Material Planning Manager

About Zipline
Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Through our technology that includes robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

About you and the role
Does the prospect of a society-altering challenge—owning the material availability and planning backbone to support rapid scaling of a first-of-its-kind autonomous robotic aircraft system—sound like the type of work that gets you out of bed in the morning? Can you cut through complex, competing signals from engineering changes, production ramps, supplier constraints, and demand variability to drive precise, actionable plans that keep manufacturing moving forward? Are you energized by the authority and responsibility of leading material strategy for an entire aircraft platform or major subsystem in a high-visibility, mission-critical role? If this excites you, you’re who we’re looking for! This is an in-person role based out of our HQ in South San Francisco requiring 30-50% travel to manage critical suppliers, partners, and operations in Asia, North America, and other key regions.

What you’ll do
In this highly visible leadership role, you will own the comprehensive material planning and data integrity for either a full aircraft platform or a major subsystem, ensuring seamless alignment between design intent, production needs, supplier commitments, and operational execution. You will serve as the central authority for material-related data and processes, working closely with Engineering, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Industrialization, New Product Introduction (NPI), Manufacturing Operations, and Integrated Planning teams to scale Zipline’s manufacturing footprint reliably and at speed.

• Own and maintain the end-to-end material availability strategy, including accurate translation of production schedules and forecasts into supplier requirements, inventory positioning, and risk mitigation plans.

• Lead ownership and governance of critical master data (BOMs, item attributes, lead times, planning parameters, and engineering change impacts) to ensure MRP and planning systems reflect the current design and production reality.

• Develop, communicate, and manage forward-looking forecasts and commitments to suppliers, aligning them with Zipline’s aggressive ramp plans, design evolution, and program milestones.

• Drive the engineering change integration process for materials—assessing supply planning impacts, updating planning data, and minimizing disruptions to supply continuity and production flow.

• Plan, organize, direct, and execute material readiness activities across Design Engineering, Manufacturing, NPI, and Supply Chain teams to support prototype-to-volume transitions and ongoing rate increases.

• Monitor and resolve material constraints through rigorous exception management, expediting, market share reallocation, and cross-functional escalation, while maintaining tight control over inventory health.

• Perform deep data analysis to identify trends, variances, and risks in demand, supply, and inventory; use insights to refine planning logic, reduce shortages/excess, and improve forecast accuracy over time.

• Collaborate with Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Industrialization to align supplier capabilities, capacities, and performance with Zipline’s evolving needs; define and track inventory and planning metrics for the business.

• Drive continuous improvement in material planning processes through structured problem-solving, statistical analysis, inventory modeling, and performance dashboards to support cost, service, and scalability objectives.

What you’ll bring

• You have 1-10+ years of experience in a fast-paced, high-growth manufacturing, supply chain or data analytics environment in roles such as Material Planning Manager, Supply Planning Lead, Technical Program Manager, or data analytics/data science positions.

• You have successfully owned material planning and data integrity for complex, scaling products—ideally high-reliability systems like aircraft, robotics, or automotive platforms—through prototype, NPI, and volume production phases.

• You are highly proficient with MRP/ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and have deep experience managing and governing master data, BOMs, routings, and planning parameters in dynamic engineering environments.

• You have a proven track record of leading change integration processes, translating engineering updates into supply chain actions with minimal disruption.

• You excel at turning large datasets into actionable insights—using analytics to improve forecast accuracy, reduce inventory risks, and resolve material constraints under tight timelines.

• You have strong program management skills, with experience driving cross-functional initiatives, managing dependencies, and delivering against aggressive schedules in unstructured, high-stakes settings.

• You have worked within established supply chain and demand planning frameworks, applying metrics and processes to elevate forecast performance and material availability.

• You thrive when making tough prioritization calls and trade-offs amid uncertainty, limited resources, and rapidly evolving requirements.

Major Bonuses

• Advanced degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Data Analytics, Mathematics or related field, with experience scaling high-tech, aerospace, automotive or robotics manufacturing.

• Demonstrated first-principles problem-solving with tools like root cause analysis, scenario planning, statistical forecasting, or advanced analytics to deliver measurable improvements.

• Experience in regulated or high-reliability industries with gated development processes and material/program readiness milestones.

• Strong leadership presence with a history of collaborating with and developing high-performing planning teams in growth-stage companies.

What Else You Need to Know

This role will require travel 0-15% of the time to critical suppliers, manufacturing partners, and regional operations.

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.