Material Planning Section Manager

Job purpose

Responsible for overseeing material planning and inventory control activities by managing planning processes, optimizing inventory levels, coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders, and leading the planning team in order to ensure material availability, operational continuity, and alignment with production and business requirements.

Key accountability areas

Material planning oversight

• Oversee material planning activities to ensure alignment with production schedules and operational requirements.
• Review and approve material requirements based on demand forecasts, production plans, and inventory status.
• Ensure timely issuance and accuracy of material requisitions to procurement.
• Monitor planning parameters and ensure effective execution of material plans.

Inventory control and optimization

• Monitor stock levels of raw materials, components, and consumables to prevent shortages and overstocking.
• Define and control inventory parameters including safety stock, reorder levels, and coverage targets.
• Ensure inventory accuracy in coordination with warehouse teams and resolve discrepancies.
• Drive optimization of inventory levels in line with cost and service objectives.

Stakeholder coordination and issue resolution

• Coordinate with procurement to ensure timely supplier deliveries aligned with production requirements.
• Collaborate with production planning to ensure material availability supports manufacturing schedules.
• Liaise with sales, logistics, and quality teams to ensure smooth material flow.
• Act as escalation point for material planning issues and resolve cross-functional conflicts.

Performance management and reporting

• Own section KPIs related to material availability, inventory accuracy, and order fulfillment.
• Monitor performance against targets and ensure achievement of defined KPIs.
• Prepare and review material planning reports and provide insights to management.
• Drive corrective actions to improve planning accuracy and operational performance.

Risk management and continuity planning

• Identify risks related to material shortages, supplier delays, and forecast inaccuracies.
• Develop and implement mitigation plans including safety stock adjustments and alternative sourcing.
• Monitor critical materials and ensure continuity of supply to avoid production disruptions.

Team supervision and development

• Supervise and guide the material planning team to ensure effective execution of responsibilities.
• Allocate tasks, monitor performance, and ensure adherence to planning standards.
• Support development of team capabilities and enhance planning knowledge and skills.
• Promote best practices and continuous improvement within the team.

Role accountability

HR proficiency

• Ability to recruit, recognize, and cultivate high performers to create a robust second line of management.
• Ability to recognize low performers and guide them to improve or release them.
• Ability to treat subordinates equally without any discrimination.
• Assessment criteria of subordinates is performance that leads to planned results.
• Ensure availability of delegation of authority matrix to have sufficient delegations as per company policy.

Responsibility

• Must take full responsibility for his operation as per the job description and the required deliverables from this position, taking into consideration the general company guidelines.
• Able to anticipate problems and make the necessary proactive steps to prevent them.
• Ability to take necessary and proper timely decisions.

Delivery

• Deliver the required results in a timely manner with required quality and cost.

Making a tangible difference

• Must make a tangible difference to his area of operation and exceed business expectations.

Business planning and performance

• Able to transform the corporate goals into business plans.
• Able to plan, follow-up, and execute those plans, whether they are annual or development plans.
• Monitor the plan performance and initiate action to strengthen results and take corrective action accordingly.
• Provide periodic work progress reports.
• Responsible for monitoring and controlling budgets and expenses to achieve optimum cost efficiency.

Organizational development

• Develop the organizational structure according to the current requirements taking into consideration future and development plans.
• Ensure availability of job descriptions for all job roles and deployment.

Business process improvements

• Develop, coordinate well-defined written systems, policies, procedures, and seek automation opportunities as much as possible.
• Should be conversant and able to navigate through IT solutions especially those relevant to his job and business.
• Promote the automated systems and use them fully to spread its culture.

Quality

Quality is considered as alfanar’s prime competitive advantage; as such, managers are expected to act accordingly.

Adaptation

Adapt to new and alternative techniques, technologies, management structures, and business models.

Health, safety and environment

Ensure a safe, secure, and legal work environment as per the standard regulations.

Academic qualification

Bachelor degree in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering.

Work experience

6 to 10 years.

Technical / functional competencies

• Materials flow analysis.
• Material requirements planning (MRP/MRPII).