The Director of Supply Chain leads IMI's end-to-end Supply Chain function, integrating demand and production planning, procurement, supplier performance, inventory control, warehousing, fulfillment, and logistics. The Director establishes the management systems, decision rights, and cross-functional handoffs required to translate customer demand into reliable material and product flow. This role is accountable for improving delivery reliability, inventory performance, planning discipline, supplier performance, and ERP / MRP adoption while developing the existing Supply Chain team and protecting operating continuity.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Propose and execute strategic and tactical programs and plans designed to enhance gross profit, maintain high product quality, and deliver product in full and on time to our customers.
- Lead the integrated Supply Chain organization and develop the managers, supervisors, and functional owners responsible for planning, purchasing, inventory control, warehousing, fulfillment, and logistics.
- Establish and lead the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, including demand review, supply and capacity review, inventory and service risk assessment, scenario evaluation, and executive decision support.
- Own the end-to-end planning framework from demand signals through the Master Production Schedule (MPS), material requirements, capacity planning, production scheduling, and customer delivery commitments.
- Ensure the production plan balances customer priorities, capacity, labor, materials, equipment constraints, inventory objectives, and approved business priorities.
- Develop and manage the Supply Chain operating budget, including staffing, inventory-related costs, freight, warehousing, outside services, and approved cost-improvement initiatives.
- Provide governance for schedule changes, frozen-fence exceptions, shortages, expedites, and other trade-offs that affect customer commitments, operating stability, cost, or inventory.
- Lead procurement and material planning practices that support material availability, prudent inventory levels, supplier performance, cost control, and continuity of supply.
- Establish supplier performance management in partnership with Quality Assurance, including delivery, responsiveness, risk, and corrective-action follow-up. Quality retains ownership of supplier quality requirements, qualification, and quality-system decisions.
- Develop sourcing strategies for critical materials and services, including supplier selection, pricing and contract negotiations, dual-sourcing opportunities, lead-time reduction, and supply-risk mitigation.
- Provide leadership for inventory control, warehouse operations, finished-goods fulfillment, shipping, freight, and logistics, with clear accountability for transaction discipline, inventory accuracy, and on-time, in-full shipment execution.
- Establish clear decision rights and operating handoffs with Customer Experience & Growth, Manufacturing Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Assurance, Finance, and Information Systems.
- Partner with Manufacturing Operations to maintain the distinction between plan ownership and execution ownership: Supply Chain owns and governs the approved plan; Manufacturing Operations owns execution against the plan and timely communication of constraints and variances.
- Lead enterprise adoption of new ERP system, identify and retire approved manual workarounds as system capability becomes available.
- Define, monitor, and review Supply Chain performance measures, including forecast accuracy, production schedule attainment, material shortages, supplier on-time delivery, inventory turns, inventory accuracy, DIFOT, and ERP process adoption.
- Use data, root-cause analysis, and corrective action to address recurring service, schedule, supplier, inventory, and material‑flow issues.
- Prepare clear executive-level assessments of supply, demand, capacity, inventory, and delivery risks, including recommended trade‑offs and decisions required.
- Develop standard work, policies, review cadences, escalation paths, and succession capability across the Supply Chain organization.
- Build a collaborative, accountable Supply Chain culture that integrates existing functional expertise rather than operating as separate planning, purchasing, warehouse, or logistics silos.
- Maintain compliance with applicable regulatory, quality, safety, customer, and company requirements.
- Other duties as assigned.
Key Decision Rights
- Govern the approved production plan and production‑scheduling priorities within established business rules and approved customer commitments.
- Approve or expedite planning exceptions based on defined thresholds and documented impact to service, cost, capacity, inventory, or quality.
- Set Supply Chain operating priorities, management cadences, performance standards, and resource recommendations.
- Recommend inventory, sourcing, supplier‑risk, freight, and capacity trade‑offs to the appropriate executive or cross‑functional decision body.
- Escalate decisions outside the role's authority, including changes to customer commitments, material financial exposure, significant supplier or continuity risk, and matters reserved for Quality or executive approval.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, operations, industrial engineering, business, or a related field; equivalent progressive experience may be considered.
- Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience across supply chain, production planning, procurement, materials management, manufacturing operations, inventory, or logistics in a manufacturing environment.
- Minimum of 3 years of formal people leadership or significant cross‑functional leadership experience, including responsibility for managers, supervisors, functional owners, or enterprise processes.
- Demonstrated ability to connect demand, capacity, materials, scheduling, inventory, supplier performance, and customer service into an integrated operating plan.
- Working knowledge of ERP / MRP concepts, Master Production Scheduling, Bills of Materials, routings, lead times, inventory controls, and manufacturing constraints.
- Demonstrated ability to lead organizational and process change while maintaining day‑to‑day operating continuity.
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to interpret operational and financial trade‑offs and convert data into decisions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present risks, options, and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Demonstrated judgment, accountability, collaboration, and ability to resolve cross‑functional priorities under pressure.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience leading or implementing S&OP, demand planning, supply planning, or integrated business planning processes.
- Experience implementing or significantly improving ERP / MRP planning, purchasing, inventory, warehouse, or scheduling processes.
- Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment such as medical device, pharmaceutical, or a comparable industry.
- Professional certification such as ASCM CPIM or CSCP, or equivalent demonstrated knowledge.
- Experience with supplier performance management, strategic sourcing, business continuity, and inventory optimization.
- Lean, Six Sigma, or structured continuous‑improvement experience.
- Advanced proficiency with Excel, business intelligence tools, or supply‑chain analytics.
- Lead through clear ownership, operating discipline, and fact‑based decision‑making rather than informal escalation or individual heroics.
- Develop existing functional leaders and create an effective leadership team across planning, purchasing, inventory, warehouse, and logistics.
- Balance strategic capability building with reliable daily execution.
- Create transparency around constraints and trade‑offs early enough for the organization to act.
- Protect cross‑functional accountability: Supply Chain coordinates the system but does not absorb responsibilities that properly remain with Manufacturing Operations, Quality, Finance, Customer Experience, or other functions.
Physical / Mental Demands:
- The job is performed in office, manufacturing‑floor, and warehouse setting. Required protective clothing or personal protective equipment may apply in designated areas.
- Work requires sitting, standing, and walking for extended periods and regular movement between office and operating areas.
- Must be able to concentrate, exercise sound judgment, analyze complex and competing priorities, and communicate effectively in a fast‑paced environment.
- Work may require occasional evening or weekend availability to support significant operating issues, inventory activities, or business requirements.