Planning Manager

Job Number: 11458

External Description:

About This Role 

The Planning Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end material planning organization to ensure uninterrupted material flow that supports production schedules, customer commitments, inventory objectives, and business performance. This role provides leadership for Material Planners, Supplier Readiness/Expediting, and Materials Risk Management while driving excellence in MRP execution, supplier performance, supply assurance, planning processes, and risk mitigation. 

Job Description
 

Planning & Material Availability Leadership

• Lead the material planning organization to ensure uninterrupted supply of purchased materials.

• Drive execution of MRP, replenishment processes, and purchase order management.

• Establish planning standards, governance, and work processes across all planners.

• Ensure alignment between SIOP, MPS, MRP, Clear-to-Build, S&OE, and production execution.

• Lead shortage management activities and drive proactive recovery plans.

• Monitor material availability and escalate risks before production impact occurs.
   

Supplier Readiness & Expedite Management

• Lead supplier readiness and expediting activities for critical materials.

• Oversee high-risk supplier escalations and recovery actions.

• Drive supplier commitment management, past-due PO recovery, and shipment visibility.

• Coordinate cross-functional actions to resolve supply constraints.

• Reduce premium freight through proactive supplier management and planning discipline.
   

Materials Risk Management

• Own enterprise visibility to constrained materials, long lead-time parts, and supply chain risks.

• Establish risk identification processes and mitigation strategies.

• Drive reporting and communication of supply risks to leadership.

• Ensure contingency plans are developed and executed for critical shortages.

• Monitor supplier lead time variability and global supply chain disruptions.
   

Inventory & Supply Performance

• Balance inventory levels with service requirements and working capital objectives.

• Partner with Inventory Control to improve inventory health and accuracy.

• Drive reduction of excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory through planning actions.

• Ensure planning decisions support inventory turns and supply chain optimization.

• Lead planning activities supporting service level and production goals.
   

Cross Functional Leadership

• Partner with Manufacturing, Operations, Procurement, Logistics, Engineering, and Program Management.

• Lead planning support for launch activities, schedule changes, customer demand shifts, and recovery plans.

• Facilitate planning discussions within S&OE and operational review forums.

• Provide planning recommendations that balance demand, supply, capacity, and inventory objectives.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across planning processes and systems.
   

People Leadership

• Lead and develop Material Planners, Supplier Readiness/Expediting Lead, and Materials Risk Analyst.

• Establish performance expectations and accountability measures.

• Develop team capabilities in planning, analytics, supplier management, and risk mitigation.

• Build succession plans and support career development.

• Foster a culture of safety, ownership, continuous improvement, and operational excellence
   

Organizational Structure
 

Direct Reports

• Material Planners

• Supplier Readiness / Expediting Lead

• Materials Risk Analyst
   

Internal Interfaces

• Scheduling Lead

• Inventory Lead

• Logistics Lead

• Operations Leadership

• Procurement / Commodity Teams

• Engineering

• Finance
   

KPI Ownership

Material Availability

• Purchased Material Availability

• Production Schedule Support

• Clear-to-Build Readiness

• Material Shortages Resulting in Production Stoppage
   

Supplier Performance

• Supplier Commitment Reliability

• Supplier Past Due Recovery

• Supplier On-Time Delivery

• Supplier Lead Time Compliance (LTC)
   

Planning Performance

• MRP Action Completion

• Purchase Order Acknowledgement Compliance

• Shortage Resolution Cycle Time

• Planning Exception Management
   

Risk Management

• High-Risk Supplier Recovery Execution

• Critical Part Risk Exposure

• Long Lead-Time Risk Reduction

• Supply Chain Constraint Visibility

Cost & Productivity

• Supplier-Driven Freight Cost Escalation

• Premium Freight Reduction

• Material Lead Time Reduction

• Inventory Optimization
   

Customer & Service Support

• On-Time Delivery to Internal Service Parts Group

• Production Schedule Adherence Support
   

Required Skills

• Materials Planning and MRP expertise

• Supply Chain Risk Management

• Supplier Performance Management

• Inventory Management

• Data Analytics and KPI Management

• ERP/MRP System Knowledge

• Cross-Functional Leadership

• Problem Solving and Decision Making
   

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking

• Operational Execution

• Team Development

• Change Leadership

• Continuous Improvement

• Customer Focus

• Accountability
   

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree 

• 7+ years of materials, warehouse, logistics, or supply chain experience

• 3+ years of experience influencing teams through reporting and risk management, with hands-on expertise in inventory management, transportation, lean operations, and continuous improvement.
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations

• Experience working in a manufacturing/industrial environment

• Lean Six Sigma experience or certification

• Experience with Windchill, JDE, or LeanDNA 

Job Number: 30215784

Community / Marketing Title: Planning Manager

Location_formattedLocationLong: Georgia, US