Senior Manager, Demand Planning
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What you'll do
- Lead, develop, and scale the Demand Planning organization, establishing functional scope, priorities, performance expectations, and long-term capability needs
- Define and own the Demand Planning and sparing strategy across development and production programs, ensuring material plans support program schedules, build priorities, and business objectives
- Own the end-to-end demand planning framework that translates engineering, program, and production requirements into executable planning signals demand across procurement, inventory, and manufacturing strategies for inventory optimization and master data management
- Establish enterprise planning strategies and operating rhythms for demand aggregation, BOM analysis, MRP runs, program schedule reviews, shortage management, material readiness, and inventory planning across multiple programs and builds
- Partner with Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Inventory, and Program leadership to identify material risks, establish priorities, and drive risk abatement against critical program milestones
- Define and drive Demand Planning KPIs, dashboards, and executive-level business reviews that provide clear visibility into material readiness, planning accuracy, inventory health, and program risk
- Lead the evolution of MRP, master data, planning systems, automation, and business processes to improve accuracy, scalability, visibility, and execution speed
- Serve as the escalation point for significant material and planning risks, driving cross-functional recovery strategies when supply threatens critical program milestones
- Build scalable processes, tools, standards, and training that strengthen planning discipline and improve how Engineering, Manufacturing, Programs, and Supply Chain operate together
- Develop the organizational roadmap for Demand Planning, including talent strategy, systems capabilities, process maturity, and future resource requirements as Vast scales development and production
What they're looking for
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- 8+ years of experience in demand planning, material planning, production planning, supply chain, operations, or a related function
- 3+ years of experience leading and developing teams in a complex manufacturing or hardware environment
- Demonstrated experience building, scaling, or significantly maturing a demand planning, material planning, or related supply chain function
- Deep experience with MRP, BOMs, inventory planning, material requirements, shortage management, and material readiness in a manufacturing environment
- Experience establishing planning strategies, operating rhythms, KPIs, and governance across multiple programs, products, or production builds
- Demonstrated ability to identify systemic planning and material risks and drive cross-functional teams toward resolution
- Experience partnering with senior leaders across Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Inventory, Supply Chain, and/or Program Management
- Strong analytical and systems-thinking capabilities with the ability to translate complex data into clear business decisions and actions
- Strong executive communication and influencing skills with demonstrated ability to drive alignment across multiple levels and functions of an organization
Nice to have
- Experience in aerospace, defense, spaceflight, automotive, or high-growth hardware manufacturing
- Experience leading demand or material planning for complex aerospace development, qualification, and production programs
- Experience managing planning organizations supporting multiple products, programs, or production builds simultaneously
- Advanced experience with MRP, ERP, MES, PLM, and manufacturing planning systems
- Deep understanding of BOM management, engineering change management, master data, inventory optimization, material readiness, and production planning
- Experience defining and implementing planning system architecture, reporting, analytics, and automation
- Demonstrated success building or transforming a planning organization during rapid company or production growth
- Experience developing organizational structures, hiring plans, career frameworks, and planning talent
Summarised by NextRaise from the employer’s description, which follows in full below.
Full description from employer
Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure using an incremental, hardware-rich, and low-cost approach. Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Haven Demo’s 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world’s first commercial space station when it launches in 2027, followed by additional Haven modules. Additionally, the company recently announced Vast Satellite, a high-power satellite product line leveraging its space station components and the heritage of Haven Demo.
Headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with more than 1,000 employees and over a billion dollars in private capital, Vast has built the facilities required to manufacture and operate America’s next space station. The company plans to develop future habitats and systems for the Moon and Mars, dedicated space stations for government partners, and other crewed systems that will unlock the expanding long-term space economy.
Vast is looking for a Senior Manager, Demand Planning to lead and scale the Demand Planning organization supporting the development and production of our next-generation human-rated space stations.
This role will own the strategy, organization, processes, systems, and operating rhythms that translate engineering and program requirements into executable demand signals across procurement, inventory, and manufacturing. The Senior Manager will be accountable for material planning strategy and readiness across multiple programs and builds, ensuring leadership has clear visibility into material requirements, shortages, inventory risk, planning accuracy, and readiness against critical program milestones.
The ideal candidate combines deep MRP and material planning expertise with strong organizational leadership, systems thinking, and the ability to build and scale planning capabilities in a fast-paced engineering and manufacturing environment. This leader will serve as a key Supply Chain partner to Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, Inventory, Finance, and Program leadership, driving alignment and decisions that enable program execution.
This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead, develop, and scale the Demand Planning organization, establishing functional scope, priorities, performance expectations, and long-term capability needs
- Define and own the Demand Planning and sparing strategy across development and production programs, ensuring material plans support program schedules, build priorities, and business objectives
- Own the end-to-end demand planning framework that translates engineering, program, and production requirements into executable planning signals demand across procurement, inventory, and manufacturing strategies for inventory optimization and master data management
- Establish enterprise planning strategies and operating rhythms for demand aggregation, BOM analysis, MRP runs, program schedule reviews, shortage management, material readiness, and inventory planning across multiple programs and builds
- Partner with Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Inventory, and Program leadership to identify material risks, establish priorities, and drive risk abatement against critical program milestones
- Define and drive Demand Planning KPIs, dashboards, and executive-level business reviews that provide clear visibility into material readiness, planning accuracy, inventory health, and program risk
- Lead the evolution of MRP, master data, planning systems, automation, and business processes to improve accuracy, scalability, visibility, and execution speed
- Serve as the escalation point for significant material and planning risks, driving cross-functional recovery strategies when supply threatens critical program milestones
- Build scalable processes, tools, standards, and training that strengthen planning discipline and improve how Engineering, Manufacturing, Programs, and Supply Chain operate together
- Develop the organizational roadmap for Demand Planning, including talent strategy, systems capabilities, process maturity, and future resource requirements as Vast scales development and production
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- 8+ years of experience in demand planning, material planning, production planning, supply chain, operations, or a related function
- 3+ years of experience leading and developing teams in a complex manufacturing or hardware environment
- Demonstrated experience building, scaling, or significantly maturing a demand planning, material planning, or related supply chain function
- Deep experience with MRP, BOMs, inventory planning, material requirements, shortage management, and material readiness in a manufacturing environment
- Experience establishing planning strategies, operating rhythms, KPIs, and governance across multiple programs, products, or production builds
- Demonstrated ability to identify systemic planning and material risks and drive cross-functional teams toward resolution
- Experience partnering with senior leaders across Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Inventory, Supply Chain, and/or Program Management
- Strong analytical and systems-thinking capabilities with the ability to translate complex data into clear business decisions and actions
- Strong executive communication and influencing skills with demonstrated ability to drive alignment across multiple levels and functions of an organization
Preferred Skills & Experience:
- Experience in aerospace, defense, spaceflight, automotive, or high-growth hardware manufacturing
- Experience leading demand or material planning for complex aerospace development, qualification, and production programs
- Experience managing planning organizations supporting multiple products, programs, or production builds simultaneously
- Advanced experience with MRP, ERP, MES, PLM, and manufacturing planning systems
- Deep understanding of BOM management, engineering change management, master data, inventory optimization, material readiness, and production planning
- Experience defining and implementing planning system architecture, reporting, analytics, and automation
- Demonstrated success building or transforming a planning organization during rapid company or production growth
- Experience developing organizational structures, hiring plans, career frameworks, and planning talent
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while balancing immediate program execution with long-term organizational scalability
Additional Requirements:
- Willingness to work extended hours or weekends as needed to support critical program milestones
- Ability to travel to other Vast locations as needed
We calibrate level and compensation to the selected candidate's experience and demonstrated capability. We welcome applicants across a range of experience levels to apply.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.
U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS
The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. This status includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Company
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