Planning, Purchasing & Supply Chain Manager

Job Title: Planning, Purchasing & Supply Chain Manager

Location: Billerica, MA (Onsite)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $110,000 - $130,000 Base + Annual Incentive Target Bonus
Travel: Minimal

Company Introduction

This role is with a global provider of innovative life science instruments and analytical solutions that enable pharmaceutical and biotech companies to efficiently screen drug compounds and accelerate formulation development. With operations across the US, UK, and China, and a blue-chip customer base that includes the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, the company is strategically positioned for continued growth.

The US operation is headquartered in Billerica, MA, where approximately 45 employees work onsite across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, and corporate functions. All US manufacturing and inventory activity is performed onsite at this location through hands-on, manual assembly processes typical of high-mix precision instrumentation.

Role Overview

The Planning, Purchasing & Supply Chain Manager is a newly created leadership role responsible for building and owning the planning and purchasing function from the ground up. This includes demand planning, production planning and analysis, master data management, ERP/MRP configuration, inventory management, strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and performance reporting.

This is a hands-on manufacturing environment with significant manual assembly and inventory activity. The successful candidate understands planning for labor-intensive, high-mix production where throughput is driven by operator capacity rather than automated equipment. The role requires a proactive, self-starting leader who thrives in scrappy, build-from-scratch environments and can document, systematize, and scale a function that today operates through manual workarounds and tribal knowledge.

The Manager will lead a team of two Purchasing Agents and collaborate across operations, quality, and IT to balance supply and demand, optimize inventory, and maintain high-quality master data for effective planning. Initial autonomy will be limited with significant oversight from the Director of Operations, with growing decision-making authority over time as the function matures.

Core Responsibilities

• Build and own the planning and purchasing function from the ground up, documenting processes and creating scalable systems where manual workarounds exist today
• Develop and maintain accurate demand forecasts using historical data, market insights, and input from sales and marketing
• Incorporate new product introductions, promotions, and business strategies into demand plans
• Track and improve forecast accuracy and support Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) activities
• Translate demand forecasts into production, inventory, purchasing, and capacity plans aligned with manufacturing capabilities
• Create and maintain production schedules accounting for material availability, labor, and equipment capacity in a manual assembly environment
• Analyze production data and KPIs to identify risks, bottlenecks, shortages, and opportunities for improvement
• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives and own supplier relationships, including vendor selection, negotiations, and performance management
• Maintain supplier lead-time data and coordinate with vendors on order changes, expedites, and exceptions
• Partner with operations and quality to resolve supplier performance issues impacting production schedules
• Own the purchasing plan output of the MRP, including the issuance and management of replenishment orders
• Maintain planning-related master data in ERP/MRP systems, including BOMs, routings, material masters, and planning parameters
• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and governance of planning master data through audits, discrepancy resolution, and NPI data setup
• Configure, optimize, and maintain ERP/MRP settings and parameters to support accurate demand, supply, material, and inventory planning
• Develop and maintain reports and dashboards to monitor operational performance, including forecast accuracy, backlog status, service levels, material shortages, capacity utilization, and inventory health
• Provide management with actionable insights and trend analyses to support decision-making
• Automate and streamline reporting processes where possible
• Configure inventory to ABC inventory count processes and manage inventory using automated reorder points with defined thresholds
• Lead, mentor, and develop the team of two Purchasing Agents
• Maintain an accurate backlog report

Required Background

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• 5 to 7 years of experience in demand planning, production planning, or supply chain analysis in a manufacturing environment
• Manufacturing experience required, with strong preference for hands-on, high-mix precision manufacturing environments (life science instrumentation, medical devices, precision electromechanical assembly, or similar)
• Proven experience building or significantly maturing a planning and purchasing function in a small to mid-sized manufacturer
• Direct experience with small to mid-tier ERP/MRP systems (Fishbowl, NetSuite, Infor SyteLine, Epicor Kinetic, IQMS, Plex, or equivalent), with understanding of system limitations and workarounds
• Demonstrated ownership of strategic sourcing and supplier negotiations, not just transactional vendor coordination
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau, or similar)
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes, inventory management, and supply chain principles
• Proactive, self-starting leader with the ability to see the bigger strategic picture while executing day-to-day discipline
• Comfortable operating in scrappy, fast-paced environments with multiple priorities and evolving processes
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, customer service skills, and cross-functional collaboration
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with high attention to detail and accuracy in data management
• Continuous improvement and process optimization mindset
• Must be willing to work onsite at the company's headquarters in Billerica, MA
• Ability to take verbal instruction and develop and document ongoing processes Experience with ERP migrations or implementations (Preferred)
• APICS CPIM or CSCP certification (Preferred)

Compensation & Perks

• Base Salary: $110,000 to $120,000 based on experience
• Annual Incentive Bonus: 5% of base salary target (50% tied to company EBITDA and Revenue, 50% MBO)
• Onsite schedule at Billerica, MA headquarters
• Medical insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield (HMO Blue New England or Preferred Blue PPO), with the company subsidizing a portion of the annual deductible
• Dental insurance (Dental Blue) and vision insurance (Blue 20/20)
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance (60% of income)
• Employer-paid life and AD&D insurance at 1.5x salary, up to $300,000
• 401(k) retirement plan with 100% employer match on the first 4% of contributions, immediately vested
• Flexible Spending Account for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Paid Time Off accrual schedule plus 11 paid company holidays
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at no cost to the employee
• High-visibility role with direct ownership of building a critical function