Material Planner - Minneapolis, MN

IPG Photonics is revolutionizing the laser industry as the pioneering developer and leading producer of fiber lasers and amplifiers. Headquartered in Marlborough, MA, IPG has over 4,800 employees in more than 30 locations around the world. We aspire to work together with our employees and customers to apply light in ways that improve life.

Our mission is to develop innovative laser solutions to make the world a better place. To accomplish this mission, we are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent and an engaged, diverse, and thriving workforce that drives a sustainable future for our company and society.

Working at IPG Photonics you can expect challenging projects, a motivating and friendly environment, and competitive benefits.

Position Summary

The Material Planner supports project execution in an engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing environment by ensuring that materials are planned, produced, and provided in alignment with business requirements. The Material Planner plays a critical role in balancing schedule risk, cost, and material availability in a dynamic, complex, and highly customized manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and implement engineering releases. Revise material plans accordingly.
• Analyze and execute Material Requirements Planning (MRP) results.
• Monitor and control production orders and item status for make-to-stock subcomponents.
• Identify long-lead and critical-path items early in the project and escalate risks within the Operations and Project Management functions.
• Align material supply (produced and purchased) with project timelines, customer milestones, and manufacturing capacity.

• Work with Engineering to clarify specifications, revision changes, alternates, or substitutions.
• Collaborate with Project Managers, Production, and Procurement to assess material impacts on schedule or budget.
• Support engineering change control by assessing material impacts (scrap, rework, additional purchase requirements).

Supplier & Procurement Interface

• Support expediting efforts for critical materials or when design changes compress timelines.
• Coordinate with buyers to source custom or build-to-print components based on engineering documentation.
• Track supplier confirmations, lead times, and progress against project-specific requirements.
• Provide supplier performance data and participate in supplier reviews for project-critical parts.

Inventory & Material Control

• Maintain visibility of project-allocated inventory and ensure material traceability.
• Support receiving and provision of project-specific materials.
• Identify excess materials after project completion and work with Engineering & Operations to disposition them.
• Ensure accurate material status updates within ERP/MRP and project dashboards.

Data Management & Reporting

• Maintain accurate MRP attributes (lead times, planning parameters, revision levels) for project materials.
• Generate material status reports for project meetings, including risk logs, shortages, and upcoming requirements.
• Track actual vs. planned material dates to support schedule integrity and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 2-7 years of experience in material planning or supply chain - especially engineer-to-order, project-based, or custom manufacturing.
• ASCM CPIM strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Infor, JobBOSS, etc.).

Skills & Competencies

• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities tailored to dynamic project environments.
• Experience working with engineering drawings, BOM structures, routings, and engineering change processes.
• Strong communication skills for cross-functional coordination.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and experience working with data sets
• Experience with planning tools and project scheduling software is a plus (e.g., MS Project, Primavera).