Supply Chain Associate Manager, Materials

Merz North America•Racine, WI

12d

About The Position

Responsible for local supply and inventory planning of raw materials, components, and chemicals for finished goods made at contract manufacturers and the company’s manufacturing facility in Wisconsin. The role plans supply to ensure sufficient finished-goods inventory and manages replenishment by considering material availability, lead times, inventory carrying costs, and customer demand. It consults with managers and key personnel in Sales & Marketing, Production, and Supply Chain to gather information needed to develop and maintain supply. The role develops and maintains supply plans using established procedures, parameters, and guidelines; reviews forecasts, sales trends, customer demand, production requirements, and lead times; and works to meet demand while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory. It maintains ERP/MRP planning data and supports material, supplier, and system setup for new product launches. The position also identifies and communicates shortage risks, manages inventory and backorders, and analyzes materials to determine appropriate safety stock. Non-routine risks and issues requiring exceptions are escalated to the Manager, Supply Chain Planning, with analysis and recommended options.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Sciences, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Business, or an applicable field.
Experience in supply chain, such as purchasing, supplier management, demand planning, and/or supply planning.
At least 2 years of work experience, or an equivalent combination of training, education, and experience demonstrating the ability to perform the duties.
Ability to interact effectively across functions, including Marketing, R&D, Purchasing, Finance, Quality, Sales, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Supply Chain.
Experience dealing with suppliers; ability to multitask, prioritize work, and implement process and efficiency improvements.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and effective presentation skills.
Knowledge of established supply-planning, inventory-management, and material-replenishment methods, procedures, and guidelines.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, sufficient to analyze planning information and communicate results.
Excellent English communication skills, oral and written.
Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and common business applications, including maintaining planning data, reviewing system outputs, identifying routine data issues, and coordinating corrections in accordance with established procedures.
Demonstrated commitment to accurate, timely, and complete work that supports the Supply Chain team and related workflows.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer-sponsored work authorization.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain supply plans for raw materials, chemicals, and components required to produce finished goods at contract manufacturers.
Monitor forecasts, sales trends, customer demand, production requirements, and lead times to maintain adequate inventory while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
Escalate non-routine supply risks, significant shortages, and issues requiring exceptions to the Manager, Supply Chain Planning, with relevant analysis and recommended options.
Maintain accurate ERP/MRP master data and periodically review planning data to identify inaccuracies or improvement opportunities.
Coordinate assigned material, supplier, and ERP/MRP setup activities with cross-functional partners to support new product launches.
Maintain minimal to no backorders on products released to market.
Identify potential shortages and communicate risks to the Manager and relevant cross-functional partners.
Build and maintain inventory to levels agreed upon in management objectives.
Analyze materials and determine optimum safety stock.
Coordinate multi-discipline activities, track dependencies, communicate status, and escalate issues beyond established procedures or individual decision authority.