Supply Chain Technical Lead

Summary

The Supply Chain Technical Leader is a recognized expert who provides vision, technical expertise, business process ownership, and problem-solving solutions to drive functional excellence and meet business objectives. This role is the primary technical contact for the HSC organization, responsible for optimizing supply chain planning and scheduling processes and reducing supply chain management and execution defects. Additionally, the Supply Chain Technical Leader mentors team Planners and Schedulers and may serve as an area Planner or Scheduler as needed.

This role is accountable for all aspects of department performance including Safety & Environment, Quality, Reliability, Production, and Productivity.

Essential Functions

Supply Chain Functional Excellence

• Supply Chain Functional Excellence: Expertise in end-to-end HSC enterprise supply chain, including Production, Quality, Logistics/Delivery, and Customer Service processes.  Evaluate and apply new Supply Chain technology to improve planning and scheduling solutions, staying abreast of current best practices.

• Advanced Proficiency: In SAP, S&OP, and business processes for planning, scheduling, and inventory management.
• Leadership: Lead S&OP efforts, cross-functional projects, and develop robust site production planning processes.
• Process Improvement: Implement process improvement portfolios, support the creation and maintenance of Supply Chain KPIs including monitoring/communication tools, and implement process order and document management strategies.  Lead Level 2 RCIs. Oversee and lead Level 0-1 RCIs.

• Technical Oversight: Act as the subject matter expert for SAP-related questions, lead escalations, provide technical oversight for IT system integration and Spotfire data validation, and serve as Supply Chain MOC approver.

• Mentorship: Mentor and train lower-level Production Planners and Schedulers.  Develop strategies and coach automating or streamlining work processes for high-volume SAP tasks as well as provide guidance for recovering from production recording errors.

• Business Process Ownership (BPO): Serve as the BPO for Supply Chain Management, Material Master Data, and Supply Chain Execution ensuring Financial Control Compliance.

* While some BPO duties may be delegated to experienced team members, the Supply Chain Technical Leader retains full accountability for all BPO responsibilities and may support the team in all BPO areas and projects.

Additional Duties/Responsibilities

• Serve as an experienced backup for all team Planners, S&OP meeting owners, and Schedulers, ensuring continuous production and material shipment.
• Work with the Supply & Logistics Manager and Production Planning & Scheduling Leader to align organizational design with business objectives and ensure appropriate resourcing for company audits.
• Act as the technical voice for the Planning and Scheduling Team, explaining workflows, demonstrating SAP transactions, and detailing key SAP master data settings.
• Primary team representative on SAP or Business Process Owner projects and cross-functional projects, potentially serving as project manager for team-impacting initiatives.  Act as consultant for trials.
• Initiate new material numbers or other Supply & Logistics MOCs, support other team areas as needed, and serve as a qualified Supply Chain voting member for CAB (Change Action Board) and DELTA.

Skills

• Expertise in Supply Chain management, business acumen, and cross-functional processes.
• Proficient in extracting and analyzing SAP data, presenting compelling visuals and conclusions.
• Proficient in analytical tools such as Spotfire and Excel PivotTables.
• Excellent verbal, visual, and written communication skills across all organizational levels.
• Effective team leader and participant with strong coaching and mentoring capabilities.
• Skilled in updating and creating Standard Work Instructions (SWIs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Business Process Documents (BPDs).

Behaviors that will set you up for success

• Model and champion the Team’s vision within the Company, aligning efforts with organizational goals through strategic thinking.
• Coach and develop team members, fostering collaborative relationships and celebrating achievements.
• Apply cause-and-effect and big picture thinking, strong analytical, investigation, and troubleshooting skills.
• Communicate effectively and build cross-functional relationships at all organizational levels.
• Navigate ambiguous tasks, adapt to new challenges, independently create tangible results, and maintain a positive, professional attitude.
• Adopt a service-oriented mindset for both internal and external customers/suppliers.
• Demonstrate powerful leadership, take ownership of team members' technical growth, and ensure high-quality work.  Build trust through transparency, consistency, reliability, integrity, and honesty.
• Competencies: collaborates, decision quality, drives results, manages complexity, tech savvy.

Minimum Required Education/Certification

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, supply chain, logistics, or business is the minimum educational requirements for this role.  Other science and critical-thinking degrees can be considered provided minimum work experience is met.
• APICS CSCP and/or CPIM certification preferred.
• Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt certification preferred.
• SAP certification or willingness to pursue certification preferred.
• Participates in professional supply chain or HSC business-relevant industry organizations preferred.
• Self-training or formal training as necessary to remain an expert in supply chain processes and technologies.

Required Work Experience

• A minimum of 5+ years in related work experience (such as scheduling, planning, logistics, and inventory management).
• Recognized expertise and leadership in supply chain and business processes.
• A minimum of 10+ years in the manufacturing industry with multi-functional experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of HSC end-to-end supply chain preferred.