About this role

Job Title

Materials Manager

Location

Manchester

Salary

Up to £50,000 per annum plus excellent benefits

Job Type

Permanent

Join a brand-new rail overhaul facility and play a pivotal role from day one.

Were recruiting for an experienced Materials Manager to join a leading organisation within the rail rolling stock industry at their brand-new overhaul facility in Manchester. This is an exciting opportunity to shape and develop the materials and stores function from the ground up, supporting the overhaul of critical rail assets in a modern, purpose-built environment.

Reporting directly to the Head of UK Overhaul, youll take ownership of materials planning, inventory management, and stores operations, ensuring materials and services are available to support overhaul activities safely, efficiently, and on schedule.

If youre passionate about supply chain excellence, continuous improvement, and leading high-performing teams, wed love to hear from you.

The Role

As Materials Manager, youll work closely with Engineering, Production and Supply Chain teams to ensure the right materials, components and services are available to meet overhaul schedules, quality standards and budget requirements.

Youll play a key role in establishing robust stores and inventory processes capable of supporting the overhaul of major rail components, including:

Bogies

Wheelsets

Gearboxes

Traction motors

Couplers

HVAC systems

Pumps and other critical assets

Youll also oversee asset management activities, ensuring components are accurately tracked between assets and that all asset history is correctly maintained within the ERP system.

Key Responsibilities

Build, lead and develop the Materials team, ensuring appropriate training and compliance with company standards.

Ensure materials and subcontracted services are available in line with overhaul schedules, quality expectations and budget targets.

Manage and maintain ERP system data, including inventory, asset structures, material master data and order tracking.

Work alongside Engineering to create and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs) that accurately reflect overhaul requirements.

Coordinate with Supply Chain to source materials and services, balancing cost, quality, supplier performance and lead times.

Arrange logistics activities where required to support operational requirements.

Monitor inventory levels and material availability to minimise delays and maximise operational efficiency.

Produce and analyse KPI reports covering materials performance, inventory and supplier performance, implementing improvement actions where necessary.

Drive continuous improvement across materials planning, stores operations and inventory control.

About You

Were looking for a proactive and organised Materials Manager with experience in engineering or manufacturing environments who enjoys improving processes and leading teams.

Youll ideally have

A Level 3 qualification or higher in Supply Chain, Engineering or a related business discipline.

CIPS qualification (or working towards) - desirable.

Proven experience in materials, logistics or supply chain management within engineering, manufacturing or the rail sector.

Strong experience using ERP systems and inventory planning software.

Excellent planning, organisational and stakeholder management skills.

The ability to analyse data and make informed operational decisions.

Experience with Microsoft Excel and ideally Access and/or Power BI.

Knowledge of mechanical or electrical overhaul processes and the ability to interpret technical drawings to identify part numbers would be advantageous.