Sr. SAP Production Planning Business Partner

We are seeking an experienced Senior SAP Production Planning (PP) Business Partner / Functional Lead to support MP Materials' operations across multiple sites, including magnet manufacturing in Fort Worth, Texas and mining and refining operations in Mountain Pass, California. This role aligns within MP Materials' SAP Center of Excellence operating model and serves as the primary SAP functional resource for Production Planning across the enterprise.

This position is responsible for ensuring SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition effectively supports Production Planning processes across planning, scheduling, and shop floor execution. The role works closely with Materials Management (MM) and Sales & Distribution (SD) domain owners to ensure end-to-end integration from demand through procurement, production, and fulfillment.

This position serves as the SAP process owner and design authority for Production Planning (PP), with responsibility for both strategic business partnership and hands-on SAP system configuration. The role supports requirements realization, solution design, and ongoing system optimization. Over time, this role offers opportunity for expanded leadership within MP Materials' Enterprise Systems organization.

Position Responsibilities:

• Serve as the enterprise SAP process owner and design authority for Production Planning (PP) across Magnetics and Mining/Refining operations
• Act as the primary SAP functional partner for MP's manufacturing planning and operations.
• Lead end-to-end realization of business requirements in SAP PP, including hands-on system configuration
• Configure and support discrete manufacturing and processing scenarios including BOMs, routings, work centers, production versions, and production order execution
• Configure and optimize MRP, demand management (PIRs and forecast consumption), and planning strategies for make-to-stock and make-to-order environments
• Support capacity planning, shop floor control, production confirmations, backflushing, and variance analysis
• Configure and support batch-managed materials, traceability, and integration with inventory management and production processes
• Partner closely with the MM and SD domain owners to ensure strong integration between SAP PP and inventory management processes, including procurement alignment, material staging, inventory accuracy, align demand signals, planning strategies, and fulfillment processes, including ATP and delivery scheduling impacts
• Collaborate with technical teams to support integrations between SAP and manufacturing execution (MES) and shop floor systems
• Conduct requirements workshops, develop functional designs, and produce functional specifications for enhancements, reports, forms, and integrations
• Support unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing for planning and manufacturing-related solutions
• Regular engagement with operations teams across Fort Worth and Mountain Pass is expected
• Occasional travel to MP sites required

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems, Process Engineering or related field; or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of progressive SAP Production Planning (PP) experience in an industrial or manufacturing environment
• Proven hands-on SAP configuration experience delivering new functionality and system enhancements
• Strong understanding of integration points between SAP PP, Materials Management (MM - Inventory Management), and Sales & Distribution (SD)
• Experience with MRP, demand management, capacity planning, shop floor control, and batch-managed materials
• Experience supporting SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition
• Experience integrating SAP with MES or other shop floor systems
• Strong understanding of manufacturing and/or processing operations, production scheduling, and material flow
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders without formal authority
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

Desired Skills:

• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations
• Familiarity with SAP MM, SD, and FICO integrations
• Experience with SAP Fiori applications and manufacturing analytics
• Experience mentoring team members or leading functional workstreams
• Interest in career progression into IT or enterprise systems leadership

Preferred Certifications:

• SAP certification in Production Planning (PP) or related logistics modules
• APICS or other supply chain or manufacturing certifications

Desired Qualities:

• Team Player
• Desire to learn
• Ability to communicate across IT functional and technical disciplines
• Self-starter with proactive management style
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic industrial environment
• Strong business partnership and stakeholder management skills
• Detail-oriented with a disciplined approach to system design and delivery

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) is rebuilding American industrial capability for a new era of autonomy, robotics, and electrification. We are the only U.S. company with a fully integrated rare earth supply chain-from mining and refining to advanced metal and magnet manufacturing. Our products include both the critical materials used to make permanent magnets and the finished magnets themselves-enabling next-generation technologies in robotics, automation, aerospace, transportation, defense, and energy systems. These materials are the foundation of physical AI-the convergence of computation, movement, and control. We hire ambitious, mission-driven people who want to tackle complex challenges and shape the future of strategic industries. Our culture is rooted in teamwork, resiliency, and integrity, with a deep commitment to operational excellence and national purpose. MP is rapidly evolving from a materials producer into a leading U.S. manufacturer-and our people are driving that transformation.