Material Planning Manager

About You and The Role

You will own material planning and data integrity for a major system that supports Zipline’s drone delivery network. This role sits at the intersection of Engineering, Supplier Industrialization, Manufacturing, and Integrated Planning and is accountable for keeping production flowing during rapid scale-up, design changes, and supplier constraints. Your work directly impacts supplier capability, safety-critical part continuity, production ramp success, and on-time customer deployments. This is an in-person role based in South San Francisco with occasional field and supplier engagement; expect ~5% travel to US-based sites and key partner regions (North America, APAC) to manage suppliers, validate readiness, and resolve escalations.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end material availability for an assigned platform or major subsystem: translate production schedules and forecasts into supplier commitments, inventory positions, and replenishment plans that support target production rates and service levels.
• Maintain governance of master data (BOMs, item attributes, lead times, planning parameters, engineering change impacts) as the authoritative source for MRP and planning systems.
• Lead engineering-change integration for materials: assess supply impacts, update planning parameters, run impact analyses, and coordinate supplier actions to minimize production disruption and mitigate scrap/obsolescence risk.
• Define, implement, and own planning KPIs and targets (e.g., shortage reduction, forecast accuracy, inventory turns, schedule adherence) and drive improvements through data analysis, inventory modeling, and rebalancing actions.
• Drive exception management for off-nominal processes and escalation for material gaps: triage shortages, lead expedited buys, reallocate inventory across sites, and mobilize cross-functional resources to prevent line stoppages.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Industrialization to validate supplier capacity/capability, establish supply commitments, and execute supply-risk mitigation plans (dual-sourcing, safety stock, contract holds) tied to program milestones.
• Support prototype-to-volume transitions and rate increases through readiness planning, parts flow validation, and supplier performance gating; own material readiness checklists and go/no-go inputs to production launches.
• Build and maintain reporting and dashboards that provide weekly operational visibility to manufacturing leaders and senior program stakeholders; present root-cause analyses and recommended fixes.

What You'll Bring

• Title/level: Material Planning Manager (individual contributor or people manager depending on assignment); based in South San Francisco with ~5% travel as needed.
• 5+ years relevant experience owning material planning, master-data governance, or supply planning for complex electromechanical or avionics products. 
• Direct experience with MRP/ERP and planning systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or equivalent) and proven ownership of BOM and planning parameter accuracy in a changing engineering environment.
• Demonstrated track record reducing shortages and improving forecast accuracy and inventory health for products undergoing design changes and ramping production; able to point to metrics or outcomes you influenced.
• Strong analytical skills: comfortable with data-driven inventory modeling, scenario analysis, and structured problem solving; able to produce actionable recommendations from large datasets.
• Experience coordinating across Engineering, Manufacturing, Sourcing, and Supplier partners to execute material readiness and manage escalations under tight timelines.
• Operating intensity: able to make high-visibility prioritization decisions, lead rapid containment actions, and accept on-site travel to suppliers and manufacturing partners when needed.
• Must-haves: ability to read and act on BOMs and engineering change notices; practical understanding of lead-time risk, safety stock calculation, and expedited logistics; willingness to work on-site in South San Francisco.

Preferred

• Experience in high-reliability or regulated industries (aerospace, robotics, automotive) and familiarity with NPI gating and production readiness milestones.
• Advanced degree or certifications in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience scaling production across multinational supplier networks and running supplier readiness audits.

What Else You Need To Know

The starting cash range for this role is $118,000–$259,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!