Material Planner

Astronics Corporation•Waukegan, IL

20d•$70,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Material Planner ensures that materials and components are available to meet production requirements in a machine shop or manufacturing environment. The role plans, schedules, and coordinates material flow to support efficient production while maintaining balanced inventory levels and preventing shortages or excess. It supports cost control, inventory optimization, on-time delivery, procurement, production planning, and communication across departments. This position is onsite at Astronics CSC in Waukegan, Illinois, and requires regular in-person collaboration with production, supply chain, and quality teams. The Material Planner manages commodities and supplier relationships, issues purchase orders, obtains and evaluates supplier quotations, pursues cost improvements, and helps resolve quality and delivery issues. The position also supports production by releasing and tracking outside-processing work orders, developing routing steps, updating work orders, and communicating material status and risks. The role analyzes inventory usage to recommend reorder points and safety stock and advises management on materials, equipment, pricing, and sourcing improvements.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least 3 years of material planning or production control experience in a manufacturing or machine shop environment.
Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems such as Epicor, Dynamics 365, or an equivalent system.
Strong analytical skills, including experience with Excel and data analysis tools.
Ability to perform the essential duties satisfactorily.
Employment is contingent on authorization to access any items subject to U.S. export-control laws, if applicable.

Nice To Haves

Associate or bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
Understanding of machining processes, bills of materials, and routings.
Intermediate to advanced Excel experience.
Basic to intermediate skills with Microsoft Suite products.
Intermediate to advanced experience with a mid-tier ERP system; Epicor, Intuitive, or Dynamics 365 preferred.
Experience in a contract manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

Manage a range of commodities, including customer metal, electronics, and cables.
Read and interpret technical documents such as bills of materials (BOMs) and drawings.
Recommend and implement cost improvement initiatives to increase company margins.
Develop supplier relationships and manage suppliers and commodities to support ongoing supply and competitive pricing.
Issue and manage purchase orders for manufacturing and engineering material requirements.
Monitor and evaluate market conditions and recommend alternate courses of action when needed.
Obtain and evaluate supplier quotations to identify the best total cost and value for commodities.
Pursue cost savings in collaboration with suppliers, Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and other stakeholders.
Collect and analyze information about quality and delivery problems with purchased materials and recommend solutions.
Implement and comply with ethical and legal requirements.
Release work orders for outside processing, including activities such as testing, chemical processing, and painting.
Coordinate work among supply chain, machining, assembly, and quality teams.
Develop routing steps based on outside-processing requirements.
Track outside-processing work orders and update work orders as needed.
Provide production teams with timely updates on material status and potential risks.
Foster clear communication across Production, Supply Chain, Shipping, and Quality.
Analyze inventory levels and usage to determine reorder points and safety stock requirements.
Maintain effective relationships with employees at all organizational levels and with suppliers.
Evaluate and advise management on improvements to materials, equipment, pricing, and sourcing.

Benefits

Quarterly incentive compensation bonus.
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
Disability and life insurance.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA).
Voluntary life/AD&D, voluntary critical illness, accident prevention, and hospital indemnity coverage.
401(k) plan with a company contribution of 3% of eligible wages and the possibility of an annual discretionary additional contribution.
Profit sharing.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
Employee Assistance Program.
Wellness Program.
Paid Time Off.
Volunteer Time Off program.
Paid holidays.
Paid parental leave.
Tuition reimbursement program.