Materials Planning Manager

Role overview

Materials Planning Manager at Cisco

Materials Planning Manager.

Organization: Global Planning.

Preferred qualifications and skills

• Commodity-specific experience in ASICs, Memory, PCB, Power, Optics, or MPU.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise planning or ERP systems such as Kinaxis RapidResponse, Oracle, or SAP.
• Experience participating in S&OP or cross-functional planning forums with Procurement, Manufacturing, and Business Unit stakeholders.
• Experience sizing safety stock or buffer levels for components, and providing planning analysis to support shortage or constrained-supply decisions.
• Ability to influence without authority and turn complex supply data into clear, decision-ready recommendations for senior leaders.
• APICS/ASCM certification (CPIM or CSCP) or an advanced degree in Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field.

Employment details

• Location: Bangalore, India (Hybrid).
• Reports to: Leader, Material Planning.
• Meet the Team.
• Material Planning is the team that answers a deceptively hard question: what components does Cisco actually need, and when?
• We own the component-level view of the supply plan across Cisco's highest-value commodity groups, including ASICs, Memory, PCB, Power, Optics and MPU.
• We translate the demand signal into the true need at part level so Component Supply Operations can secure it, and so shortages get resolved with logic instead of escalation.
• The team sits at the center of Global Supply Chain, running an integrated commodity planning process that brings Global Supplier Management, Product Operations, Global Manufacturing Operations and Planning into a single component picture.
• We're a small, deeply analytical group with outsized reach, and as we expand into new commodities, you'd be among the first dedicated planners for yours.
• That means you'd be shaping how it's planned, not inheriting a playbook.
• Your Impact.
• You will own the component-level need for an assigned commodity and serve as the trusted planning voice for every partner who builds, buys or secures it.
• Translate product-level demand and supply plans into a clear, time-phased component requirement, separating minimum need from upside and buffer, so suppliers and manufacturing sites act on the right signal.
• Identify critical components and sense risk early through lead-time trends, commit deviations and product transitions, so constraints are resolved before they reach the war room.
• Own safety stock and buffer strategy for your commodity in partnership with Planning and Global Supplier Management, so buffers are sized to real volatility rather than habit.
• Partner with GMO and GSM during constraint events, providing the planning inputs (minimum need, impact and options) that enable fast, defensible shortage decisions.
• Success looks like improved service levels to Cisco customers at an optimized cost to serve, with fewer supply surprises because partners trust your signal.
• Minimum Qualifications. 5+ years of experience in materials planning, component or commodity planning, supply planning, inventory management, or procurement within a manufacturing, electronics, or technology environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience performing component-level planning using Bill of Materials (BOM) structures, including BOM explosion, requirement netting, and multi-site requirements.
• Proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools (SQL, Python, Power BI, or Tableau) for scenario modeling and risk analysis.
• Professional proficiency in English.
• Location: Bangalore [India], Penang [Pulau Pinang (Penang)] [Malaysia]