If interested in this job opportunity, please submit your cover letter and resume to humanresources@airmar.com.
JOB SUMMARY:
The Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) Manager owns the end-to-end SIOP process – from demand forecasting through inventory and supply planning to the monthly Executive review – and leads a team of demand, inventory and supply / production planning professionals. The goal of the role is to balance demand and supply, ensuring customer commitments are met while optimizing capacity, inventory and cost. In addition to owning the SIOP framework and governance, this is a hands-on role that directly supports demand forecasting, inventory planning, supply planning and the ERP planning processes and master data that underpin them. The SIOP Manager drives alignment across Sales, Finance, Engineering, Procurement and Manufacturing, and leads the monthly Executive review where final decisions are made on demand/supply trade-offs, capacity constraints, NPI and EOL transitions and inventory optimization, enabling predictable execution and long-term operational resilience.
DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
End-to-End SIOP Process Ownership
Working closely with the Head of Operations, own and lead the end-to-end Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process – product/portfolio review, demand review, supply review, pre-SIOP reconciliation and Executive SIOP – setting strategy, calendar, cadence and decision frameworks across the organization.
Own SIOP governance, including process documentation, RACI, input deadlines and standard work, ensuring best practices are adopted consistently across the business.
Translate business objectives, the annual operating plan and sales strategy into executable demand, supply and inventory plans across a rolling planning horizon.
Reconcile the operational plan with the financial forecast in partnership with Finance, clearly identifying gaps, risks and opportunities in units and dollars.
Prepare and facilitate the monthly Executive SIOP review, providing scenarios, insights and recommendations to support executive decision-making, and track decisions and actions to closure.
Act as the initial escalation point for demand-supply imbalances, customer delivery risks and capacity constraints.
Demand Forecasting & Planning
Support and oversee development of the monthly demand forecast, combining statistical baseline, sales input, backlog, customer signals and market intelligence into a single consensus demand plan.
Facilitate the demand review with Sales, Product Management and Finance; challenge assumptions and document forecast changes, risks and opportunities.
Maintain forecasting models, product/customer segmentation and forecast hierarchies, and manage demand planning parameters in the demand planning tool.
Measure and report forecast accuracy and bias by product family and customer, and drive root cause analysis and improvement actions.
Incorporate NPI ramps, EOL phase-outs and large program or project orders into the demand plan.
Inventory Planning
Define and maintain inventory policies and stocking strategies for raw materials, WIP and finished goods (e.g., make-to-stock vs. make-to-order, safety stock, reorder points, lot sizing) to balance customer service, working capital, capacity and warehouse constraints.
Develop inventory projections and targets (turns, days on hand, dollar value) aligned with the financial plan, and report performance against target.
Lead excess, slow-moving and obsolete (E&O) inventory reviews and reduction initiatives, including disposition recommendations.
Plan NPI and EOL inventory transitions (last-time buys, run-outs, cut-in/cut-over) to ensure continuity of supply while avoiding excess inventory exposure.
Supply Planning
Lead the supply review, translating the consensus demand plan into production and procurement plans and identifying constraints, gaps and mitigation actions.
Ensure alignment across Demand Planning (Sales Forecasting), Volume Planning, Master Scheduling (Mix) and Capacity Planning (Supply), including oversight of the Master Production Schedule and time fences.
Direct the development and use of rough-cut capacity planning models; review utilization trends and recommend short- and long-term capacity strategies.
Oversee MRP execution and exception management with Procurement, Production Control and Manufacturing to ensure material availability and supplier capacity support the plan.
Be a key participant and escalation point in make/buy strategies and manufacturing allocation across internal and external partners, ensuring cost and delivery impacts are clearly understood and escalated.
Proactively partner with Sales when demand exceeds capacity to mitigate risk, prioritize orders and manage commitments; guide responses to unplanned demand and expedited work by recommending and approving trade-offs.
ERP & Planning Systems
Serve as business process owner for planning processes within the ERP (demand management, MPS, MRP and inventory planning), ensuring they are defined, documented and consistently applied.
Own planning master data governance – item planning parameters, lead times, safety stock, lot sizes, planner codes and BOM/routing accuracy as it affects planning – through regular audits and data quality metrics.
Partner with IT and ERP support on system configuration, enhancements, upgrades and testing; define requirements for planning reports, dashboards and planning tools.
Train planners and cross-functional users on ERP planning transactions and best practices.
Performance Management & Continuous Improvement
Own the SIOP KPI scorecard (forecast accuracy/bias, schedule attainment, on-time delivery, inventory turns, E&O and capacity utilization) and drive corrective actions.
Oversee delivery performance reporting, including late/past-due metrics, root cause analysis and timely corrective actions.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives that mature the SIOP process and planning capabilities.
Leadership
Lead, mentor and develop a team of planners and analysts responsible for demand planning, inventory planning, supply planning, master scheduling and capacity analysis.
Define roles, workflows and standards to ensure consistent execution and scalability.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement within the planning organization.
Ensure adherence to all safety regulations and company policies across planning-related activities, including export control (ITAR) and data security requirements.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:
BA/S degree preferred or equivalent background.
Seven + years of progressive experience in SIOP process and best practices in a manufacturing environment including people leadership
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional planning processes and influencing senior stakeholders.
Strong expertise in ERP/MRP systems and advanced planning concepts (capacity modeling, inventory optimization, lifecycle planning).
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and ERP Systems.
Proven ability to balance strategic thinking with execution and to lead teams through ambiguity and change.
Experience leading high level projects a plus
Strong knowledge of NPI and EOL planning and transition management