Inventory Control Lead

Position Overview:

The Inventory Control Lead is responsible for overseeing and maintaining accurate inventory levels of raw materials, work-in-process (WIP), finished goods, packaging, and production supplies throughout the rare earth magnet manufacturing operation. This position plays a critical role in ensuring materials are available to support production schedules while minimizing excess inventory, shortages, waste, and carrying costs.

The Inventory Control Lead will establish and maintain inventory-control systems, procedures, and performance standards while working closely with Purchasing, Production, Quality, Sales, Shipping/Receiving, and Finance.

Key Responsibilities:

Inventory Management

·       Manage daily inventory activities for raw materials, components, WIP, finished magnets, and supplies.

·       Maintain accurate inventory records within the Business Central, the company’s ERP/MRP system.

·       Establish appropriate minimum, maximum, safety-stock, and reorder levels.

·       Monitor inventory movements and investigate discrepancies.

·       Develop and maintain inventory-control procedures and standard operating practices.

·       Ensure proper identification, labeling, lot tracking, and storage of materials.

·       Monitor inventory aging and identify obsolete, excess, damaged, or slow-moving materials.

Rare Earth Material Control

·       Maintain strict inventory accountability for rare earth materials and magnet-related raw materials.

·       Track materials by lot, heat/batch, supplier, specification, and production order when required.

·       Ensure traceability of materials throughout receiving, production, inspection, storage, and shipment.

·       Work with Quality and Production to properly control nonconforming, quarantined, rejected, and rework materials.

·       Monitor material yields, scrap, and production losses to identify opportunities for improvement.

Cycle Counting & Physical Inventory

·       Develop and manage a structured cycle-count program.

·       Conduct and oversee monthly physical inventory counts.

·       Research and resolve inventory variances.

·       Establish root causes for recurring discrepancies and implement corrective actions.

·       Maintain inventory accuracy targets and report performance to management.

Production Support

·       Coordinate material availability with Production Planning and Manufacturing.

·       Ensure production orders have the required materials available when needed.

·       Identify potential shortages before they impact production schedules.

·       Coordinate the movement of materials between receiving, raw-material storage, production, WIP locations, and finished-goods areas.

·       Work with the Warehouse Manager to help optimize warehouse layout and material flow.

Purchasing & Supplier Coordination

·       Work closely with Purchasing to communicate inventory requirements and material shortages.

·       Provide inventory data to support purchasing decisions and production planning.

·       Monitor incoming materials and identify potential supply issues.

·       Assist in evaluating supplier performance related to quantity, quality, lead time, and material availability.

ERP/MRP & Data Management

·       Maintain accurate inventory, locations, units of measure, and transaction records.

·       Ensure all receiving, issuing, transfers, adjustments, and production transactions are properly recorded.

·       Develop inventory reports and dashboards for management.

·       Analyze inventory trends and identify opportunities to improve accuracy and efficiency.

·       Support ERP/MRP system improvements and implementation of improved inventory-control processes.

Leadership

·       Supervise and develop inventory, warehouse, receiving, and/or material-control personnel.

·       Establish clear performance expectations and accountability.

·       Train employees on inventory procedures, ERP transactions, material handling, and documentation requirements.

·       Promote a culture of accuracy, organization, safety, and continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills &Abilities:

·       Inventory forecasting and replenishment

·       Cycle counting and physical inventory

·       ERP/MRP systems

·       Materials requirements planning

·       Lot and batch traceability

·       Warehouse organization and material flow

·       Root-cause analysis

·       Microsoft Excel and data analysis

·       Lean manufacturing principles

·       Production planning support

·       Team leadership and employee development

·       Strong written and verbal communication

Requirements:

Required:

·       3–5+ years of experience in inventory control, warehouse management, materials management, or manufacturing.

·       Previous supervisory or management experience.

·       Strong understanding of inventory-control principles and warehouse operations.

·       Experience working with ERP/MRP inventory systems.

·       Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

·       Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.

·       Ability to work effectively across Production, Purchasing, Quality, Shipping, and Finance.

·       Strong computer skills, particularly Microsoft Excel and inventory/ERP systems.

Preferred:

·       Experience in metal, magnet, aerospace, automotive, electronics, mac