Material Planner

About BioMarin

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. is a global biotechnology company dedicated to pioneering scientific breakthroughs to develop medicines focusing on genetic disorders. Since 1997, BioMarin has leveraged its expertise in genetic conditions to deliver innovative treatment solutions using diverse modalities. The company operates manufacturing sites including one in Cork, Ireland, where the Technical Operations team supports production scaling and clinical trial supply with stringent quality and regulatory compliance.

Role Overview

The Material Planner is responsible for ensuring the availability and procurement of raw materials required to meet the production schedule for Drug Substance, Drug Product, and Finished Goods Packaging. This contract role spans 12 months and involves managing material planning activities tightly aligned with the Master Production Schedule, using the ERP system SAP for executing purchase requisitions, purchase orders, inventory management, and material release processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute Material Requirements Planning (MRP) within SAP according to the Master Production Schedule to fulfill operational needs.
• Convert purchase requisitions to purchase orders, manage supplier invoice payments and monitor material release status.
• Manage inventory end-to-end including pricing, purchase price variance, reserves, expiry controls, stock rotation (FIFO/FEFO), safety stock levels, and lead times.
• Issue quarterly forecasts to suppliers and share recurring material readiness heatmaps with site stakeholders.
• Maintain supplier open order books consistent with SAP weekly and ensure accurate SAP master data for materials.
• Address aging receipts, identify root causes of delays, and handle short-term exception management (STEM) collaboratively.
• Provide inputs for monthly site Supply Chain Review meetings, participate in campaign performance reviews, category forums, quarterly business reviews and site Single Use Application strategy sessions.
• Lead Tier 1 Purchasing meetings, conduct material planning scenario analysis, assist with change management activities (Change Requests, CAPA, Deviations, Supplier Change Notifications) within Quality Management System processes.
• Apply Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to promote Operational Excellence.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for supplier On-Time In-Full (OTIF) performance and contribute to continuous improvement projects.
• Ensure adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), safety, quality and participate in daily cross-functional meetings to maintain schedule and plan commitments.
• Engage in weekly S&OE meetings and implement material planner standard work practices.
• Drive cost savings, dual sourcing initiatives, and operational readiness programs as needed.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Efficient material planning process development and system implementation.
• Ethical and compliant vendor engagement.
• Customer and patient-focused planning and communication.
• Result-driven with resource optimization capabilities.
• Collaborative cross-functional teamwork.
• Strong strategic thinker able to operate at tactical and strategic levels.
• High integrity and commitment to role success and career progression.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree (NFQ Level 7) in Supply Chain Management or relevant business discipline is mandatory.
• Supply Chain certifications, such as APICS, are preferred.
• Project Management or Lean certifications are advantageous.
• At least 2 years of relevant experience in supply chain management with a focus on planning and purchasing, ideally in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Proficiency in SAP is essential; experience with Power BI or similar analytics tools is a plus.
• Minimum 1-year exposure to a GMP environment.
• Experience managing direct material categories, particularly chemicals and Single Use Technologies (SUTs), is highly desirable.
• Project management experience emphasizing value creation and waste reduction is beneficial.

Additional Information

This summary is not exhaustive and additional duties may be assigned. BioMarin is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity and inclusion, providing fair employment opportunities regardless of protected characteristics including race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.