Senior Buyer / Planner – Defense Manufacturing
Cincinnati, OH | Defense Manufacturing | Monday – Friday, 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM | Day Shift
Compensation: $70,000 – $80,000
Employment: Full-Time / Direct Hire
About the Opportunity
A well-regarded defense manufacturer with a specialized focus in mission-critical systems is adding a Material Planner to their supply chain team in Cincinnati. This is a direct-hire opportunity with a stable, established organization where supply chain execution has a direct impact on production output and customer commitments.
What You'll Do
- Manage daily ERP messages in SAP to monitor short and long-term material requirements and ensure material availability
- Control material flow from suppliers through the production floor to support on-time delivery objectives
- Send weekly open order reports to suppliers to verify schedule accuracy and update SAP with current delivery commitments
- Monitor supplier on-time delivery performance and escalate chronic issues to the commodity manager
- Track supplier quality performance and flag recurring concerns through appropriate channels
- Conduct daily expediting activities to maintain high service levels and minimize production disruptions
- Identify material shortage risks, perform shortage analysis, and communicate status to cross-functional teams
- Develop and implement countermeasures for delivery risks before they impact the production schedule
What You'll Need
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Supply Chain, or equivalent professional experience
- 5+ years of experience in supply chain, materials planning, or operations in a manufacturing environment
- Hands-on ERP experience required — SAP strongly preferred
- Demonstrated ability to manage supplier relationships and hold vendors accountable to delivery commitments
- Strong analytical and organizational skills with a proactive, detail-oriented approach
- Effective communicator — comfortable escalating issues and driving resolution across teams
Why This Role
This is a high-visibility, high-impact role with a defense manufacturer where your work directly supports production continuity and customer delivery — not a back-office planning function but a frontline operational discipline with real accountability and real rewards.