Materials Manager

Kimball Electronics•Jasper, IN

41d•$90,000 - $120,000

About The Position

This is a highly impactful role within the supply chain organization, responsible for leading the development and execution of material strategies that directly influence cost, quality, schedule, and delivery performance. The role operates across supply chain teams and relies on strong cross-functional partnership to remove roadblocks, strengthen supplier/customer relationships, and drive process improvements. The position requires the ability to work effectively across locations—including manufacturing operations in Thailand and customers in the USA—with flexibility for remote and on-premise support as needed. Opportunities exist for domestic and international travel to collaborate with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing facilities. Success in this role is defined by measurable improvements in material performance, stronger operational stability, and disciplined execution that supports Kimball Electronics’ Vision and Guiding Principles and KEI business plans.

Requirements

Experience leading deployment of supply chain processes and improvements.
Strong grasp of data, cost modeling, and supplier evaluation.
Demonstrated understanding of plant manufacturing processes and operations value streams.
Experience with ERP business systems, preferably SAP, and supply chain systems analysis tools.
Ability to manage tasks across various locations (plants, warehouses, customer sites).
Ability to communicate clear direction, accurate handoffs, and consistent standards to a diverse, multilingual group with varying English proficiency.
Flexibility to support Thailand manufacturing facility hours and USA customer needs; remote and on-premise attendance as necessary.
Domestic and international travel as needed to work with customers, suppliers, and manufacturing facilities.
Material sourcing and qualification
Requirements planning
Performance management
Contracting and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Electro-mechanical and medical device manufacturing
Team-oriented; strong drive for success; customer-centric; integrity; relationship building; positive attitude
Executive presence; proactive leadership style; strong decision making; adaptability and change management; visionary skills
Strong verbal/written communication; ability to communicate at all levels; strong listening and presentation skills; ability to provide candid feedback respectfully
Sound financial competence; prioritization; deadline execution; ability to manage multiple tasks; results focused

Responsibilities

Establish credibility and operating rhythm across sites and stakeholders by building strong working relationships with supply chain teams, manufacturing, and key partners in the customer and supplier base.
Assess and baseline current materials performance (planning accuracy, material requirements effectiveness, supplier performance trends) to identify near-term opportunities for stabilization and improvement.
Launch initial process transformation efforts focused on supply chain planning, material requirements, and supplier performance—prioritizing the most urgent constraints affecting schedule/delivery.
Strengthen KPI discipline and corrective action closure by analyzing variances, interpreting KPIs, providing feedback, and ensuring corrective actions are driven to completion.
Improve supply continuity and data precision by reinforcing standards and adherence practices that protect stability while balancing risk and cost constraints.
Support near-term cost reduction efforts by partnering in negotiation of price/terms to reduce total material cost while protecting quality and continuity.
Align ways of working across a diverse, multilingual group by establishing clear communication expectations, consistent handoffs, and standards that work across varying levels of English proficiency.
Build operational fluency in plant manufacturing processes/value streams and confirm strong working use of the ERP environment (preferably SAP) to support execution and analysis.
Expand and scale process improvements by leading broader deployment of supply chain process changes and measurable improvements across planning/material requirements and supplier performance.
Advance supplier evaluation and material strategy rigor by applying strong data analysis, cost modeling, and supplier evaluation methods to drive better sourcing and qualification decisions.
Drive total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements through contracting and disciplined trade-off decisions that balance risk and cost while enabling growth and meeting budget constraints.
Improve cross-functional execution velocity by facilitating collaboration, proactively identifying constraints, and resolving roadblocks with stakeholders across the value stream.
Deepen customer and supplier partnerships to strengthen performance outcomes and ensure shared understanding of expectations and requirements.
Sustain performance governance by embedding KPI review, variance response, and corrective action discipline as “how we operate,” ensuring improvements hold over time.
Demonstrate leadership impact and presence through evidence-based decision making under tight deadlines and fluctuating demand, with clear, candid, respectful feedback practices.