Lead Material Planner

About the role

Hitachi Energy Transformers is looking for a Lead Material Planner in Ramadan City, Egypt, to own a key supply chain function supporting its Transformer business. The role drives material availability, optimizes inventory performance and improves supply chain efficiency, while leading a small team of two material planners.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute material planning strategies to support production schedules and business objectives.
• Analyze demand forecasts, production plans, inventory levels and material availability to set procurement requirements.
• Create and manage purchase requisitions and material replenishment plans through SAP, and ensure timely availability of raw materials, components and consumables.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality and Supply Chain teams on material requirements and delivery schedules.
• Monitor supplier performance, lead times, shortages and supply chain risks, and implement mitigation plans.
• Manage inventory parameters such as safety stock, reorder points, excess inventory and obsolescence reduction.
• Drive inventory optimization and working capital improvement while maintaining service levels.
• Use SAP MM for material planning, inventory control, purchasing and reporting.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and prepare KPIs, inventory reports, shortage analyses and dashboards for management.
• Lead, mentor and develop a team of two material planners, allocate workloads and manage performance.
• Establish best practices, standard operating procedures and governance for the material planning function.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering with specialization in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations or a related field.
• 7-10 years of experience in material planning, supply chain planning, inventory management or related functions in the Transformer (TR) industry, with 2-3 years of people management experience.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor and manage performance.
• Experience in global manufacturing organizations; APICS CPIM, CSCP or similar certifications preferred.

Required skills

• Mandatory hands-on experience with SAP MM.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and reporting tools.
• Strong expertise in material planning, demand planning, inventory control, MRP execution and supplier coordination.
• Knowledge of inventory optimization, lean supply chain principles and continuous improvement.