufacturing planning, even if your current role is distribution-based.
• Experience improving planning processes rather than only maintaining an established system.
• A collaborative, adaptable working style.
• Experience with Infor LN, global supply chains, inventory optimization, or APICS/ASCM certification is helpful but not required.