Materials Manager | OPGW

AFL manufactures industry-leading fiber optic cable, connectivity and accessories and provides engineering and installation services for some of the largest telecom customers in the world. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and today, we manufacture thousands of products, generate an excess of $4B in revenue, and employ approximately 12,000 associates worldwide. At AFL, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We hire and train each individual, investing in them to ensure success in their careers. With a commitment to professional development and growth, let us connect you to your next career opportunity.

The Materials Manager provides leadership and direction for material planning, inventory control, logistics, warehouse operations and tactical production scheduling across two manufacturing sites. This role leads and develops associates responsible for shipping, receiving, storage, replenishment, inter-site transfers, production staging, scheduling, inventory control, and cycle counting while partnering with Supply Chain and Operations to ensure safe, accurate, and reliable material availability.

The Materials Manager builds a high-performing, accountable team and develops systems that improve inventory accuracy, strengthen cycle-count discipline, reduce shortages and production interruptions, control excess and obsolete inventory, optimize working capital, and create consistent material-handling and inventory-control practices across all locations.

Safety, Leadership & Team Management

• →Serve as the safety leader for the material’s team across both manufacturing sites with particular emphasis on forklift and powered industrial vehicle operation, pedestrian interaction, loading and unloading, material storage, dock safety, and safe material presentation at production equipment.
• →Directly supervise, schedule, coach, and develop a team of associates.
• →Build employee capability and engagement through clear expectations, regular communication, performance feedback, recognition, cross-training, succession planning, and consistent accountability for safety, quality, service, and results.
• →Establish standard work and ensure compliance with EHS, quality, FIFO, traceability, 5S, inventory-control, and material-handling requirements across both sites.

Material Planning and Production Support

• →Establish and maintain targeted inventory levels, safety stocks, reorder points, and replenishment signals for critical raw materials, components, and packaging.
• →Partner closely with Supply Chain, Planning, Purchasing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Customer Service, and Finance to prevent material shortages, protect production schedules, and balance service, inventory, and working-capital objectives.
• →Maintain clear visibility and control of critical materials from supplier receipt through storage, production staging, consumption, transfer, finished-goods storage, and shipment.
• →Ensure order-specific materials are identified, staged, and available to support production requirements.
• →Manage material priorities and handoffs between the two manufacturing sites and external warehouses, including shuttle activity, in-transit inventory, temporary storage, third-party logistics coordination, and transfers required by changing schedules or production needs.
• →Ensure rework, held material, remnant material, and return-to-stock transactions are completed promptly and do not disrupt production flow or inventory accuracy.

Inventory Control, Traceability & Material Flow

• →Own inventory accuracy across raw material, work-in-process, finished goods, remnant, in-transit, external warehouse, and production-floor locations. Lead a disciplined cycle-count process that includes count scheduling, variance investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and verification of sustained results.
• →Develop and enforce FIFO, lot-control, location-control, and material-status processes, including clear identification and physical segregation of released, held, nonconforming, and rework material.
• →Improve end-to-end inventory traceability and transaction accuracy from receipt through storage, movement, production issue or consumption, intersite transfer, external warehouse activity, and final disposition.
• →Design and sustain visual storage locations, flow lanes, supermarkets, pull or Kanban signals, and point-of-use replenishment systems that reduce travel, handling, congestion, and material-search time.
• →Oversee internal and external storage using defined locations, calculated capacity, appropriate protection, clear identification, accurate system records, and safe access.
• →Control short-length, remnant, slow-moving, excess, and obsolete inventories while maximizing approved reuse and protecting product, quality, and traceability requirements.

Incoming Quality, Supplier Issues & Systems

• →Establish receiving and incoming-inspection controls for critical materials and components. Partner with Quality and Engineering to define inspection criteria, sampling plans, acceptance standards, and containment requirements.
• →Lead material containment, segregation, inventory verification, and corrective-action support when supplier or handling issues affect production materials or finished goods.
• →Ensure accurate and prompt ERP/MRP and warehouse transactions across both manufacturing sites and external warehouses, and support the integration and improvement of planning, inventory, and material-flow systems.
• →Develop and review dashboards and KPIs for inventory accuracy, cycle-count completion, count variances, material availability, shortages, aged and held inventory, excess and obsolete inventory, intersite and external warehouse transfers, material-handling productivity, safety performance, and production disruptions caused by material.
• →Lead Lean Manufacturing, 5S/6S, visual management, and continuous-improvement projects focused on material flow, storage, transaction accuracy, inventory accuracy, reduced handling, and improved employee capability.

Finished Goods & Business Support

• →Coordinate with Supply Chain, Logistics, Planning, Operations, Customer Service, and external warehouse providers to maintain visibility of finished-goods inventory, shipping holds, storage capacity, material availability, and shipment priorities.
• →Monitor finished goods levels and storage locations to support customer demand while minimizing unnecessary movement, congestion, aging, damage, and excess inventory.
• →Support equipment moves, site consolidation activities, new-line startups, warehouse transitions, and future-state flow design without negatively affecting employee safety, production, inventory accuracy, or customer delivery.

• Visible safety leadership and strong floor presence.
• Demonstrated people leadership, including coaching, employee development, performance management, conflict resolution, and building accountability within hourly and salaried teams.
• Visible safety leadership and strong floor presence across manufacturing, warehouse, dock, and external storage operations.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause discipline, particularly for inventory variance, cycle-count, shortage, and material-flow issues.
• Ability to lead independently and influence consistently across two manufacturing sites and external warehouse partners.
• Strong communication, analytical, organizational, and prioritization skills.

• Self-starter with demonstrated ability to define, execute, standardize, and sustain improvements through others.
• 5+ years of relevant materials, production, warehouse, planning, shipping/receiving and inventory-management experience.
• 5+ years of management or supervisory experience, with demonstrated success coaching employees, managing performance, and developing teams.
• Demonstrated knowledge of inventory control, cycle counting, inventory accuracy, FIFO, lot traceability, replenishment, warehouse operations, and lean material flow.
• Working knowledge of an ERP system such as Oracle or SAP; experience with MES, WMS, and planning-system implementations is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Power BI; experience developing operational reports, inventory analysis, and dashboards is preferred.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated cross-functional collaboration. Experience managing external warehouse or third-party logistics relationships is a plus.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Degree or Type: Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field. MBA a plus.

Required Certifications: None required; powered industrial vehicle familiarity and APICS/ASCM certification are preferred.

• 100% on-site in office, manufacturing, warehouse, shipping/receiving, dock, and storage environments, including periodic work at external warehouses.
• Regular work at two manufacturing sites, including local travel between the sites and to external warehouse locations.
• Typical schedule is Monday through Friday, with flexibility for early, late, weekend, shutdown, month-end, or urgent production support as business needs require.
• Must be able to safely access active manufacturing and warehouse areas and use required personal protective equipment.
• Minimal overnight travel is expected.