Leads supply chain, production planning, scheduling, inventory, warehouse, logistics, and distribution operations across two manufacturing sites. Owns master production scheduling, material availability, warehouse performance, transportation coordination, regulatory compliance, and KPI improvement. Evaluates and implements a modern WMS integrated with ERP/MRP systems while driving Lean, Six Sigma, digital transformation, and cross-functional operational excellence.
Position Summary:
The Director of Supply Chain and Scheduling leads supply chain, warehouse, and scheduling operations for Bradford Labs, Inc., with a strong focus on supporting manufacturing efficiency, material availability, cost control, and operational excellence. This role has full ownership of production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehouse operations, and logistics across both IL sites (Broadview and Blue Island), ensuring all activities are synchronized with the demands of a high-volume, process-driven manufacturing environment. The Director also leads the evaluation and implementation of a modern warehouse management system (WMS) to replace legacy tools and processes, and drives strategic initiatives that increase reliability and enhance the company’s ability to deliver quality products on time and at scale.
Core Responsibilities:
Manufacturing Supply Chain Strategy
- Lead the integration of supply chain operations with manufacturing strategy to ensure material readiness, capacity alignment, and production continuity across all plants.
- Develop and execute a manufacturing-aligned supply chain strategy that ensures material flow, minimizes downtime, and maximizes asset utilization.
Production Planning, Scheduling & Inventory Control
- Direct demand planning, production scheduling, and material requirement planning (MRP) processes to ensure timely and efficient manufacturing.
- Optimize inventory levels across all facilities to balance cost and service, reducing excess, obsolescence, and stockouts.
- Collaborate with Operations and Plant Managers to align material flow and labor planning with daily and long-term production schedules.
- Own master production scheduling and daily/shift-level scheduling across both IL sites, ensuring schedules reflect real-time capacity, labor availability, and material readiness.
Warehouse Operations, Logistics & Distribution
- Hold full operational ownership of warehouse operations across both IL sites (Broadview and Blue Island) — including receiving, put-away, storage, cycle counting, order fulfillment, shipping, and warehouse staffing — to ensure optimal inventory storage, handling, and customer order fulfillment.
- Evaluate, select, and lead implementation of a modern Warehouse Management System (WMS) to replace legacy systems and manual processes, improving inventory accuracy, real-time visibility, and integration with the company’s ERP/MRP platform.
- Improve inbound/outbound logistics performance and cost by enhancing transportation planning, freight coordination, and distribution network design.
- Maintain annual DOT registration and complete bi-annual FMCSA updates to ensure Bradford Labs remains in full compliance with federal laws.
Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
- Champion Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles throughout the supply chain organization to improve lead times, reduce waste, and increase responsiveness.
- Lead digital transformation efforts to enhance data visibility, automate processes, and increase supply chain agility.
- Establish and track KPIs related to manufacturing supply chain performance (e.g., OTIF, inventory turns, forecast accuracy, logistics efficiency).
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, R&D, and New Product Development teams to ensure launch readiness and scalability of new products.
- Support plant operations by resolving material constraints and ensuring alignment on capacity planning and supply chain execution.
Qualifications:
- Experience: 10+ years of progressive supply chain leadership in a manufacturing environment, with 5+ years in a senior role.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain/Logistics, Engineering, Operations Management, or Business preferred; MBA or relevant master’s degree preferred.
- Expertise:
- Strong background in production planning, inventory control, logistics, and plant support functions.
- Direct experience managing warehouse operations and production/master scheduling functions in a multi-site manufacturing or distribution environment.
- Experience evaluating, selecting, and implementing warehouse management systems (WMS) and integrating them with ERP/MRP platforms.
- Deep understanding of manufacturing processes, materials planning, and ERP/MRP systems (Oracle, JD Edwards, or SAP preferred).
- Skills:
- Excellent leadership and team development skills in a manufacturing organization.
- Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and process improvement skills.
- Experience implementing Lean/CI programs across supply and production.
- Strong communication abilities across corporate, plant-level, and cross-functional teams.
- Experience leading technology implementations and change management for warehouse or scheduling systems.
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