Lead - Material Planning

Role: Lead Material Planner 

Location:Hosur, Tamil Nadu

Reporting to: Head of Central Planning

Team name: Central Planning

About the Team and the Role

The Central Planning team at Ather is responsible for driving end-to-end material requirement planning, lean and agile supply chain transformation, capacity expansion, inventory optimization, and service spares management to support rapid organizational growth.

This role is for a Lead Material Planner (Spares & Vehicles) who will architect and deploy material flow methodologies, lead high-performing planning teams, and own the end-to-end Material Requirement Plan (MRP) and lifecycle inventory strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lean & Agile Supply Chain Transformation: Architect and deploy Lean/Agile methodologies across the planning ecosystem to eliminate waste, compress lead times, and build a responsive material flow.

• WCM & Industry 4.0 Integration: Embed World Class Manufacturing pillars and Industry 4.0 technologies (IoT tracking, digital dashboards, automated workflows) to build a zero-defect, smart supply chain.

• Team Leadership & Capability Building: Direct, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of Material and Production Planners, fostering accountability and continuous skill development.

• End-to-End MRP Ownership: Architect, release, and hold ultimate ownership of the end-to-end MRP, partnering with Sourcing to drive adherence, stability, and execution agility.

• Strategic Capacity & Portfolio Scaling: Maintain granular part-number capacity visibility and proactively align supplier capabilities with rapid product portfolio scaling and growth.

• Lifecycle Inventory Optimization: Champion inventory strategies across product lifecycles—managing active parts, mitigating/liquidating E&O stock, and planning pipelines from Prototype/NPI stages.

• Advanced Spares Management: Lead forecasting, predictive modeling, and strategic management of Service Spares through specialized warehousing to ensure maximum vehicle uptime.

• Financial & KPI Ownership: Hold ultimate accountability for organization-wide Inventory Turn Ratio (ITR), aggressively minimizing E&O stock and capping financial liability.

Experience and Qualifications

• B.E. / B.Tech or M.E. / M.Tech in Industrial, Automobile, Production, or Mechanical Engineering (MBA in Operations/Supply Chain from a Tier-1 institute or APICS/Lean Six Sigma certifications preferred).

• 12-16 years of progressive leadership experience in Material Planning, Production Control, Inventory Management, and S&OP within automotive, EV, or high-growth manufacturing industries.

Must Have Competencies

• Enterprise MRP and Planning Systems: Application of SAP MM/PP modules and enterprise planning tools (e.g., SAP IBP/APO) for accurate MRP execution and material requirements planning.

• World Class Manufacturing & Industry 4.0 Frameworks: Strategic implementation of WCM standards and Industry 4.0 technologies like IoT-enabled tracking, digital twin planning, and automated replenishment.

• Lean & Agile Supply Chain Methodologies: Tactical deployment of Lean tools (Kanban, VSM, Heijunka, JIT) and Agile frameworks to streamline high-velocity material flow and manage demand fluctuations.

• End-to-End Lifecycle & Spares Inventory Optimization: Execution of lifecycle inventory management from NPI/prototype stages to mass manufacturing, including service spares forecasting and E&O stock mitigation.

Good to Have Competencies

• Advanced Supply Chain Analytics & Predictive Modeling: Utilization of predictive data dashboards and quantitative modeling techniques for precise spare parts demand forecasting.

• High-Volume Production & Capacity Planning: Strategic alignment of part-number level supplier capacity constraints with rapid product scaling and multi-variant production lines.

• Smart Warehousing & Automated Material Flow: Design and deployment of automated workflows, smart warehousing infrastructure, and digital material tracking tools.

• S&OP Alignment & Supplier Capacity Integration: Integration of S&OP outputs with multi-tier supplier capacity planning across dynamic, high-growth manufacturing operations.

Want to know more?

At Ather, we’ve built India’s first intelligent scooter, from scratch. Based on the philosophy of clean design and smart technology, we are transforming the urban commute experience. We are expanding in India, and in the coming years, we look forward to scaling up and launching more products globally. Today, our product offerings include the Ather 450X, 450S, 450 Apex, and Rizta. Beyond the product, we are also setting up an extensive charging network and re-imagining end-to-end ownership experience. To know more, check out our Careers site and our Substack.

Be You, With Us

The Ather story doesn't write itself - our people do. We believe everyone is equal, but not the same. Diversity is our strength, and building an inclusive and equitable workplace begins with acknowledging and embracing our differences. We are an equal opportunity employer, and our team reflects a wide range of identities, experiences, and perspectives - all united by a shared passion to shape the Ather journey.