Material Planning & Logistics Lead

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY:

The Material Planning & Logistics Lead is responsible for leading material planning, kitting, inventory coordination, and shop-floor material flow to support Engineering, Assembly, Test, and Program delivery at Technical Directions Inc. (TDI). This position translates build schedules, work orders, and released bills of material into executable material priorities and ensures the right material, in the right configuration and quantity, is available at the right time.

Reporting to the Supply Chain Manager, the Lead directly supervises the Kitting & Material Specialist, provides daily work direction and development, and serves as the primary execution link between Planning, Purchasing, Engineering, Configuration Management, Quality, Production, Test, and Program Management. The role owns material readiness, shortage visibility, inventory and ERP/MRP transaction discipline, traceability, and standardized kitting practices. The Lead also serves as the designated backup for the Shipping & Receiving Lead to maintain continuity of inbound and outbound material flow, documentation, and customer delivery support.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Team Leadership and Daily Execution

• Leads, assigns, and prioritizes the daily work of the Material Planning & Logistics team member and other assigned Material Planning & Logistics personnel.
• Establishes clear daily and weekly priorities based on the production schedule, engineering needs, material availability, and customer commitments.
• Provides onboarding, training, cross-training, coaching, and performance feedback; reinforces standard work, accountability, safety, and 6S expectations.
• Participates in staffing, interviewing, performance reviews, and corrective-action recommendations in partnership with the Supply Chain Manager and Human Resources.

Material Planning and Production Readiness

• Translates build schedules, work orders, released BOMs, and engineering priorities into a short-term material plan for Assembly, Subassembly, Test, rework, and special builds.
• Conducts routine material-readiness reviews to confirm kit status, shortages, inspection holds, supplier constraints, and recovery actions before scheduled build dates.
• Maintains a clear and current shortage list, including responsible owner, required date, recovery plan, and escalation status.
• Coordinates with Buyers and Supply Chain leadership to expedite critical material and align supplier delivery priorities with the build schedule.
• Identifies material risks early and communicates impacts, options, and recommended actions to Production, Engineering, Quality, Test, and Program stakeholders.

Kitting, Staging, and Shop-Floor Material Flow

• Oversees preparation, staging, verification, release, and replenishment of material kits based on work orders, released BOMs, build schedules, and approved engineering direction.
• Ensures kits are complete, accurate, configuration-controlled, clearly identified, and delivered to the correct production or test location in priority sequence.
• Controls partial kits, shortage bins, returns, unused material, rework material, and material substitutions to prevent loss of traceability or unauthorized use.
• Responds to missing-part, urgent-material, and shop-floor support requests while protecting established priorities and documenting changes to the material plan.

Inventory, Configuration, and Traceability Control

• Verifies part numbers, revisions, quantities, units of measure, lot or batch information, serial numbers, shelf-life status, and quality status before material is issued or staged.
• Supports implementation of ECR/ECO/ECN changes and ensures kits reflect the latest released and approved configuration.
• Prevents use of incorrect, obsolete, expired, unapproved, or nonconforming material and coordinates disposition through Quality, MRB, Engineering, or Configuration Management.
• Maintains required segregation and control of company-owned, customer-owned, and Government-owned material in accordance with applicable FAR/DFARS and internal requirements.
• Leads cycle-count support, inventory reconciliation, root-cause investigation, and corrective actions for inventory discrepancies and transaction errors.

ERP/MRP Systems and Data Integrity

• Executes and reviews ERP/MRP transactions for inventory movement, work-order material issue and return, kit status, transfers, reservations, consumption, and other assigned material-control activities; Costpoint experience is preferred.
• Maintains accurate system status so that inventory, kitting, purchasing, production planning, quality traceability, and program reporting reflect the physical condition of material.
• Supports validation and improvement of BOMs, inventory master data, planning parameters, lead times, order policies, safety stock, and other ERP/MRP settings that affect material readiness.
• Develops and maintains visual controls, reports, and key performance indicators such as kit completion, shortage aging, inventory accuracy, transaction timeliness, and schedule readiness.
• Uses Microsoft Excel and system reporting tools to analyze shortages, priorities, usage, inventory status, and material-flow performance.

Shipping and Receiving Backup Responsibilities

• Serves as the designated backup to the Shipping & Receiving Lead and coordinates daily inbound and outbound material activities when coverage is required.
• When serving as backup, verifies incoming material against purchase orders, packing lists, certifications, test reports, and quality requirements; routes material to Quality Inspection, MRB, or the appropriate internal owner.
• Performs or validates ERP/MRP receiving and shipping transactions, receiving logs, proof-of-delivery records, and chain-of-custody documentation to maintain accurate material status and traceability.
• Supports preparation and verification of outbound packing lists, labels, bills of lading, certificates of conformance, carrier documentation, and customer-specific packaging or labeling requirements.
• Coordinates carriers, couriers, and internal stakeholders as needed and ensures shipping and receiving activities comply with ITAR/EAR, DFARS, AS9100D, and TDI procedures.

Cross-Functional Coordination, Compliance, and Improvement

• Partners with Production, Test, Engineering, Configuration Management, Quality, Buyers, Program Management, and Shipping & Receiving to resolve material constraints and maintain schedule alignment.
• Maintains documented standard work, desk procedures, training materials, and visual controls for material planning, kitting, inventory handling, and logistics activities.
• Leads root-cause analysis and continuous-improvement actions related to material flow, kit accuracy, inventory accuracy, shortage management, system transactions, and workspace layout.
• Maintains clean, safe, organized, and audit-ready material planning and kitting areas in accordance with 6S, FOD-prevention, ESD, and material-handling requirements.
• Complies with TDI's Quality Management System, AS9100D requirements, export-control obligations, and all applicable safety, security, and supply chain procedures.
• Other duties may be assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

Directly supervises the Material Planning & Logistics team member and any additional assigned personnel. Responsibilities include daily work assignment, prioritization, training, coaching, cross-training, performance feedback, attendance and workflow coordination, and recommendations regarding staffing and performance actions. Provides temporary workflow leadership to Shipping & Receiving personnel when serving as backup to the Shipping & Receiving Lead.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Required

• Strong working knowledge of material planning, kitting, inventory control, production support, warehouse operations, and material flow in a manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems for inventory, work orders, planning, receiving, and material transactions; Costpoint is preferred.
• Ability to interpret and validate BOMs, work orders, part numbers, revisions, engineering changes, purchase orders, certifications, and material status.
• Working knowledge of MRP concepts, including demand and supply alignment, lead times, shortages, planned requirements, order policies, safety stock, and inventory parameters.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including filters, sorting, lookups, pivot tables, data reconciliation, and status reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to lead employees, set priorities, delegate work, coach performance, and maintain accountability in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify material risks, determine root causes, and develop practical recovery plans.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for clear coordination with Production, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, suppliers, and logistics providers.
• Working knowledge of shipping and receiving documentation and material-handling practices sufficient to provide effective backup coverage.
• Ability to maintain confidential, proprietary, and export-controlled information in accordance with ITAR/EAR and DoD requirements.
• Ability to operate or obtain certification for forklifts, pallet jacks, and other material-handling equipment as required.

Preferred

• Experience in aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Understanding of AS9100D, DFARS, FAR Government Property requirements, ITAR/EAR, lot and serial traceability, shelf-life control, FOD prevention, and ESD controls.
• Experience with Costpoint, barcode or inventory-tracking systems, production control, and system-based material planning.
• Experience supporting domestic and international shipments, freight forwarders, export documentation, and customer-specific packaging requirements.
• Lean, 6S, root-cause analysis, or continuous-improvement experience.
• APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, CLTD, or related supply chain certification.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Required

• High school diploma or GED.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in material planning, kitting, inventory control, production control, logistics, shipping and receiving, or manufacturing support.
• Minimum 1 year of demonstrated lead, supervisory, training, or workflow-coordination responsibility.
• U.S. Citizenship required; ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance may be required.

Preferred

• Associate or bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations, Business, Manufacturing, or a related field.
• Prior experience supporting high-mix, low-volume and/or rapidly scaling production environments.
• Experience working with engineering-driven BOM changes, serialized aerospace hardware, and Government- or customer-owned property.
• Forklift certification and formal ERP/MRP or supply chain training.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Warehouse, office, and production-floor environment with regular interaction across Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Production, Test, Planning, and Program Management.
• May work extended hours or weekends to support urgent material requirements, customer delivery deadlines, inventory activities, or production recovery plans.
• Exposure to manufacturing conditions including variable temperature, noise, dust, chemicals, ESD-controlled areas, FOD-sensitive workspaces, and material-handling equipment.
• Ability to perform repetitive computer and material-handling tasks and to stand, walk, bend, reach, lift, and carry materials for extended periods.
• Must be able to lift, move, or transport items up to 50 lbs. and operate approved forklifts, pallet jacks, carts, or other material-handling equipment in accordance with TDI safety requirements.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• 0-25% travel may be required between Kratos locations, suppliers, customers, or logistics providers.

THE ABOVE STATEMENTS ARE INTENDED TO DESCRIBE THE GENERAL NATURE AND LEVEL OF WORK BEING PERFORMED BY INDIVIDUALSiASSIGNED TO THIS CLASSIFICATION. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE CONSTRUED AS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL RESPONSIBILITIES, DUTIES AND SKILLS REQUIRED OF PERSONNEL SO CLASSIFIED.

A REVIEW OF THIS CLASSIFICATION HAS EXCLUDED THE MARGINAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CLASSIFICATION THAT AREiINCIDENTAL TO THE PERFORMANCE OF FUNDAMENTAL JOB JUTIES. ALL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE MODIFICATION TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO PERFORM THIS JOB PROFICIENTLY.i THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE THE MINIMUM LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR ABILITIES.

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