Sr. Manager - Planning & Procurement

About Us:

How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 179 years?!

Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the everchanging environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge of technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!

Location/Region: Dublin, CA

What’s the role?

The Senior Manager, Planning & Procurement is responsible for leading XRM's global planning, procurement, and inventory management functions across multiple manufacturing and supply chain locations. This role ensures uninterrupted material availability, optimized inventory investment, supplier performance excellence, and successful support of revenue and production objectives. The position plays a critical leadership role in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), New Product Introduction (NPI), supply chain risk mitigation, and operational transformation initiatives. The individual will lead a team of planners and buyers while partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, Finance, Product Management, Quality, and global suppliers. This role reports to the Head of Operations and is a key member of the operations leadership team. This role is held responsible and accountable by the IQR Segment Head of Global Supply Chain via dotted-line reporting.

Strategic Supply Chain Leadership

- Develop and execute global planning and procurement strategies aligned with business growth objectives.
- Lead demand, supply, capacity, and inventory planning processes across manufacturing sites.
- Deliver significant annual material cost savings to contribute to business profitability.
- Ensure supply continuity and strengthen the global supply chain resilience.
- Drive alignment between customer demand, production capacity, inventory strategy, and supplier capabilities.
- Establish planning and procurement roadmaps that support business scalability and operational excellence.

Production Planning & S&OP

- Lead the monthly S&OP process and facilitate cross-functional supply-demand balancing activities.
- Manage Master Production Scheduling (MPS) and long-range capacity planning.
- Ensure achievement of revenue shipment plans and manufacturing output targets.
- Develop scenario planning and risk mitigation strategies for changing demand conditions.

Procurement & Supplier Management

- Lead strategic sourcing and procurement activities for direct materials.
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships to improve delivery, quality, responsiveness, and cost competitiveness.
- Drive supplier performance management through KPIs and quarterly business reviews.
- Manage supplier escalations and coordinate recovery actions for supply disruptions.
- Support supplier capacity planning and risk assessments.

Inventory Management

- Establish inventory strategies that balance service levels and working capital objectives.
- Drive inventory optimization initiatives, including safety stock, excess and obsolete reduction, and inventory health management.
- Monitor and improve inventory turns, shortages, and material availability.
- Partner with Finance to achieve inventory and cash-flow objectives.

New Product Introduction (NPI)

- Partner with Engineering and Program Management to ensure material readiness for NPI programs.
- Lead supply chain readiness reviews for new product launches.
- Establish sourcing strategies and supplier qualification plans for new technologies and components.
- Support product transfers and localization initiatives across global manufacturing sites.

Operational Excellence & Transformation

- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across planning and procurement processes.
- Lead ERP/SAP process enhancements and digital transformation efforts.
- Develop dashboards and metrics to improve decision-making and performance visibility.
- Identify automation opportunities that increase efficiency and reduce manual transactions.

Leadership & People Development

- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of planners and buyers.
- Establish clear performance expectations and succession planning strategies.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer focus.
- Build organizational capability to support future business growth.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The successful candidate will be accountable for:

- Material Cost Savings
- Supply Chain Resilience Score
- Material Availability
- Supplier On-Time Delivery (OTD)
- Inventory Turns
- Revenue Shipment Support
- Production Schedule Adherence
- Inventory Accuracy
- Excess & Obsolete Inventory Reduction
- Supplier Lead Time Improvement
- Planning Forecast Accuracy
- NPI Material Readiness
- Working Capital Performance

- Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or related field.
- MBA or Master's Degree preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in planning, procurement, supply chain, or operations leadership.
- 5+ years leading managers, planning teams, and procurement organizations.
- Experience supporting complex manufacturing environments and global supply chains.
- Demonstrated success leading S&OP processes and inventory optimization initiatives.
- Experience working with ERP systems such as SAP.
- Experience supporting NPI and product launch environments.
- High-tech manufacturing, instrumentation, medical device, semiconductor equipment, or precision engineering industries.
- Multi-site global supply chain leadership.
- Exposure to tariff management, geopolitical risk mitigation, and supply chain localization strategies.

The annual pay range for this position is $174,000 – $217,000

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The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.

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This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions.  ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off .

We have amazing benefits to support you as an employee at ZEISS!

- Medical
- Vision
- Dental
- 401k Matching
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Vacation and sick pay
- The list goes on!

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:
Jo Anne Mittelman

Zeiss provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).