Material Controller

Material Controller 

Pay: £13.95–£14.42 per hour DOE
Contract: Temporary to Permanent
Hours: Full-time
Location: On-site

We are recruiting for an experienced Material Controller to join an established manufacturing business within the defence supply chain.

The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining accurate inventory, ensuring material availability for production and working closely with Purchasing, Stores and Production Control to minimise shortages, discrepancies and disruption.

What’s on Offer

• £13.95–£14.42 per hour DOE, with overtime available at enhanced rates up to £28.84 per hour
• Temporary-to-permanent opportunity with full training and ongoing support
• Company pension, Life Assurance, Cycle-to-Work and Health & Wellbeing schemes
• Free on-site parking, referral programme and up to 33 days' holiday after 5 years
• 1pm Friday finish and the opportunity to work on high-quality, safety-critical projects

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate inventory records using Sage and Sicon, ensuring all stock receipts, issues, adjustments and movements are correctly recorded.
• Manage the perpetual inventory/cycle counting process, including scheduling, variance investigation and corrective actions.
• Investigate stock discrepancies, identify root causes and implement corrective and preventative measures.
• Monitor stock accuracy and identify trends, risks and recurring issues.
• Work with Production Control to ensure materials are available for production schedules and kitting requirements.
• Identify potential material shortages and communicate risks, priorities and constraints to relevant stakeholders.
• Liaise with Purchasing regarding purchase orders, lead times, overdue deliveries and delivery discrepancies.
• Act as a key link between Stores, Purchasing and Production Control, ensuring clear and effective communication.
• Support continuous improvement relating to stock accuracy, material flow, system discipline and warehouse processes.
• Maintain a strong focus on health, safety, product protection and compliance at all times.

Essential Experience

• Previous experience in material control, inventory control or stock control within a fast-paced environment.
• Experience using inventory management systems, ideally Sage 200 and Sicon.
• Strong understanding of stock transactions, location control, material traceability and inventory accuracy.
• Experience with cycle counting/perpetual inventory and investigating stock variances.
• Ability to analyse system data to identify discrepancies, shortages and trends.
• Strong organisational, prioritisation, numeracy and attention-to-detail skills.
• Confident communicator able to work effectively with Purchasing, Production Control and Stores.
• Ability to balance production requirements with robust processes and stock controls.

Desirable Experience

• Manufacturing or assembly experience, ideally within Defence, Aerospace, Rail or another regulated industry.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001, Microsoft Excel, inventory KPIs, material planning and kitting.
• Counterbalance forklift experience; licence preferred but not essential.

If you have strong inventory control experience and are looking for a temporary-to-permanent opportunity within a specialist manufacturing environment, apply today.