Sr Materials Manager

Oshkosh AeroTech; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 103,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh company, is seeking a Senior Materials Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for materials management across two major facilities. You will ensure material availability, optimize inventory, and support production schedules and customer delivery commitments in a complex manufacturing environment.

The role partners with Production, Scheduling, Purchasing, Engineering, and Supply Chain to align requirements with capacity, implement material

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Seven or more years of related work experience.
• Experience leading teams and managing materials-related functions within a manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight for materials management across two major manufacturing facilities, ensuring alignment of processes, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Develop and execute materials strategies that optimize inventory, improve material availability, strengthen production readiness, and support customer delivery commitments.
• Lead materials planning, inventory control, material handling, and replenishment activities to ensure efficient material flow and minimize production disruptions.
• Partner with Production, Scheduling, Purchasing, Engineering, and Supply Chain to align material requirements with manufacturing capacity, production priorities, and changing business needs.
• Proactively identify and mitigate material shortages, supply constraints, inventory challenges, and other risks impacting manufacturing operations.
• Establish and drive accountability for key performance indicators, including inventory accuracy, inventory turns, material availability, operational efficiency, and cost performance.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement initiatives across both facilities to strengthen processes, eliminate waste, improve productivity, and optimize working capital.
• Lead, coach, and develop materials management leaders and teams across both facilities, building organizational capabilities, strengthening accountability, and supporting succession planning.
• Foster strong cross-functional relationships and effective communication to ensure alignment on operational priorities, performance expectations, and customer commitments.
• Champion a culture of safety, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the materials organization.

Skills

Team leadership

Materials management

Cross-functional collaboration

ERP/MRP experience

Inventory optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ERP systems

MRP

Inventory management software

Job description

About Pierce, an Oshkosh company

At Pierce Manufacturing, we build trucks that protect people and communities around the world. To our team, there is no room for anything less than providing the absolute best. Since 1913, building truck bodies on Model T Ford chassis in an old converted church has evolved to creating highly customized, carefully designed and engineering pumpers, aerials, tankers and rescue units that have no equal. Today, you'll find more than 30,000 Pierce apparatuses on the road that are making a difference in people's lives, every day. To us, every step in the process of building our trucks is personal. From innovation and expertise, to the customization and service. Our trucks are designed to perform under the toughest conditions.

The Senior Materials Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for materials management across two major Pierce Manufacturing facilities. This role is responsible for ensuring material availability, optimizing inventory, improving material flow, and supporting production schedules and customer delivery commitments within a complex, highly customized manufacturing environment.

As a key member of the Operations team, this position drives alignment, consistency, and continuous improvement across both facilities while partnering closely with Production, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and other cross-functional teams. The Senior Materials Manager is responsible for developing high-performing teams, strengthening operational processes, and executing materials strategies that support business performance and long-term growth.

YOUR IMPACT

These duties are not meant to be all-inclusive and other duties may be assigned:

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight for materials management across two major manufacturing facilities, ensuring alignment of processes, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Develop and execute materials strategies that optimize inventory, improve material availability, strengthen production readiness, and support customer delivery commitments.
• Lead materials planning, inventory control, material handling, and replenishment activities to ensure efficient material flow and minimize production disruptions.
• Partner with Production, Scheduling, Purchasing, Engineering, and Supply Chain to align material requirements with manufacturing capacity, production priorities, and changing business needs.
• Proactively identify and mitigate material shortages, supply constraints, inventory challenges, and other risks impacting manufacturing operations.
• Establish and drive accountability for key performance indicators, including inventory accuracy, inventory turns, material availability, operational efficiency, and cost performance.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement initiatives across both facilities to strengthen processes, eliminate waste, improve productivity, and optimize working capital.
• Lead, coach, and develop materials management leaders and teams across both facilities, building organizational capabilities, strengthening accountability, and supporting succession planning.
• Foster strong cross-functional relationships and effective communication to ensure alignment on operational priorities, performance expectations, and customer commitments.
• Champion a culture of safety, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the materials organization.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a related field of study
• Seven plus years of related work experience
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing materials-related functions within a manufacturing environment.

STANDOUT QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading materials management operations across multiple manufacturing facilities.
• Strong business acumen, analytical capabilities, and ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, material requirements planning (MRP), and inventory management processes.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The following represents general working conditions for this role. Specific conditions may vary depending on business needs and individual circumstances.

This role combines office-based administrative duties with physical activity in field or production environments.

In the office setting, tasks may require extended computer use, sitting, and attending meetings.

Field or floor work may involve walking across various terrains or shop floors, standing, moderate lifting (up to 50 pounds), climbing stairs, and exposure to varying temperatures or noise levels.

Must be able to shift focus between detailed cognitive work and occasional physical tasks as needed.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified individuals with disabilities to support performance across both office and field responsibilities.

Pay Range:

$103,300.00 - $177,700.00

The above pay range reflects the minimum and maximum target pay for the position acr