Materials Supervisor

Description The Materials Supervisor is responsible for leading and coordinating the daily activities of the Materials department in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. This position oversees shipping, receiving, warehouse operations, inventory control, and material flow to ensure production has the right materials, in the right quantity, at the right location, at the right time. The Materials Supervisor directly leads the Materials team, including forklift operators, tugger operators, material handlers, and other warehouse personnel.

This role is responsible for maintaining a safe, organized, and efficient material flow system while supporting production schedules, customer requirements, and company goals for safety, quality, delivery, and cost. The Materials Supervisor works closely with Production, Quality, Purchasing, Maintenance, Logistics, and Supply Chain to identify and resolve material-related issues and continuously improve manufacturing and warehouse processes.

Requirements Materials & Production Flow Direct and supervise the daily activities of the Materials team to support production requirements. Ensure timely delivery of raw materials, components, packaging, and finished goods to and from production areas. Manage line-side material flow and ensure production lines remain properly supplied. Coordinate material replenishment using forklifts, tuggers, carts, and other material-handling equipment.

Establish and maintain efficient material routes, delivery schedules, staging areas, and supermarkets. Monitor material shortages and work proactively with Production and Supply Chain to prevent line stoppages. Respond quickly to production-related material issues and coordinate recovery plans when disruptions occur. Ensure materials are properly identified, labeled, stored, and protected from damage.

Support FIFO/FEFO requirements and proper material rotation where applicable. Identify opportunities to reduce material handling, excess movement, inventory, and non-value-added activities. Warehouse Operations Oversee daily warehouse operations, including receiving, storage, staging, picking, replenishment, and material movement. Maintain an organized warehouse that supports efficient material flow and safe working conditions.

Establish appropriate locations and storage practices for raw materials, WIP, finished goods, and production supplies. Monitor warehouse capacity and optimize available storage space. Ensure accurate movement of materials between receiving, warehouse, production, and shipping areas. Maintain control of WIP and finished goods to support production and customer requirements. Assist with warehouse layout and material-flow improvements.

Shipping & Receiving Supervise receiving activities to ensure incoming materials are unloaded, inspected as required, identified, and put away accurately. Oversee shipping activities to ensure finished goods and other shipments are properly prepared, documented, staged, and loaded. Ensure shipping and receiving transactions are completed accurately and in a timely manner. Coordinate with carriers, suppliers, and internal departments regarding delivery and shipment requirements.

Investigate receiving discrepancies, damaged materials, shortages, and shipping errors. Ensure shipping and receiving areas remain organized, safe, and productive. Support customer delivery requirements and on-time shipment performance. Inventory Control Maintain high levels of inventory accuracy throughout the warehouse and production areas. Monitor material transactions and ensure inventory is accurately reflected in the ERP/MRP system.

Lead or support cycle counting, physical inventories, and inventory audits. Investigate inventory discrepancies and implement corrective actions. Ensure material is properly scanned, transacted, and moved within the system. Monitor excess, obsolete, damaged, and slow-moving inventory. Partner with Materials Planning and Supply Chain to address inventory issues