Materials Manager

Job description

Role Summary MiLa is seeking a hands-on Materials Manager to lead inventory accuracy, ERP/MRP discipline, shipping and receiving, warehouse execution, and material readiness for our fast-growing food manufacturing operation. This role owns the daily system that ensures materials are received correctly, reflected accurately in the ERP, stored properly, released by Quality, staged on time, and available to support the production schedule. This is not a reporting-only role. MiLa needs a floor-based leader who can fix transaction gaps, improve inventory accuracy, strengthen cycle count discipline, and ensure the physical inventory and ERP system tell the same story. Key Responsibilities Support onsite material availability by partnering with Procurement, Production, Warehouse and FSQA to ensure ingredients, packaging, supplies, and other required materials are available for scheduled production. Support purchase order follow-up, delivery timing, receiving coordination, and vendor communication as needed to ensure inbound materials arrive accurately and on time. Maintain strong visibility into onsite material flow, including what is on hand, what is inbound, what is constrained, and what needs escalation. Escalate material risks, supplier delays, quality issues, or cost-impacting decisions to the appropriate owner for resolution. Own inventory accuracy for ingredients, packaging, labels, WIP, finished goods, holds, damaged materials, and obsolete inventory. Lead the cycle count program, including ABC classification, count schedules, variance investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective actions. Own ERP/MRP discipline for receiving, put-away, transfers, staging, production consumption, scrap, returns, holds, releases, adjustments, and finished goods movement. Ensure physical inventory, ERP inventory, lot codes, expiration dates, locations, and QA status are accurate and current. Lead shipping and receiving execution, including inbound accuracy, outbound accuracy, BOLs, COAs, temperature checks, lot documentation, and carrier coordination. Ensure inbound materials are received correctly, labeled properly, placed in the right location, and assigned the correct QA status. Ensure outbound shipments are accurate, complete, documented, temperature-controlled, and shipped on time. Own daily and weekly material readiness for the production schedule. Confirm ingredients, packaging, labels, WIP, and finished goods are available, released, staged, and ready before production begins. Maintain FIFO/FEFO, lot control, shelf-life management, traceability, material segregation, and cold-chain discipline. Partner with FSQA on holds, releases, segregations, dispositions, mock recalls, and traceability exercises. Partner with Planning, Procurement, Production, FSQA, Warehouse, and Finance to resolve shortages, supplier delays, inventory risks, and schedule constraints. Reduce production delays caused by missing, incorrect, unreleased, expired, or misplaced materials. Track and reduce SLOB, expired inventory, damaged inventory, write-offs, unexplained adjustments, and inventory variances. Lead warehouse, receiving, staging, shipping, and material handling teams. Build standard work for inventory transactions, cycle counts, staging, material movement, shipping, receiving, and ERP usage. Establish KPIs for inventory accuracy, cycle count completion, variance dollars, SLOB, expired inventory, adjustment frequency, shipping accuracy, receiving accuracy, and material readiness. Improve warehouse layout, 5S, point-of-use staging, material flow, cold-chain control, and inventory visibility. Required Qualifications 7+ years of experience in inventory management, materials management, warehouse operations, supply chain, manufacturing, or distribution. 3+ years of people leadership experience in warehouse, inventory, materials, shipping/receiving, or plant operations. Strong hands-on ERP/MRP experience, including receiving, transfers, adjustments, production consumption, BOMs, work orders, finished goods transactions, and cycle counts. Proven experience improving inventory accuracy through cycle counts, root cause analysis, standard work, and transaction controls. Experience managing shipping, receiving, warehouse, material flow, and production staging. Strong knowledge of FIFO/FEFO, lot control, shelf-life management, traceability, material segregation, cold-chain handling, and inventory reconciliation. Experience supporting production schedules through material readiness and staging processes. Experience in food, CPG, manufacturing, distribution, or temperature-controlled operations. Strong analytical, communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional leadership skills. Ability to work in refrigerated/frozen manufacturing environments with regular floor presence. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, or related field. APICS/ASCM certification, such as CPIM, CSCP, or CLTD. Experience in frozen food, meat/poultry, prepared meals, USDA/FDA-regulated food manufacturing, or CPG. Experience with Fulfill, SAP, NetSuite, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar ERP/MRP systems. Experience with barcode scanning, WMS tools, inventory dashboards, or digital warehouse controls. Experience with BOM validation, material variance reporting, production consumption analysis, yield loss, and scrap tracking. Experience managing outside cold storage, carriers, or 3PL relationships. Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, or warehouse optimization experience. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred. Success Measures Inventory accuracy improves and is sustained. ERP inventory matches physical inventory. Cycle counts are disciplined, timely, and root-cause driven. Shipping and receiving transactions are accurate and timely. Materials are received, labeled, stored, and assigned the correct QA status. Production has the right materials staged and ready on time. Fewer delays from missing, incorrect, unreleased, expired, or misplaced materials. SLOB, damaged inventory, expired inventory, write-offs, and unexplained adjustments are reduced. FIFO/FEFO, lot control, shelf-life, cold-chain, and traceability practices are consistently followed. Warehouse, freezer, cooler, dock, and staging areas are organized, controlled, and audit-ready. Location/Travel, Work Environment, & Physical Requirements 100% on-site at our facility in Sumner, WA Requires regular production floor presence. Must be comfortable working around raw meat/poultry, dough, sauces, frozen products, sanitation chemicals, equipment, and cold environments. Must be available to support audits, inspections, urgent quality issues, multiple shifts, and occasional weekend or off-shift needs. Why Should You Join Us? Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision insurance. MiLa covers 75% of employee premiums & 25% of dependent premiums Optional Extra Protection for Life & AD&D (with guarantee issue amounts at time of hire), Hospital, and Short Term Disability Invest in your Future - 401(k) plan to help with your long-term financial security See other openings at MiLa here: About MiLa MìLà is a Chinese food company . Our teams work tirelessly to enhance delicious products that we all enjoy at home! While MìLà is a Chinese food brand, it’s really a celebration of the power of food to bring us together, share our stories, and discover new flavors and cultures. Our mission is to build something that feels authentically and uniquely true to our roots as a Chinese-American-founded brand. Something we can own, but that’s also meant to be shared. One of the things we love about Chinese food is that it’s traditionally served family-style—shared with everyone gathered at the table. MìLà is a Chinese food brand, but it’s really a celebration of the power of food to bring us together, share our stories, and discover new flavors and cultures. Core Values Explore our core values here: