Materials Manager

Overview

The Materials Manager directs and coordinates plant materials activities and the team members engaged in receiving, storage, movement, replenishment, inventory control, production support, finished-goods staging, and shipping handoff. Leads the development, implementation, validation, and sustained execution of plant-level material management processes, ERP/WMS controls, PFEP, warehouse operations, and visual performance systems. Serves as the primary plant interface for materials execution within a customer-managed supply chain model and ensures safe, accurate, and efficient material flow throughout manufacturing operations.

Piston Automotive wasn’t just founded to make things. It was founded to make things better. And that begins with building better teams solely dedicated to achieving excellence at every level of execution through a combination of experience, expertise, and a deep seeded passion for what we do. Our assemblies consistently set the standard because our people consistently raise the bar.

Why Piston Automotive?

Competitive Wages, Paid Holidays & Vacation, Medical & Rx Plans, Dental & Vision Plans, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Employee Assistance Program, Life & Disability Coverage, 401K with Company Match, Tuition Reimbursement, Vehicle and Product Discounts

Responsibilities

• People/Talent o Complete performance evaluations, establish clearly defined goals, provide ongoing feedback, maintain annual skill matrices, and develop cross-training and succession plans. o Provide coaching, mentoring, training, and performance direction to salaried and hourly materials teams across all shifts. o Apply company policies and the applicable labor agreement consistently, including attendance, payroll approvals, coaching, and corrective action in partnership with Human Resources. o Ensure team members review and acknowledge applicable procedures and work instructions on the required cadence.
• Launch Deliverables o Identify launch constraints and operational risks; establish corrective actions with clear ownership and timing; validate readiness through simulations, trial runs, production builds, and operational assessments. o Lead plant-level implementation, configuration support, testing, validation, and operational readiness of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). o Develop and execute user acceptance testing, operator training, system work instructions, competency verification, and transaction-accountability routines. o Establish and validate material master data, storage locations, inventory attributes, transaction rules, user access, system interfaces, and exception-management controls.
• Inventory Management o Serve as the primary plant-level materials interface with the customer’s supply chain, logistics, inventory-planning, supplier-management, and transportation organizations. o Translate customer requirements into executable plant processes and maintain clear ownership and escalation paths for shortages, claims, delivery discrepancies, engineering changes, and shipping or receiving issues. o Establish inventory practices that ensure accuracy, traceability, availability, and compliance with customer, quality-system, and internal-control requirements. o Lead cycle-count programs, recount and adjustment controls, discrepancy investigations, annual or biannual physical inventories, and structured reconciliation processes. o Validate receiving, put-away, transfer, replenishment, consumption, adjustment, finished-goods, shipping, and inventory-reconciliation transactions. o Own and maintain the Plan for Every Part, including part attributes, storage strategy, point-of-use presentation, min/max quantities, safety stocks, packaging, and material-flow requirements. o Manage materials execution for build-outs, model-year changes, engineering changes, product transitions, and production ramp-ups. o Proactively identify shortages, flow constraints, delivery discrepancies, and inventory risks; coordinate resolution and escalation with the responsible customer or internal process owner. o Lead month-end materials close activities, including inventory reconciliation, open receipts, adjustments, and related controls in coordination with Finance.
• Process/Standardized Work Development o Promote a safety-first culture through forklift training, standardized material-handling practices, hazard identification, workplace organization, and timely corrective action. o Lead the design, documentation, implementation, validation, and sustainment of end-to-end materials processes from inbound receipt through storage, internal movement, production consumption, finished-goods staging, and outbound handoff. o Develop and maintain process flows, standard operating procedures, work instructions, control plans, visual standards, and training materials.

• Cross Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement o Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on inventory accuracy, productivity, space utilization, material flow, labor efficiency, and cost performance. o Coordinate with Engineering to maintain plant layout, storage locations, lineside presentation, and material identification signage. o Coordinate with Quality and the customer to control nonconforming, suspect, obsolete, restricted, and customer-claim inventory. o Partner with Operations and Engineering to optimize warehouse layout, storage utilization, lineside presentation, material-handling routes, facility trailer utilization, and labor efficiency. o Maintain safe, organized, audit-ready materials areas through standardized work, 5S, visual controls, and effective material-handling practices. o Define, track, and improve plant and customer KPI performance; use structured problem solving to address abnormal conditions and recurring losses. o Apply Lean manufacturing principles, including 5S, standardized work, visual management, waste elimination, root-cause analysis, and corrective action.

• Supervisory Responsibilities: Directly or indirectly leads the plant materials organization. Typical roles may include:
• Master Scheduler / Material Flow Coordinator
• Materials Technician / Planner
• Warehouse Supervisor
• Inventory Control personnel
• Material Handlers
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Logistics, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline
• A minimum of seven years of progressive experience in materials management, warehouse operations, inventory control, logistics, or manufacturing supply chain operations, including at least three years of leadership experience; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Requires strong working knowledge of ERP/WMS transactions, inventory controls, cycle counting, physical inventory, material master data, PFEP, reconciliation, and system data integrity.
• Experience supporting high-volume, time-sensitive manufacturing operations is required.
• Preferred
• Automotive OEM or Tier 1, new-facility launch, customer-managed inventory, UAW-represented operations, and Blue Yonder WMS experience are preferred.

Piston Automotive, part of the Piston Group family of companies, is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that values the unique contributions of every employee. We encourage all candidates to apply for positions that match their skills and capabilities, ensuring equal consideration without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. For any questions regarding job opportunities or the application process, please reach out to us at pistongrouptalent@pistongroup.com. We are committed to providing accommodations for individuals with disabilities during the job search and application process, reinforcing our commitment to inclusivity for all job seekers.