Director of Corporate Materials Mgmt. & Planning Operations

American Rheinmetall•Plymouth, MI

24d•Onsite

About The Position

American Rheinmetall is a leader in the design, development, and production of advanced tracked and wheeled vehicles, vehicle systems, and critical components that support U.S. military modernization. Our expertise spans electronic and mechanical systems, fabricated structures, armored products, rubber solutions, and track systems, delivering reliable innovation to both defense and commercial markets at the speed of need. As part of the global Rheinmetall family, we combine proven heritage with forward-looking technology to provide solutions that defend and feed the world. Job Summary: The Director, Corporate Materials Management and Planning Operations is responsible for the strategic oversight, governance, standardization, and performance of Production Planning & Scheduling and Materials Management/Inventory Control functions across multiple manufacturing facilities. This role ensures alignment of planning, material availability, inventory performance, and production execution with corporate business objectives, customer commitments, and financial targets. The position serves as the functional leader for planning and materials management processes, driving operational excellence, standard work, continuous improvement, and cross-site performance consistency while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, and Program Management teams. This position reports to the vice president of supply chain and will manage both direct and matrixed reports to ensure effective execution of operational priorities.

Requirements

Strong understanding of manufacturing systems, ERP/MRP planning tools, and production control processes.
Proven track record in leading high-mix, low- to medium-volume production environments.
Demonstrated success in improving production throughput, quality, and cost performance.
Deep knowledge of lean principles, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies.
Excellent leadership, communication, and team-building skills.
Experience working with cross-functional and executive-level stakeholders.
Ability to travel, including frequent travel across AR sites.
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in manufacturing, with a significant portion in leadership roles.
Demonstrated success in production planning, inventory control, MRP/ERP systems.
Must undergo and meet company standards for background check, employment verification, reference checks, physical, and controlled substance testing.
Candidate must be able to obtain and maintain suitability requirements for access to classified information.

Nice To Haves

Experience, education, certification that would be nice to have but are not required

Responsibilities

Provide enterprise-wide leadership and oversight of production planning and scheduling activities across multiple manufacturing sites.
Establish standardized planning and scheduling processes, policies, and governance to ensure consistent execution across facilities.
Drive development and maintenance of integrated production plans that align customer demand, capacity, labor, and material availability.
Monitor schedule adherence, production attainment, and manufacturing throughput performance.
Lead resolution of production constraints and scheduling conflicts impacting delivery commitments.
Ensure effective utilization of ERP/MRP systems to support planning accuracy and execution.
Oversee materials management and inventory control functions across all assigned facilities.
Establish inventory management strategies that balance customer service requirements, operational efficiency, and working capital objectives.
Monitor and improve inventory accuracy, inventory turns, excess and obsolete inventory, and material availability metrics.
Ensure effective execution of material planning, replenishment, receiving, storage, and inventory control processes.
Drive actions to reduce shortages, stockouts, and production disruptions caused by material availability issues.
Develop and implement inventory optimization strategies across the enterprise.
Ensure effective utilization of ERP/MRP systems to support Materials Management/Inventory Control accuracy and execution.
Logistics/Transportation strategy & management
Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) for planning, scheduling, inventory management, and materials performance.
Conduct regular operational reviews with plant leadership teams to assess performance and drive corrective actions.
Establish performance benchmarks and best practices across sites.
Analyze trends and identify systemic issues affecting operational efficiency, delivery performance, and inventory health.
Provide executive leadership with operational performance assessments and improvement recommendations.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on planning effectiveness, inventory optimization, and supply chain performance.
Identify opportunities to improve forecast accuracy, planning cycle times, inventory utilization, and schedule execution.
Champion Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and operational excellence methodologies.
Lead the development of operational excellence processes, procedures, methodologies and promote the standardization and adoption of best practices across all facilities.
Lead cross-functional problem-solving efforts to address recurring operational challenges.
Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, Finance, Quality, and Program Management organizations to ensure integrated operational execution.
Collaborate with executive leadership to develop long-range operational and supply chain strategies that support growth, scalability, and competitive advantage.
Participate in supplier reviews and recovery efforts for critical and/or high-risk suppliers.
Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
Collaborate with plant leadership to align production priorities with customer and business requirements.
Support new product introductions, production transitions, and capacity planning activities.
Lead efforts to ensure the Plex ERP system is effectively utilized and continually improved to meet business needs.
Promote data integrity, process discipline, and accountability across planning and inventory control functions.
Support the development, enhancement, and implementation of ERP system capabilities to improve operational effectiveness and data integrity.
Utilize analytics and reporting tools to support decision-making and improvements in operational performance.
Provide functional leadership and mentorship to planning, scheduling, and materials management teams across multiple facilities.
Develop organizational capability through coaching, training, and succession planning.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Support recruitment, development, and retention of high-performing operations personnel.
Will manage both direct and matrixed reports to ensure effective execution of operational priorities.
Additional duties as assigned.