Material Planner

About BOXX Technologies and the Role

BOXX Technologies' Product Operations team in Austin, TX, is seeking to hire a Material Planner. The company provides various benefits including Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans, 401-K matching, and Paid Time Off.

Position Summary

The Material Planner plays a key role in forecasting and planning to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of raw materials and components. This is crucial to achieving production targets and meeting customer demand throughout the entire product life cycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct monthly and quarterly demand forecasting and inventory management within a complex, low-volume, high-mix discrete manufacturing context.
• Analyze demand indicators, forecast trends, and review customer backlogs to identify material needs and potential supply vulnerabilities.
• Identify material shortages proactively and collaborate with Purchasing, Engineering, Manufacturing, and suppliers to develop mitigation strategies ensuring customer delivery.
• Work closely with Purchasing and suppliers to monitor delivery execution, resolve supply chain issues, and maintain material availability in line with production schedules.
• Manage supplier change notifications and oversee internal assessments and execution of these changes using the change management system.
• Evaluate the material impact of Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and facilitate coordination of implementation plans across multiple teams.
• Support End-of-Life (EOL) and Excess and Obsolete (E&O) inventory transitions effectively.
• Lead Material Review Board (MRB) processes, overseeing disposition of non-conforming materials to reduce disruptions to production and deliveries.
• Review and update material planning parameters related to Bills of Material (BOMs), alternate components, and engineering changes.
• Maintain accurate master data for planning purposes including lead times, safety stock, order policies, and ERP parameters.
• Perform Material Requirements Planning (MRP) tasks such as demand reviews, supply planning, generating order recommendations, and managing exceptions.
• Develop, track, and communicate key performance indicators such as backlog status, material availability, inventory turnover, forecast accuracy, shortages, and on-time delivery statistics.
• Handle daily material planning operations to ensure materials are available to support production and customer commitments on time.
• Review, authorize, and coordinate requests for non-production materials aligning with business objectives and inventory management goals.

Educational Requirements

• An Associate or Bachelor's degree in a relevant field is required.

Required Experience and Skills

• Between 2 and 5 years of relevant experience in materials planning or related functions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel at an advanced level and familiarity with other productivity tools.
• Experience with MRP/ERP systems is necessary.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Excellent analytical capabilities and meticulous attention to detail.
• A positive, proactive attitude with a focus on continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience exceeding 5 years in materials planning roles.
• Background in planning for computer assembly or electronics manufacturing environments.
• Understanding of Lean manufacturing principles.
• Familiarity with Bills of Material (BOMs), Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), and product lifecycle management processes.
• Working knowledge of chat-based AI assistants and scripting using Large Language Models (LLMs).