Demand & Materials Planning Manager

The Boler Company®•Schaumburg, IL

1d•$80,000 - $120,000

About The Position

The Demand & Materials Planning Manager leads demand planning and raw-material forecasting across multiple manufacturing locations. The role translates customer demand, production schedules, historical usage, inventory levels, supplier lead times, and business forecasts into purchasing and material plans that support uninterrupted production while optimizing inventory investment. The manager establishes consistent multi-site planning methods, maintains raw-material forecasts, analyzes forecast accuracy and consumption variances, identifies shortages and inventory risks, and provides material-demand projections to support production and capacity decisions. The role partners with Purchasing to turn forecasts and ERP/MRP requirements into purchasing plans, monitor material availability and supplier lead times, recommend replenishment strategies, mitigate supply constraints, and address excess or obsolete inventory. The position uses ERP/MRP systems and advanced Excel to manage planning parameters and requirements, maintain accurate master data, develop reports and dashboards, and improve planning processes and material visibility. It works closely with Operations, Production Planning, Engineering, machining teams, Purchasing, Sales, Finance, and site leadership to account for manufacturing schedules, material specifications, yields, scrap, and process changes. The manager leads and standardizes planning across locations, facilitates recurring reviews, coaches site personnel, and drives measurable improvements in forecast accuracy, inventory performance, and material availability. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and at least five years of experience leading demand planning across multiple manufacturing sites are required. Metals purchasing and experience in CNC machining or other metalworking environments are preferred. The role is full-time, with a stated salary range of $80,000–$120,000. The posting refers applicants to the company benefits website for a full benefits list but does not specify individual benefits.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, Finance, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience leading demand planning across multiple manufacturing sites.
Demonstrated experience in demand forecasting, raw-material planning, purchasing, supply chain, or inventory management in a manufacturing environment.
Strong working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and system-generated material and purchase requirements.
Experience managing planning parameters such as lead times, safety stock, reorder points, lot sizes, order policies, and material requirements.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret large data sets and translate findings into purchasing and operational actions.
Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency, including pivot tables, lookup functions, data analysis, and reporting.
Ability to lead cross-functional planning processes and influence decisions across multiple sites without relying exclusively on direct authority.
Excellent communication, organization, problem-solving, and prioritization skills.

Nice To Haves

Professional supply-chain certification such as APICS CPIM or CSCP.
Metals purchasing experience, particularly with aluminum, steel, alloys, forgings, castings, bar stock, billet, or plate.
Experience in a CNC machining, metalworking, forging, casting, or precision-manufacturing environment.
Knowledge of raw-material grades, specifications, dimensions, yields, scrap considerations, and supplier lead times.
Experience supporting Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), demand reviews, or other formal cross-functional planning processes.
Experience improving enterprise planning processes, ERP/MRP parameters, and inventory-management practices.

Responsibilities

Lead and standardize demand-planning processes, methods, reporting, and performance expectations across multiple manufacturing locations.
Develop and maintain raw-material forecasts using customer demand, production schedules, historical consumption, inventory balances, supplier lead times, and anticipated business requirements.
Translate finished-goods demand and production plans into raw-material requirements by site, material type, specification, and timing.
Analyze forecast-to-actual consumption, identify variance causes, and implement improvements to planning accuracy.
Identify and communicate anticipated shortages, excess inventory, demand changes, and material risks to Purchasing, Operations, and site leadership.
Establish planning horizons and replenishment assumptions reflecting supplier lead times, production requirements, service expectations, and inventory objectives.
Provide material-demand projections to support capacity and production-planning decisions.
Partner with Purchasing to convert forecasts and ERP/MRP requirements into raw-material purchasing plans.
Monitor material availability, supplier lead times, open purchase orders, inventory, safety stock, reorder points, and anticipated production needs.
Support purchasing strategies for metals and other manufacturing materials, as applicable.
Recommend order quantities and replenishment strategies that balance production continuity, carrying costs, minimum order quantities, and supplier constraints.
Identify supply constraints and recommend mitigation actions such as alternate timing, inventory transfers, supplier escalation, or approved substitutions.
Analyze slow-moving, excess, and obsolete raw-material inventory and recommend disposition or consumption plans.
Consolidate demand across sites when appropriate to improve purchasing leverage, inventory utilization, and supplier planning.
Use ERP/MRP systems to manage demand signals, material requirements, lead times, order policies, safety stock, purchase requirements, and planning parameters.
Review system-generated recommendations and convert them into practical purchasing and material-planning actions.
Maintain planning master data and partner with Purchasing, Operations, Engineering, and IT to resolve data-integrity issues.
Develop and maintain reports and dashboards tracking forecast accuracy, inventory, material availability, shortages, purchase requirements, and excess inventory.
Use advanced Excel and analytical tools to assess trends, model demand scenarios, and support fact-based decisions.
Lead continuous improvement in ERP/MRP utilization, planning disciplines, data accuracy, and material visibility.
Partner with Operations, Production Planning, Engineering, and machining teams to understand how schedules and process changes affect raw-material consumption.
Incorporate material grades, specifications, sizes, yields, scrap factors, lot requirements, and production constraints into forecasts and purchasing plans.
Anticipate material-requirement changes caused by new programs, engineering revisions, customer demand changes, process improvements, or production transfers.
Apply practical CNC machining and metalworking knowledge when evaluating material needs, risks, and production priorities.
Facilitate recurring demand and material-planning reviews with Purchasing, Operations, Sales, Finance, Engineering, and site leadership.
Provide direction, coaching, and subject-matter expertise to site planning, purchasing, and materials personnel.
Communicate material risks, inventory concerns, forecast changes, and recommended actions to stakeholders and leadership.
Drive measurable improvements in forecast accuracy, inventory performance, material availability, and cross-site planning execution.