Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.
Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.
Business Unit Overview
This position is part of Novanta’s Celera Motion business unit. Derived from the Latin word “celer” for quick and swift, the name Celera reflects our commitment to delivering motion control solutions that accelerate our customers’ ability to deliver innovative solutions to their markets. Celera Motion’s cohesive vision, superior technologies, consultative team approach and best-in-class reliability make us the trusted partner in solving the most challenging motion control problems.
Celera Motion’s precision component and subsystem solutions solve application-specific challenges for technology-driven original equipment manufacturers from a range of markets.
Position Details
This key leadership role within Novanta’s Celera Motion business unit oversees direct and indirect purchasing, materials planning, and scheduling across multi-site operations. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Operations, Celera Motion, and indirectly to the Vice President of Supply Chain, Novanta, this role manages planning and purchasing teams to meet cost, delivery, quality, inventory, and revenue goals while mitigating supply chain risks.
Key Responsibilities:
Material Planning and Scheduling:
- Lead continuous improvement in materials planning and scheduling.
- Enhance materials demand management and scheduling processes.
- Ensure materials availability for on-time delivery and optimal inventory levels.
- Collaborate with product management and sales teams to align demand and supply.
- Drive performance improvements and report via KPIs.
- Formulate and implement effective inventory reduction strategies.
- Implement VMI and Kanban agreements with key suppliers.
- Support new product introductions.
Purchasing:
- Coordinate supply chain activities with team, key suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
- Resolve critical part shortages with global supply chain teams.
- Execute savings and inflation mitigation projects.
- Optimize material flow and inventory turns.
- Implement and manage Master Supply Agreements.
- Monitor and address high-risk suppliers.
- Facilitate improvement opportunities with key suppliers.
- Collaborate on procurement strategies for new product introductions.
- Drive compliance processes with team and suppliers.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in a supplier-facing leadership role (purchasing & planning).
- Knowledge of inventory management and production scheduling principles (MRP, Kanban, JIT).
- Knowledge of sales forecasting and its integration with procurement and factory planning (SIOP, PSI, S&OP).
- Technical skills to understand material fulfillment processes and drive data integrity in Oracle and SAP ERP systems.
- Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement techniques.
- Thorough understanding of global purchasing and planning policies, processes, and systems for PCBAs, electronics, motors, optics, machining, and cable commodities in the medical sector.
- Proven track record of delivering results in a global, diverse, and matrix organization.
- Ability to create followership and passion for building and developing supply chain talent.
- Strong negotiation skills for sustainable long-term results.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills across all organizational levels.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Ability to manage complex workloads and prioritize assignments with tight deadlines.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to independently troubleshoot issues and take initiative.
- Sound organizational and planning skills with attention to detail.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially PowerPoint, Excel, and experience with Oracle and SAP.
- Demonstrated business acumen with a basic understanding of P&L and balance sheets, including complex ROI calculations.
- General knowledge of compliance (hazardous materials, conflict minerals, sustainability, cyber security).
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.
Education and Qualifications:
- B.S. or B.E. in Manufacturing, Supply Chain, or Industrial Engineering required.
- M.S. or M.B.A. strongly preferred.
- APICS certification highly desired.
- Certified negotiations training strongly preferred.
- Six-Sigma Green or Black Belt certification highly desired.