Manufacturing Materials Planner

Lincoln Electric

About The Position

The Manufacturing Materials Planner is responsible for end-to-end production materials planning for the Harris Products Group Gainesville manufacturing facility. This role ensures the right materials are available at the right time by optimizing direct and indirect inventory levels, executing timely purchase orders, and actively managing supplier performance. Operating in a hybrid Make-to-Order (MTO) and Make-to-Stock (MTS) environment, the planner balances customer service, inventory health, and cost while supporting safe, efficient manufacturing operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field
3–5+ years of materials planning, purchasing, or inventory experience in a manufacturing environment OR combination of experience and education will be considered
Strong working knowledge of MRP systems; SAP ECC or S/4HANA preferred
Working knowledge of APICS principles and inventory planning best practices
Comprehensive knowledge of purchasing processes and supplier management
Advanced Excel skills (e.g., Pivot Tables); familiarity with analytics tools such as Tableau or Power BI preferred
Analytical, proactive, and hands-on problem-solving mindset
Ability to build effective, collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers
Continuous improvement and customer-focused orientation

Nice To Haves

Purchasing, Scheduling, or Inventory Management experience, APICS Certification, Six Sigma or Lean implementation experience preferred

Responsibilities

Establish, maintain, and continuously improve material planning parameters within the ERP system
Ensure material availability to meet production schedules and customer demand
Create, manage, and maintain accurate purchase orders in ERP
Proactively expedite and follow up on open purchase orders to prevent stockouts
Track inbound supply and maintain accurate delivery commitments in ERP
Monitor supplier performance, on-time delivery, and SCAR turnaround times
Resolve supplier quality issues and invoice discrepancies in a timely manner
Partner with Procurement and Strategic Sourcing on supplier performance and improvement initiatives
Analyze inventory, supply, and planning issues to identify root causes and implement corrective actions
Manage excess and obsolete (E&O) inventory, including oversight and disposition
Ensure accuracy of planning master data in ERP to drive effective system usage
Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Production Planning, Customer Service, Quality, Engineering, Sales, and Finance
Identify and lead cost savings, process improvement, and supplier optimization projects