Materials Planning Manager

Ancient Crunch•Hackettstown, NJ

About The Position

Ancient Crunch Inc. is the fastest-growing healthy snack brand in the U.S. Our flagship product, MASA Chips, is the #1 selling tallow-fried tortilla chips in premium retailers like Erewhon. We manufacture all products in-house at our Hackettstown facility using real ingredients—no seed oils, artificial flavors, or preservatives. All operations adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and food safety standards. Role Summary: The Material Planning Manager owns the day-to-day execution of material planning, purchasing, and inventory management to keep production running and customers happy. Reporting to the Director of Operations, this is a hands-on leadership role that requires you to translate demand plans into action, balance service levels against inventory needs, and build a high-performing materials team. You'll work cross-functionally with Production, Fulfillment, Quality, Engineering, and Finance to ensure materials flow reliably and cost-effectively. The responsibilities listed below are not exhaustive. As we scale, the requirements of this role will expand. The Material Planning Manager is expected to lead new initiatives and take on additional duties consistent with this title and the long-term evolution of our supply chain.

Requirements

2+ years of progressive experience in material planning, operational purchasing, or supply chain planning
At least 1 year of experience as a team leader with direct reports
Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics)
Demonstrated success managing inventory levels, service levels, and working capital in a manufacturing or distribution environment
Proficiency in Excel and comfort with large data sets and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field preferred

Nice To Haves

APICS CPIM, CSCP, or equivalent supply chain certification
Experience with advanced planning systems (e.g., Kinaxis, o9, SAP IBP, Blue Yonder)
Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous improvement certification
Experience supporting S&OP/IBP and presenting to senior leadership
Experience in a regulated industry (e.g., medical device, aerospace, automotive, food and beverage)

Responsibilities

Own the material costs by managing inventory health and supplier delivery
Convert demand and production plans into actionable purchasing activity
Build and lead a team of planners, buyers, and inventory analysts
Partner cross-functionally to keep materials aligned with business priorities
Drive continuous improvement across planning processes and systems
Lead day-to-day material planning and purchasing to support production schedules, customer commitments, and new product launches
Convert inventory signals into purchase orders, schedule agreements, and delivery schedules — ensuring on-time, in-full receipt at the right cost
Manage the open purchase order book; expedite or de-expedite as needed and resolve supplier delivery issues, shortages, and over-shipments
Maintain accurate planning parameters in the inventory system including lead times, lot sizes, safety stock, reorder points, and MOQs
Partner with Strategic Procurement on supplier performance, contract execution, cost negotiations, and dual-sourcing strategies
Own inventory health across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods — balancing service-level targets against inventory value and obsolescence risk
Establish and maintain inventory policies (ABC/XYZ segmentation, safety stock, min/max levels) aligned to demand variability and supply risk
Drive cycle counting, inventory accuracy, and reconciliation; investigate and correct root causes of discrepancies
Identify and disposition slow-moving, excess, and obsolete (E&O) inventory in partnership with Finance and Operations
Monitor and improve inventory turns, days-on-hand, and fill rate against targets
Translate demand and production plans into a feasible material requirements plan, surfacing constraints early
Coordinate with Production, Quality, Engineering, Customer Service, and Finance to align materials availability with business priorities
Manage materials aspects of engineering changes, phase-ins/phase-outs, and new product launches to minimize obsolescence and stockouts
Lead, coach, and develop a team of material planners, buyers, and inventory analysts; set clear goals, provide feedback, and build bench strength
Establish standard work, KPIs, and cadenced reviews that drive accountability and continuous improvement
Foster a collaborative, data-driven, and customer-focused culture across the materials team
Drive continuous improvement of planning and purchasing processes using Lean and Six Sigma principles
Champion data integrity and effective use of ERP/MRP, advanced planning, and inventory management tools
Develop dashboards and reporting for material availability, supplier performance, inventory health, and risk
Support internal and external audits related to inventory, purchasing, and supply chain controls