Production Planning and Supply Chain Manager

The Production Planning and Supply Chain Manager is responsible for leading production planning, buying, sourcing, and materials management activities to optimize safe, efficient, and predictable manufacturing operations. This role provides strong leadership, coaching, and accountability to a team of planners and buyers while driving both near-term execution and long-term strategic improvement.

The Production Planning and Supply Chain Manager develops and implements systems, processes, and procedures that improve productivity, efficiency, and service by leveraging advanced planning and scheduling tools within the ERP environment. This role plays a critical part in stabilizing operational performance, strengthening supplier partnerships, and aligning supply chain execution with business unit and corporate objectives.

The Production Planning and Supply Chain Manager is responsible for leading production planning, buying, sourcing, and materials management activities to optimize safe, efficient, and predictable manufacturing operations. This role provides strong leadership, coaching, and accountability to a team of planners and buyers while driving both near-term execution and long-term strategic improvement.

The Production Planning and Supply Chain Manager develops and implements systems, processes, and procedures that improve productivity, efficiency, and service by leveraging advanced planning and scheduling tools within the ERP environment. This role plays a critical part in stabilizing operational performance, strengthening supplier partnerships, and aligning supply chain execution with business unit and corporate objectives.

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Responsibilities

• Lead the work of production planners and buyers. Develop team capability through coaching, mentoring, and structured performance management
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across procurement and planning team
• Develop, support, and implement cross functional and strategic initiatives that align with company goals
• Champion a fact-based culture centered on measurable results and accountable behaviors. Establish clear expectations, standard work, and accountability across planning, buying, and materials functions
• Lead production planning activities. Proactively look at future demand, identifying potential issues and ensuring material availability to meet production needs
• Drive execution of materials management initiatives by understanding and responding to business requirements and operating plans
• Develop and implement systems and procedures that increase productivity and efficiency while following good manufacturing practices utilizing state-of-the-art electronic planning and scheduling tools
• Source and negotiate with world class suppliers to secure advantageous terms while managing supplier performance, contracts and compliance to support business needs
• Maintain supplier relationships using vendor scorecards and continuous improvement discussions
• Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for material shortages, inventory turns deficiencies, schedule misses, and inventory inaccuracies
• Participate in capital equipment purchases and long-term supplier contract negotiations
• Partner with Quality to address supplier quality issues and implement corrective actions
• Develop and report on KPIs related to planning and buying

• Oversee MRO purchasing to support operational uptime while maintaining cost discipline

• Drive improvements in on-time delivery performance, schedule adherence, and material availability
• Partner with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Sales and Finance to resolve systemic issues impacting delivery and customer satisfaction while optimizing capacity, inventory levels to balance cost and services levels
• Influence business units to modify requirements when necessary to align with corporate objectives without sacrificing customer service levels

• Support operational and strategic initiatives, including capacity expansion and growth programs
• Other duties that may be assigned

Qualifications / Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Operations, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment
• Lean manufacturing knowledge and implementation experience required
• Strong working knowledge of MRP and planning systems; Oracle ERP experience is a plus
• Proven ability to stabilize and improve underperforming or turnaround supply chain organizations
• Broad functional understanding across purchasing, demand planning, order entry, order management, inventory management, and systems development
• Proven track record of team management. Strong, confident leader who sets expectations and holds teams accountable
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and business units without sacrificing customer service
• Proven track record of interpreting the complex relationships of policies, contractual requirements and the legal/regulatory aspects of materials management to establish and implement effective negotiation strategies

Desired Characteristics/Competence and Capabilities

• Action-oriented with the ability to be hands-on while maintaining a strategic perspective
• Structured, data-driven problem solver with strong systems thinking
• Effective communicator and relationship builder across all levels of the organization
• Experience in rail car components, valves, or regulated industrial manufacturing environments a plus
• Demonstrated business acumen, communication skills, and relationship management.
• Hands on work ethic with results focus is required.
• Strong collaboration skills. Expert in working in cross functional areas
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft 365 products
• Strong negotiation, analytical, project management skills and familiarity with global sourcing and logistics
• Ability to effectively manage and resolve changing and conflicting priorities appropriately
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities with a passion for implementing innovative solutions and process improvement (six sigma, lean initiatives, etc.).
• Proficiency in ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite).

Physical Demands and Environmental Conditions:

• This position is performed in an office environment but will have regular exposure to the manufacturing and warehouse environment. May be exposed to loud operating machinery, cold temperatures, chemicals, and vapors
• May require a combination of sitting, standing, and walking

• May require use of Personal computer, copy machine, other office equipment,
• General office environment requiring extended periods of sitting in ambient inside temperature, lighting and noise level
• Must be able to sit, walk, stand reach with hand and arms, stoop, kneel, bend and twist, grasp and manipulate with hands and fingers as needed
• Lifting generally less than 5lbs. May occasionally be required to lift up to 25lbs without assistance
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to focus naturally or with corrective eyewear