Materials Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Position Purpose

Responsible for leading the site materials function, including production planning, capacity planning, inventory control, purchasing, and customer service. This role ensures alignment of demand, capacity, and inventory to meet customer requirements while driving operational efficiency, on-time delivery (OTD), and working capital performance.

Essential Duties and responsibilities

• Lead production planning, capacity planning, and materials strategy to align customer demand, production requirements, material availability, and inventory levels.
• Oversee purchasing, inventory control, and material availability to support uninterrupted production and optimized working capital.
• Manage Customer Service operations, including order management, customer communication, issue resolution, and escalation support.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for customer concerns related to order fulfillment, delivery commitments, and service-related issues.
• Establish and improve processes for demand planning, production scheduling, order management, inventory accuracy, and customer communication.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Finance, and Shipping/Receiving to resolve constraints impacting schedule attainment, customer delivery, or inventory performance.
• Monitor key metrics (OTD, inventory, backlog, forecast accuracy) and implement corrective actions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across planning, materials, purchasing, inventory control, and customer service.
• Develop and coach team members across materials, planning, purchasing, inventory control, and customer service functions.
• Ensure materials and customer service processes support applicable quality, regulatory, customer, and internal system requirements.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications/Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of leadership experience in materials, supply chain, planning, purchasing, customer service, or operations; medical manufacturing experience preferred.
• Experience leading production planning, capacity planning, inventory control, purchasing, and customer service functions.
• Strong understanding of ERP-driven planning, demand planning, inventory management, procurement, and order management processes.
• Experience leading cross-functional production readiness or order fulfillment discussions.
• Demonstrated ability to drive results in on-time delivery, customer service, inventory performance, cost, and working capital.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Finance, Customer Service, and Shipping/Receiving.
• Hands-on leadership style with ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Comfortable working across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to read, speak, understand and follow instructions in English.

• Must be able to wear and properly use the required personal protective equipment.

Candidates must be a “US Person” (i.e. US Citizen or Permanent Resident) to ensure Vaupell's compliance with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and EAR (Export Administration Regulations)

Environmental Condition

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes, airborne particles, and vibrations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to occasionally loud. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the ability to perform the essential functions of the role in a manufacturing environment, including prolonged periods of standing and walking, occasional sitting, frequent use of a computer and keyboard, effective verbal communication and ordinary hearing, and near and far visual acuity. The role may also require occasional bending, reaching, climbing, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, and other physical movements necessary to carry out job duties safely and effectively. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.