Material Manager

Job Summary:

The Materials Manager will be responsible for the planning, procurement, and control of all materials used in production, ensuring accurate inventory levels and timely material availability. This role is critical to maintaining efficient manufacturing operations, minimizing material shortages or overages, and leading a team that supports IFABCorp’s transformation toward lean and scalable processes. This role partners closely with Logistics and Customer Service to ensure on‑time delivery to customers but does not directly own outbound transportation or external warehousing.

Job Location: Gastonia, NC (South Gastonia, 40 min from Charlotte)

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective inventory control strategies using lean principles.
• Ensure accurate stock levels to support production needs while reducing excess and obsolete materials.
• Determine Min/Max levels, assist with the management of obsolete or excess inventory, work with demand planner to ensure accuracy of forecasting
• Manage the procurement of raw materials and components, negotiating with suppliers to ensure cost-effective and timely purchasing aligned with quality and specification requirements.
• Establish and maintain supplier KPI's, build strong vendor relationships and collaborate to resolve delivery or quality issues proactively.
• Collaborate with production, engineering, and scheduling teams to align material availability with build schedules and customer delivery timelines.
• Lead the effective use of ERP systems to track materials transactions, conduct cycle counts, and ensure inventory accuracy.
• Supervise and coach the materials and inventory team. Set clear goals, provide training, and promote a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Use historical data, demand trends, and capacity planning to forecast material needs and support strategic purchasing decisions.
• Own and report on materials performance metrics, including inventory turns, inventory accuracy, on‑time material availability to production, supplier on‑time delivery, and material‑related scrap or expedite costs, drive root-cause actions with production, engineering, and planning to prevent recurrence.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to set annual material cost‑reduction targets and deliver savings through negotiation, sourcing strategies, and value‑engineering with suppliers.
• Support engineering changes and new product introductions by planning material phase‑in/phase‑out, ensuring smooth transitions without excess or shortages
• Serve as process owner for materials‑related ERP data (item masters, BOMs, lead times, reorder parameters), ensuring accuracy and alignment with actual operation.

Qualifications:

• Preference for candidates who have worked with Steel and Aluminum commodities
• 5+ years of experience in materials management, supply chain, or production planning within a manufacturing environment, including at least 2 years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• while reducing excess/obsolete inventory and expedite costs
• Demonstrated experience with ERP/MRP systems (item masters, BOMs, planning parameters) and strong proficiency in Excel and basic data analysis
• Excellent leadership, communication, and coaching skills, with the ability to influence cross‑functional teams (Production, Engineering, Scheduling, Finance)
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and drive root‑cause corrective actions