Program Manager, Materials Planning

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Applied Materials is the global leader in materials science and engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. The equipment that we create and service is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor chips. Join us and push the boundaries of materials science and engineering in a company at the foundation of the electronics industry. The work we do together advances the world’s technology.

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Program Manager, Materials Planning

Austin, TX  |  Full time  |  Project/Program Management

Key Responsibilities

About This Role

Applied Materials is looking for a Program Manager, Materials Planning to own material planning for products and parts with complex, changing, and customer specific demand. This is the work of making sure the right parts exist in the right quantity at the right time, in situations where the standard planning process does not give you the answer.

You will work across Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations, and Customer Support to validate demand, spot risk early, and drive the decisions that keep customers supported. It is a role for someone who is comfortable with incomplete information, goes and finds what they need, and moves without waiting to be told.

This is an individual contributor role with leadership responsibility across a small working group. It does not include direct people management.

Materials and Demand Planning

• Own material planning activities so parts availability stays aligned to customer demand.
• Validate demand changes with customers and business teams, and drive forecast updates when the signal is real.
• Balance supply, demand, inventory levels, and customer commitments, and adjust planning assumptions as conditions change.

Analysis and Early Risk Identification

• Work with large, complex datasets to surface demand shifts, planning risks, and inventory exposure before they become problems.
• Turn planning and operational data into recommendations that others can act on.
• Monitor inventory, demand signals, and supply to identify shortages, excess, and gaps early.

Problem Solving and Exception Resolution

• Lead resolution of planning exceptions, where the situation is unique and the standard process does not apply.
• Run root cause investigations and put corrective and preventive actions in place.
• Manage competing priorities, make judgment calls with the data available, and escalate when escalation is genuinely warranted.

Inventory and Lifecycle Management

• Drive parts availability that supports installed base performance and customer uptime.
• Manage inventory exposure, including excess and obsolescence risk, and find alternative paths such as consumption opportunities, substitution, or rework.
• Support planning through product transitions and end of life, where demand patterns break from the norm.

Collaboration Across Functions and Regions

• Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations, Customer Support, and business teams to align planning strategy.
• Coordinate with global teams across regions and time zones to execute and resolve issues.
• Communicate clearly to technical and non technical audiences, and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Keep stakeholders current with clear status reporting.

Preferred Background

We are interested in candidates from a range of backgrounds. You do not need every item below.

• Experience in one or more of: materials planning, supply chain planning, demand planning, manufacturing operations, product lifecycle management, engineering, or program management.
• Experience in semiconductor, electronics, or another complex manufacturing environment is helpful but not required.
• Comfort with data analysis and reporting tools. Examples include ERP and MRP platforms such as SAP or Oracle, planning tools such as Kinaxis, reporting tools such as Tableau or Power BI, and advanced Excel.
• Exposure to demand forecasting, supply planning, inventory management, or lifecycle transitions.
• Experience leading cross functional work without formal authority.
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, engineering, operations, business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Functional Knowledge

• Practical expertise in materials or supply chain planning, with working knowledge of the engineering, manufacturing, and service functions that planning depends on.

Business Expertise

• Understands how planning decisions affect customer commitments, inventory investment, and service performance, and how this role connects to the broader supply chain.

Leadership

• Leads a small working group and acts as a resource to less experienced colleagues. Drives planning initiatives with manageable risk and resource requirements without direct reporting authority.

Problem Solving

• Solves complex, ambiguous planning problems using data from multiple sources. Applies structured root cause methods and exercises judgment where the standard process gives no clear answer.

Impact

• Directly affects parts availability, customer uptime, and inventory exposure across their own team and partner teams. Works within broad guidelines rather than prescribed procedure.

Interpersonal Skills

• Explains difficult or sensitive supply and demand information to technical and non technical audiences, and builds consensus across functions that do not report to this role.

Relocation Available

Additional Information

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Travel:

Relocation Eligible:

The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected], or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877-612-7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.