Material Planner

Orca Bio•Sacramento, CA

3d•$75,000 - $105,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Material Planner ensures material availability for clinical and commercial cell therapy manufacturing by translating production plans and patient demand into material requirements. The role works cross-functionally to maintain material readiness, mitigate supply risks, and support on-time manufacturing and patient delivery. It also provides backup support for production planning and scheduling as needed. The position is based at Orca Bio’s manufacturing facility in Sacramento, California, and performs planning activities in accordance with applicable GMP requirements, company procedures, and quality systems.

Requirements

Associate of Science degree required.
At least 3 years of experience in material planning, supply planning, production planning, inventory management, or a related function within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cell therapy, medical device, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
Experience using ERP/MRP systems for material planning and inventory management.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
High attention to detail and demonstrated ability to identify and resolve supply constraints proactively.
Ability to work effectively in a GMP environment and follow controlled processes.
Ability to multitask, prioritize, and handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
Ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment while following SOPs.
Ability to work for long periods at a computer.
Comfort participating regularly in video-based meetings.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Industrial Engineering, Business, Life Sciences, or a related field.
Strong work ethic, curiosity, and interest in learning and contributing in a fast-paced collaborative environment.
Strong interpersonal skills and effective communication.
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills to support decisions affecting due dates, quality, and cost.
Respectful and collaborative approach toward team members.
Interest in improving established processes.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain material requirements based on production plans, patient demand, forecasts, bills of materials, lead times, and inventory levels.
Monitor inventory levels, shelf life, expiration risks, and replenishment parameters to ensure availability of critical manufacturing and QC materials.
Coordinate with Procurement, Warehouse, Quality, QC, and suppliers to ensure materials are ordered, received, released, and available when needed.
Identify and proactively communicate material shortages, supply constraints, and other risks that could affect manufacturing schedules or patient delivery.
Review upcoming production schedules and issued material-kit orders, and confirm readiness for manufacturing campaigns and patient-specific production requirements.
Partner with Production Planning, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to resolve material needs and constraints, support schedule changes, and coordinate production recovery activities.
Provide backup coverage for the Production Planner/Scheduler, including production scheduling, slot management, schedule changes, and communication of manufacturing plans.
Maintain material planning parameters, reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators to improve inventory visibility, planning accuracy, and supply reliability.
Support development and continuous improvement of material planning processes, procedures, and work instructions as the organization scales.
Perform planning activities in accordance with applicable GMP requirements, company procedures, and quality systems.
Perform other duties as assigned.