Materials Planning Manager

Ancient Crunch Inc. is the fastest-growing healthy snack brand in the U.S. Our flagship product, MASA Chips, is the #1 selling tallow-fried tortilla chips in premium retailers like Erewhon. We manufacture all products in-house at our Hackettstown facility using real ingredients—no seed oils, artificial flavors, or preservatives. All operations adhere to strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and food safety standards.

• Own the material costs by managing inventory health and supplier delivery
• Convert demand and production plans into actionable purchasing activity
• Build and lead a team of planners, buyers, and inventory analysts
• Partner cross-functionally to keep materials aligned with business priorities
• Drive continuous improvement across planning processes and systems

• Lead day-to-day material planning and purchasing to support production schedules, customer commitments, and new product launches
• Convert inventory signals into purchase orders, schedule agreements, and delivery schedules — ensuring on-time, in-full receipt at the right cost
• Manage the open purchase order book; expedite or de-expedite as needed and resolve supplier delivery issues, shortages, and over-shipments
• Maintain accurate planning parameters in the inventory system including lead times, lot sizes, safety stock, reorder points, and MOQs
• Partner with Strategic Procurement on supplier performance, contract execution, cost negotiations, and dual-sourcing strategies

• Own inventory health across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods — balancing service-level targets against inventory value and obsolescence risk
• Establish and maintain inventory policies (ABC/XYZ segmentation, safety stock, min/max levels) aligned to demand variability and supply risk
• Drive cycle counting, inventory accuracy, and reconciliation; investigate and correct root causes of discrepancies
• Identify and disposition slow-moving, excess, and obsolete (E&O) inventory in partnership with Finance and Operations
• Monitor and improve inventory turns, days-on-hand, and fill rate against targets

• Translate demand and production plans into a feasible material requirements plan, surfacing constraints early
• Coordinate with Production, Quality, Engineering, Customer Service, and Finance to align materials availability with business priorities
• Manage materials aspects of engineering changes, phase-ins/phase-outs, and new product launches to minimize obsolescence and stockouts

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of material planners, buyers, and inventory analysts; set clear goals, provide feedback, and build bench strength
• Establish standard work, KPIs, and cadenced reviews that drive accountability and continuous improvement
• Foster a collaborative, data-driven, and customer-focused culture across the materials team

• Drive continuous improvement of planning and purchasing processes using Lean and Six Sigma principles
• Champion data integrity and effective use of ERP/MRP, advanced planning, and inventory management tools
• Develop dashboards and reporting for material availability, supplier performance, inventory health, and risk
• Support internal and external audits related to inventory, purchasing, and supply chain controls

• Operational Focus: A "doer" who can manage the details while keeping the big picture in view
• Financial Literacy: Strong understanding of inventory economics, working capital, and cost of goods sold
• Direct Communication: Clear, actionable communicator with leadership and cross-functional partners
• Coaching Mindset: Track record of building high-performing, accountable teams
• Bias for Action: Structured, data-driven approach to problem-solving under pressure

• 2+ years of progressive experience in material planning, operational purchasing, or supply chain planning
• At 1 year experience as a team leader with direct reports
• Working knowledge of MRP/ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics)
• Demonstrated success managing inventory levels, service levels, and working capital in a manufacturing or distribution environment
• Proficiency in Excel and comfort with large data sets and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field preferred

• APICS CPIM, CSCP, or equivalent supply chain certification
• Experience with advanced planning systems (e.g., Kinaxis, o9, SAP IBP, Blue Yonder)
• Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous improvement certification
• Experience supporting S&OP/IBP and presenting to senior leadership
• Experience in a regulated industry (e.g., medical device, aerospace, automotive, food and beverage)

• On-time, in-full (OTIF) supplier delivery performance
• Material availability and production schedule attainment
• Inventory turns, days-on-hand, and fill rate against plan
• Excess and obsolete inventory as a % of total inventory
• Cycle count and inventory record accuracy
• Working capital tied up in inventory versus target