Materials Manager

Materials Manager - Drive Excellence at Utz Brands!

At Utz Brands, we're on a mission to excite and delight snack lovers everywhere-and we've been doing it for over a century! With iconic brands like Utz, Zapp's, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border, we're building the fastest-growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale. Now, we're looking for a Materials Manager to help us keep the crunch going strong.

The Materials Manager oversees all activities related to production planning, material planning, procurement, inventory control, receiving, and warehousing at the manufacturing plant. This role ensures the timely availability of materials required for production, while minimizing inventory holding costs and maximizing efficiency. The ideal candidate is highly organized, experienced in supply chain processes, and possesses strong analytical and leadership skills.

What You'll Do:

• Responsible for all aspects of plant level production scheduling, raw material purchasing and local inventory.
• Analyze short- and long-range Production Supply Plan and build optimized production schedules to balance customer service and cost.
• Plan weekly production on all manufacturing assets and tracks attainment and adherence to the approved schedule.
• Review inventories daily and adjust daily production schedules to meet inventory requirements by communicating schedule changes with affected supervisors
• Develop and implement material management strategies aligned with production goals.
• Plan, schedule, and monitor material movement in production cycles to ensure continuous operations.
• Oversee purchasing and procurement functions to ensure timely acquisition of quality materials at competitive prices.
• Generate and track purchase orders, ensuring accuracy and alignment with production needs.
• Review and correct discrepancies between purchase orders, delivery receipts, and invoices; coordinate with vendors and AP team to resolve invoice issues in a timely manner.
• Manage raw material and packaging inventory levels to ensure optimal stock.
• Manage the procurement and inventory of plant-wide consumables such as PPE, jan/san products, cleaning chemicals, gloves, and other indirect materials.
• Coordinate with production, quality, and logistics teams to align material flow with manufacturing schedules.
• Maintain and improve inventory accuracy through regular cycle counts and audits.
• Oversee receiving, warehousing, and storage operations in compliance with food safety standards.
• Lead and manage the warehouse team, including hiring, training, and performance evaluations: site Warehouse Receiving team, local Purchasing, Potato Receiving (if applicable), and/or Inventory Control Specialist.
• Analyze supply chain data to identify potential risks and improvement opportunities
• Develop KPls to monitor material performance and supply chain efficiency
• Implement and maintain ERP and MRP systems for inventory and supply chain management
• Collaborate with suppliers to improve lead times, delivery performance, and cost-effectiveness.
• Participate in lean manufacturing and process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and reduce waste.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, including quality and food safety tasks and regulations

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor's Degree is preferred, or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• 5+ years of experience in material management within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of supply chain management, inventory control, and procurement practices.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or similar platforms).
• Strategic orientation, inquisitive, comfortable with ambiguity, and self-motivated to identify trends and improvement opportunities aligned with business objectives and strategic plans
• Ability to build effective relationships, and build consensus with peers and stakeholders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to tailor messages to the given audience, present information in a clear and concise manner
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills with ability to extract key themes, determine root causes, develop creative solutions, and craft concise messages
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and multitask in a flexible, fast-paced environment
• Advanced Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills is highly desired

External Recruitment Process:

• Easy Application (5 mins): Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started.
• Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins): Share your experiences in an online chat, highlighting how your values align with ours.
• Live Interview: Selected candidates will meet with the hiring manager to explore their alignment with the team and overall Utz company culture.

Why Utz?

We believe in taking care of our people. Our benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Employer-matched 401(k)
• Profit sharing, bonus plan, employee stock purchase plans
• Career growth opportunities in a supportive, inclusive environment

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.