Director, Materials

Lincoln Industries•Lincoln, NE

About The Position

The Director of Materials is a strategic and operational leader responsible for the end-to-end materials management of a complex supply chain portfolio. This leader will orchestrate supply chain planning, inventory control, warehouse operations, logistics, and ERP governance across a complex footprint requiring deep US domestic expertise and robust international supply chain experience. Working in close partnership with Sourcing, Operations, and Customer Service, this role ensures flawless alignment between material availability, international and domestic supplier performance, production execution, and customer commitments. A critical mandate for this role is driving schedule attainment, past-due reduction, and on-time delivery (OTD) while leading a comprehensive digital modernization effort. Over the next 18 months, this leader will play a key role in the organization's enterprise-wide transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This is a heavy change management and process-design role, requiring a proven track record of shifting organizational culture, ensuring data governance, and implementing AI-driven forecasting, planning, and advanced analytics.

Requirements

8–12 years of progressive, leadership experience in materials management, global logistics, or supply chain planning.
Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Operations, Engineering, or Business (MBA preferred).
Demonstrated success managing large-scale supply chain operations of $250M.
Solid experience balancing complex US domestic logistics networks alongside international supply chain operations (overseas supplier management, global freight, and trade compliance).
Proven ability to drive operational performance through analytics and cross-functional leadership
Explicit experience leading organizational change management initiatives, restructuring processes, and training teams through digital transformation.
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or Microsoft Navision
Hands-on experience deploying or managing AI/ML tools, Advanced Planning Systems (APS), or predictive demand planning software.
Improvement in Engagement scores with tangible actions to drive team development and build succession plans for key roles
Drastic reduction in past-due backlog, optimized logistics spend, and measurable improvement in production schedule adherence / OTD.
Optimized inventory turns and working capital performance across a $250M portfolio.
Successful Business Central Implementation: On-time, within scope, with high user adoption and zero operational downtime.
Total ownership of an end-to-end material flow, spanning global sourcing logic to domestic warehouse execution at a $250M scale.
Actively embed AI and predictive analytics into core planning and forecasting, moving away from reactive firefighting into predictive, data-driven execution.
You will be integral in the transition to Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, fundamentally reshaping how this organization executes.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.
Preferred Change Management Expertise: Experience leading organizational change management initiatives, restructuring processes, and training teams through digital transformation.
Lean, Six Sigma, or APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM, CSCP).

Responsibilities

Develop and execute supply chain and materials strategies aligned with business objectives and be able to align the team and organization around that vision.
Build a high-performing team across Planning, Shipping/Receiving, and Logistics including people development and organizational engagement.
Build a culture of collaboration between critical internal departments and across supply base.
Optimize end-to-end value streams for a supply chain network scaling to $250M, balancing cost, capital efficiency, and service reliability.
Own inbound and outbound logistics strategies, effectively navigating complex international freight forwarders, customs, global trade compliance, and domestic transportation networks.
Lead the executive Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes, translating high-level demand and supply plans into executable production blueprints.
Develop and manage freight budgets, transportation cost allocations, expedited freight allowances, and logistics productivity targets. Partner with Finance and Accounting to balance service, cost, and operational performance objectives.
Collaborate with Operations leadership to drive rigorous daily/weekly execution routines focused on schedule attainment and aggressive past-due backlog reduction.
Partner with Sourcing (Procurement & Supplier Quality) to hold global and domestic suppliers accountable, using data-driven trends to mitigate risk and resolve systemic material constraints.
Play a key role in the 18-month enterprise transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, ensuring robust process architecture, rigorous data migration/cleansing, and high user adoption.
Apply structured change management methodologies to transition teams from legacy systems to modernized, digitally enabled workflows, mitigating operational friction and system resistance.
Ensure accuracy of planning, inventory, and product master data, identifying and resolving data issues that impact productivity, operational performance, and planning effectiveness.
Drive the adoption of AI/ML predictive models for demand forecasting, supply planning, and advanced inventory segmentation/slotting.
Utilize advanced analytics and automated dashboards to proactively identify and intervene in supply chain disruptions before they impact production schedules.