Material Planning & Customer Solutions Specialist

Location.

The actual location of this job is Guangzhou in China.

It is a hybrid position responsible for ensuring uninterrupted material supply to support production, and delivering best-in-class service to customers. The role integrates material planning, inventory control, order management, and customer communication to achieve high operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The position works cross-functionally with procurement, production, warehouse, logistics, sales, quality teams and external customer.

What you will get

• An agile career and dynamic working culture.
• An inclusive and ethical workplace.
• Compensation programs that recognize high performance.
• A variety of benefits dependent on role and location.
• The full list of our global benefits can be found here: https://www.lonza.com/careers/benefits.

What you will do:

Material Planning & Inventory Management:

• Develop, maintain, and optimize material planning using MRP tool to ensure timely availability of raw materials and packaging.
• Analyze demand forecasts, production schedules, and inventory status to determine material requirements.
• Issue purchase requisitions or replenishment signals to procurement based on material needs.
• Create Material Purchase order, follow up open order.
• Monitor supplier delivery performance and escalate risks, delays, or shortages proactively.
• Maintain accurate inventory levels aligned with company targets (safety stock, coverage, MOQ, lead time).
• Perform root-cause analysis on supply shortages, material discrepancies, and planning exceptions.
• Coordinate with warehouse teams on incoming material priorities, cycle counts, and accuracy improvements.
• Continuously improve planning parameters and system data integrity.
• Participant in the supplier performance review and improvement plan.

Production & Cross-Functional Coordination:

• Provide material availability insights to production planners and operations teams.
• Participate in production meetings to identify and mitigate potential material-related disruptions.
• Collaborate closely with procurement on supplier issues, capacity constraints, and cost optimization initiatives.

Customer Service & Order Management:

• Act as the primary liaison for customer order fulfillment, delivery planning, and service communication.
• Process customer orders in the SAP system accurately and on time.
• Monitor order status, shipping plans, and delivery milestones, ensuring alignment with customer expectations.
• Handle customer inquiries, complaints, and escalations professionally and promptly.
• Track OTIF (On-Time In-Full) performance and implement corrective actions when targets are not met.
• Prepare and communicate customer-facing reports (order status, backlog, forecast, inventory, etc.).
• Work with logistics to ensure transportation readiness and efficient shipment execution.

Data Management & Reporting:

• Maintain accurate planning master data: lead times, MOQ, supplier parameters, item attributes.
• Generate and analyze weekly/monthly reports on inventory, material availability, OTIF, and supply risks.
• Support internal and external audits related to materials, customer service, and supply chain processes.
• Report the risk and recommend exception management activities.

Continuous Improvement & Compliance:

• Participate in supply chain improvement projects (process optimization, system enhancements, KPI improvement).
• Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and safety/environmental standards.
• Support digitalization initiatives within planning and customer service workflows.

What we are looking for:

• Degree：Bachelor
• Field of Study：Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or equivalent.
• English： Business Fluent

Experience

• 2-5 years of experience in material planning, supply chain, production planning, or customer service.
• Experience in manufacturing environments preferred.

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of MRP/MPS systems and ERP tools (e.g., SAP, Microsoft Dynamics).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data analysis tools.
• Understanding of supply chain principles: demand planning, inventory management, procurement, logistics.

Soft Skills

• Clear communication and professional customer-handling skills.
• Strong problem-solving and sense of urgency.
• Ability to work cross-functionally in fast-paced environments.
• Proficient in English.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.