Materials Manager

At Aberdeen Dynamics, we believe that our greatest strength lies in our people. As a 100% employee-owned company, we are committed to excellence in everything we do. Joining our team means becoming an employee-owner, where everyone’s success is shared, and every contribution matters. 

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Aberdeen Dynamics is a full-service motion and control solutions provider with over 50 years of experience. We specialize in fluid power design, hydraulic systems, pneumatic control, and electro-mechanical solutions. Our expertise serves industries like oil and gas, rigging and recovery, power generation, construction, manufacturing, process and pipeline. We are trusted for engineering solutions and are known for designing and fabricating custom hydraulic power units, hydraulic valve actuators, and hydraulic winch packages. 

The Materials Manager is responsible for the overall health, accuracy, availability, and financial performance of inventory across company locations. This position provides leadership and ownership of inventory strategy, inventory control, replenishment, stocking levels, excess and obsolete inventory, and inventory-related working capital.

The Materials Manager will establish the processes, systems, measurements, and accountability necessary to ensure the company has the right material, in the right quantity, at the right location, at the right time - while minimizing unnecessary investment in inventory.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring someone who can move comfortably between data analysis, process improvement, and the physical operation. The Materials Manager is expected to identify root causes, challenge existing practices, establish sustainable processes, and work directly with site teams to improve inventory performance.

The successful candidate must have a demonstrated track record of measurable improvement in inventory accuracy, inventory turns, excess and obsolete inventory, and working capital.

The Materials Manager will work closely with Purchasing, Operations, Sales, Planning, Warehouse, Finance, Quality, and site leadership to balance customer availability and operational requirements with responsible inventory investment. Regular travel between company locations may be required.

Safety Sensitive – This position is classified as a safety-sensitive job. The safety and well-being of our employees and customers are of utmost importance. Candidates must be able to perform their duties without impairment and comply with all safety protocols and procedures.

Safety

Work Environment

• Work will be performed in office, warehouse, and operational environments.
• Regular travel between company locations may be required.
• The employee will periodically work in warehouse and manufacturing environments and must follow all applicable safety requirements.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Required - Eye protection in manufacturing areas - Company supplied.
• Required - Steel-toe shoes in designated areas.
• Optional - Ear protection in manufacturing areas - Company supplied.

Physical Demands

• Occasionally stoop, kneel, or crouch; regularly stand and walk; use hands and fingers; reach; talk and hear.
• Must possess good physical dexterity and be able to perform normal warehouse and office activities.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Requires regular computer use and data analysis.
• Requires close, distance, peripheral, and depth vision and the ability to adjust visual focus.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Own overall inventory performance across company locations, including inventory accuracy, inventory turns, working capital, availability, excess and obsolete inventory, and inventory investment.
• Develop and execute an inventory strategy that balances customer service and product availability with responsible use of company working capital.
• Establish measurable inventory targets and drive sustained improvement in inventory turns, accuracy, excess inventory, obsolete inventory, and total inventory investment.
• Lead and support the Inventory Control function across company locations, including the development of Inventory Control Supervisors, Leads, and Team members as applicable.
• Establish and maintain a disciplined company-wide cycle count program designed to improve inventory accuracy and identify the root causes of inventory discrepancies.
• Ensure inventory discrepancies are investigated to root cause rather than simply adjusted in the system.
• Identify systemic causes of inventory inaccuracies, including receiving, stocking, transfers, picking, shipping, production consumption, returns, unit-of-measure issues, master data, and transactional discipline.
• Develop corrective actions and process improvements that prevent inventory discrepancies from recurring.
• Establish inventory accuracy standards and accountability by location, product group, and process.
• Develop and maintain an effective Excess & Obsolete (E&O) Inventory Program, including clear definitions, reporting, ownership, disposition strategies, and regular cross-functional review.
• Identify slow-moving, excess, obsolete, inactive, and duplicate inventory and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate unnecessary inventory investment.
• Create processes to prevent new excess and obsolete inventory from being created.
• Partner with Sales and Operations to determine appropriate disposition strategies for excess inventory, including customer opportunities, transfers between locations, supplier returns, alternative uses, and other approved disposition methods.
• Establish and continuously improve inventory stocking strategies using demand history, customer requirements, lead times, service levels, product criticality, supplier performance, and other relevant business factors.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a company-wide Plan for Every Part (PFEP) program that defines and continuously improves item-level planning parameters, including demand and usage, stocking location, replenishment method, lead time, order quantity, safety stock, and other critical attributes.
• Establish appropriate minimums, maximums, reorder points, safety stock, and stocking parameters where applicable.
• Regularly review stocking parameters and ensure they change as customer demand and business conditions change.
• Identify inventory that is stocked based on historical practice rather than current business requirements and recommend appropriate changes.
• Improve inventory turns without creating unacceptable stockouts or negatively affecting customer service.
• Monitor stockouts, backorders, fill rates, inventory availability, and other indicators to ensure inventory reduction efforts do not negatively impact customers.
• Partner closely with Purchasing to align purchasing activity with inventory strategy, demand, supplier lead times, minimum order quantities, stocking requirements, and working-capital objectives.
• Provide Purchasing with clear inventory parameters and priorities while maintaining appropriate separation between inventory strategy and management and purchasing execution.
• Partner with Sales to understand customer demand, upcoming opportunities, changing requirements, and customer-specific stocking commitments.
• Partner with Operations, Warehouse, and site leadership to ensure materials are appropriately located, stored, identified, controlled, and available for use.
• Evaluate inventory across locations and identify opportunities to transfer or rebalance material before purchasing additional inventory.
• Develop strategies for optimizing inventory placement across multiple locations.
• Establish standards for inventory storage, location control, labeling, material movement, and transaction discipline.
• Provide leadership and oversight for inventory resolution processes and ensure aged discrepancies are investigated and resolved in a timely manner.
• Partner with Quality on Red Tag, nonconforming, returned, quarantined, and other inventory that may affect available inventory or working capital.
• Establish reporting and dashboards that provide clear visibility into inventory performance and areas requiring action.
• Develop regular inventory reviews with appropriate leaders to communicate performance, identify risks, assign actions, and establish accountability.
• Prepare and present monthly inventory and working-capital performance updates to the Executive Team and quarterly reporting to the Board of Directors, clearly communicating results, trends, risks, corrective actions, and progress against targets.
• Use ERP data, business intelligence tools, and analytical methods to identify trends, problems, and opportunities.
• Improve inventory master data and system parameters necessary to support effective planning and replenishment.
• Participate in ERP implementation and improvement initiatives affecting inventory, materials management, warehouse processes, planning, replenishment, and inventory reporting.
• Establish standard work and consistent inventory-management practices across company locations.
• Regularly spend time at company locations observing material flow and inventory processes firsthand.
• Lead continuous improvement activities focused on reducing waste, improving material flow, increasing inventory accuracy, and reducing working capital.
• Develop employees and build organizational capability so improvements are sustainable and not dependent upon a single individual.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for inventory and materials issues that cannot be resolved at the site or Supervisor level and coordinate with appropriate departments to drive timely resolution and clear ownership.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills and Competencies

• Inventory & Working Capital Management - Understand inventory as both an operational requirement and a significant investment of company cash. Demonstrated ability to improve inventory performance while maintaining appropriate customer service.
• Data Driven - Analyze inventory, demand, usage, turns, aging, availability, and other business data to identify opportunities and make decisions.
• Financial Acumen - Understand the relationship between inventory, working capital, cash flow, service levels, margins, and business performance.
• Problem-Solving - Identify root causes rather than treating symptoms and develop sustainable corrective actions.
• Continuous Improvement - Challenge existing processes and lead measurable improvements in inventory accuracy, material flow, efficiency, and working capital.
• Leadership - Establish direction, communicate expectations, build accountability, and lead employees across multiple locations.
• People Development - Coach, mentor, develop, and hold Team members accountable while building future organizational capability.
• Change Management - Effectively lead employees through changes in processes, systems, responsibilities, and expectations.
• Business Acumen - Balance inventory investment with customer demand, service requirements, supplier constraints, and operational needs.
• ERP & Systems Knowledge - Effectively use ERP systems, reporting tools, inventory data, and system parameters to manage materials.
• Cross-Functional Leadership - Work effectively with Purchasing, Sales, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, Planning, Quality, and site leadership.
• Accountability - Establish clear ownership, follow through on commitments, and address performance or process issues when expectations are not met.
• Communication - Clearly communicate inventory performance, risks, expectations, priorities, and required actions throughout the organization.
• Detail Oriented - Maintain a high standard for inventory accuracy, data integrity, transaction discipline, and process execution.
• Safety Focused - Actively identify and address unsafe conditions and ensure material-management practices support a safe workplace.

Knowledge and Education

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field preferred. Equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in materials management, inventory management, supply chain, operations, or a related discipline in an industrial distribution or manufacturing environment preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of leadership or management experience preferred.
• Multi-location inventory or materials-management experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of producing measurable improvements in working capital, inventory accuracy, inventory turns, and excess and obsolete inventory is required.
• Must be able to provide examples of inventory-performance improvements personally led, including measurable before-and-after results.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing effective cycle count and inventory-accuracy programs.
• Demonstrated experience developing or significantly improving an Excess & Obsolete Inventory program.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and sustaining a Plan for Every Part (PFEP) program or equivalent item-level materials planning discipline.
• Demonstrated ability and comfort presenting inventory and working-capital performance, risks, and action plans to executive leadership and Boards of Directors.
• Strong knowledge of inventory-management principles, including turns, inventory aging, service levels, safety stock, reorder points, lead times, demand patterns, and stocking strategies.
• Experience identifying and correcting root causes of inventory inaccuracies.
• Experience using ERP systems to manage inventory, replenishment, planning, and inventory parameters.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn large amounts of inventory data into clear priorities and actions.
• Experience implementing standard work and process improvements across multiple departments or locations.
• Industrial distribution experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of hydraulic, pneumatic, automation, or industrial components is beneficial.

Success in this Role

• Working Capital - Reduce unnecessary cash tied up in inventory while maintaining appropriate service levels.
• Inventory Accuracy - Establish and sustain high levels of system-to-physical inventory accuracy across all locations.
• Inventory Turns - Improve the productivity of inventory and increase turns through better stocking, replenishment, and disposition decisions.
• Excess & Obsolete Inventory - Establish a disciplined E&O program that reduces existing exposure and prevents unnecessary inventory from accumulating.
• Inventory Availability - Maintain appropriate product availability and customer service while improving overall inventory efficiency.
• Cycle Count Effectiveness - Move the organization from simply finding and adjusting discrepancies to identifying and eliminating their root causes.
• Stocking Strategy - Establish data-driven stocking parameters and regularly adjust them as demand and business conditions change.
• PFEP Program - Establish and sustain a company-wide Plan for Every Part program that provides clear, current item-level planning parameters and drives disciplined stocking and replenishment decisions.
• Inventory Visibility - Provide leadership with accurate, actionable information regarding inventory performance, risk, and working-capital opportunities.
• Executive & Board Reporting - Deliver clear, concise, and actionable monthly Executive Team and quarterly Board reporting on inventory performance, working capital, risks, and improvement progress.
• Multi-Site Consistency - Establish common inventory-management expectations, processes, and accountability across company locations.
• Cross-Functional Accountability - Build effective ownership between Materials, Purchasing, Sales, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, Quality, and site leadership.
• Sustainable Improvement - Develop processes and people capable of maintaining gains rather than relying on periodic inventory clean-up efforts.

Full-time Employee Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Company paid Short & Long-term Disability
• Company paid Life Insurance
• Participation in the ESOP
• 401k