Material Program Manager

The Material Specialist is responsible for ensuring material readiness in alignment with factory build plans by proactively managing supply constraints, supplier performance, and demand variability. This role serves as the central point of ownership for constrained materials—driving root cause resolution, supplier engagement, and recovery execution to protect production continuity and customer commitments.

Key Responsibilities

1. Material Constraints & Build Plan Alignment

• Maintain a clear and actionable line of sight between material constraints and factory build plans, ensuring supply readiness aligns with production requirements.
• Proactively identify supply gaps, shortages, and timing risks that could impact builds.
• Translate supply constraints into clear impacts, recovery options, and decision points for cross‑functional stakeholders.

2. Constrained Material Ownership & Supplier Engagement

• Develop clear problem statements for constrained materials, including root cause, supply gaps, and recovery paths.
• Lead direct engagement with suppliers to resolve material constraints, including capacity issues, lead‑time risks, and delivery shortfalls.
• Own and track material recovery plans, ensuring accountability, cadence, and closure of commitments.

3. Customer-Facing Status & Critical Part Coordination

• Serve as a customer-facing point of contact for status, risks, and mitigation plans related to critical parts and supply initiatives.
• Communicate material availability, risks, and recovery actions clearly and consistently to internal customers, program teams, and leadership.
• Support escalations by framing options, tradeoffs, and impacts to customer commitments.

4. Demand Volatility Buffers & Risk Buy Strategy

• Oversee and drive inputs to demand volatility buffer programs to protect build continuity amid forecast variability.
• Develop and manage risk buy strategies, including business justification, timing, and exposure assessment.
• Partner with finance, planning, and procurement to balance service protection with inventory and cost risk.

Additional Responsibilities

ERP & System Integrity

• Ensure proper and complete ERP configuration for assigned products and parts.
• Validate planning parameters (lead times, MOQ, safety stock, sourcing rules) to ensure accurate MRP signals.

Purchasing & Item Master Accuracy

• Maintain accurate Purchasing Source Records (PSRs) and Item Master Records.
• Ensure correct Make vs. Buy designation and Bill of Material relevance to support effective MRP execution.

Expedite & Cost Management

• Coordinate expedite fees related to supplier recovery actions or schedule changes.
• Ensure expedite decisions are aligned with business priorities and properly communicated.

Standard Work & Process Discipline

• Define, document, and execute standard work for material program management activities.

Drive consistent cadence reviews, risk tracking, and escalation processes.

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing supply chain, materials management, procurement, or production planning
• 3–5+ years in a material program management, supply program management, or lead materials role supporting complex manufacturing environments
• Demonstrated experience managing material constraints, shortages, and supplier recovery plans impacting production schedules
• Proven track record of customer‑facing communication on critical parts, supply risks, and mitigation strategies
• Hands‑on experience with ERP/MRP systems, including item master, sourcing records, planning parameters, and BOM structures
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration experience with manufacturing, planning, procurement, engineering, finance, and suppliers

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or related field
• Master’s Degree (MBA or MS) in Supply Chain, Operations, or Engineering – preferred

Certifications (Desired / Preferred)

• APICS / ASCM Certifications 
  • CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management)
  • CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional)
• Six Sigma or Lean Certifications (Green Belt or Black Belt)
• ERP platform training or certification (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) – preferred