Senior Inventory Planning Manager

We are seeking an experienced Fleet Support Inventory Planning Manager to lead a team of inventory and transportation planners responsible for ensuring parts availability that supports our service operations, field maintenance, and fleet uptime. This role is critical to maintaining high service reliability, minimizing vehicle downtime, and ensuring the right parts are positioned in the right locations based on usage patterns, service forecasts, and operational priorities.   The ideal candidate brings deep experience in service parts planning, after-sales support, and spare parts lifecycle management. This individual will work cross-functionally with Service Operations, Field Maintenance, Procurement, Engineering, Logistics, and Finance to ensure service parts are accurately forecasted, sourced, stocked, and replenished across the network.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop a team of service parts and transportation planners.

• Oversee inventory planning and replenishment for all service and maintenance parts.

• Build and execute service parts strategies balancing availability, cost, and working capital.

• Ensure material readiness to support scheduled and unscheduled fleet service with zero downtime.

• Manage part lifecycle transitions including new service parts, supersessions, revisions, and end-of-life.

• Maintain accurate SAP (S/4HANA) planning data, including MRP parameters, lead times, and safety stock.

• Analyze consumption trends, failure rates, and field demand to forecast and right-size inventory levels.

• Collaborate with Procurement and suppliers to ensure reliable lead times and supply continuity.

• Coordinate transportation and logistics to ensure timely delivery of critical service materials.

• Monitor and report on KPIs such as fill rate, backorders, days of supply, and fleet uptime impact.

 

Travel: up to 25% may be required (including international travel)

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in inventory management, service parts planning, or supply chain operations.

• 2+ years leading or supervising planning, inventory, or logistics teams.

• Strong proficiency with SAP S/4HANA (MRP, inventory management, master data).

• Demonstrated experience supporting service operations or aftermarket parts environments.

• Expertise in forecasting, replenishment, and lifecycle management of service parts.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to operate in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

• Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally with service, engineering, logistics, and procurement teams.

• Experience managing suppliers and resolving shortages, constraints, and escalations.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to present risks, status, and mitigation plans.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations, or related field.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in automotive or industrial manufacturing environments

• APICS/CPIM certification or equivalent supply chain credential.

• Proven success in implementing planning process improvements or system enhancements

• Familiarity with transportation planning and logistics coordination

• Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, or Engineering.