Materials Planner

Overview

We are seeking a dedicated Materials Planner (Buyer/Planner) for our client based in Galway, Ireland. This pivotal role involves collaborating closely with the team to plan and schedule material deliveries from suppliers, ensuring the availability of components to prevent production delays and managing inventory in alignment with customer service and stock targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute timely and cost-effective procurement of production, inventory, and MRO materials.
• Analyze requisitions to establish precise quantities, specifications, and delivery schedules.
• Recommend and select suppliers from an approved list to meet scheduled deliveries.
• Facilitate the onboarding process for newly chosen suppliers relevant to material planning.
• Maintain accurate ABC classifications and contribute critical data to the Plan for Every Part (PFEP) process.
• Ensure inventory levels and safety stocks are optimally maintained for assigned parts.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance to address supplier-related quality concerns.
• Proactively identify and manage material shortages, including root cause analysis and corrective action planning.
• Spot opportunities to reduce total costs and improve cash flow with suppliers.
• Analyze and select appropriate parts for KanBan and Supplier Replenishment systems.
• Potentially lead and guide colleagues to achieve departmental goals.
• Expedite deliveries to meet or surpass critical scheduling requirements.
• Keep the material plan updated at the defined time fence to maintain supply continuity.
• Collaborate with production planners to manage situations where parts deliveries are delayed.
• Monitor and evaluate supplier performance continuously, escalating issues to Procurement as needed.
• Resolve billing discrepancies in partnership with suppliers and accounting teams.
• Assess material and capacity availability to determine accurate customer promise dates for sales orders.
• Update item master lead time data based on process enhancements, existing constraints, product demand, and priorities.
• Manage both internal and SOMI/VMI inventory to meet production schedules.
• Interface with multiple functional teams to overcome challenging delivery requirements.
• Communicate forecasting and replenishment plans effectively to suppliers.
• Review open purchase requirements, monitor vendor performance, and expedite orders as necessary, promptly addressing issues related to delivery, quality, or pricing.
• Identify and implement cost-saving and productivity initiatives aligning with corporate goals, maintaining financial and progress records accordingly.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent; minimum of 3 years' experience in planning or buying within manufacturing settings.
• Certification such as APICS CPIM or equivalent is desirable.
• Strong understanding of industry-specific supply chains and supplier ecosystems.
• Expertise in production and supplier scheduling methodologies.
• Familiarity with supplier operations and capabilities.
• Ability to provide guidance and training to team members as necessary.
• Proficient user of ERP systems and Microsoft Office suite.
• Basic competency in mathematics to support quantitative tasks.
• Experience working within rate-based or flow line manufacturing as well as job shop environments.
• Knowledgeable about operations, inventory management, MRP, and lean manufacturing principles.
• Practical exposure to visual management systems.