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What is a director of global sourcing and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

The director of global sourcing is great at obtaining supplies. In fact, they're somewhat of an expert at it. Their job is to source commodities or materials for their company from anywhere in the world, making sure that the company can continue producing their product and maintain a profit.

The director of global sourcing is an expert at the art of the deal. They can keep track of the whole sourcing operation and identify areas of improvement using KPIs or Key Performance Indicators. They are experts at using critical relationships with vendors to improve a deal. The director of global sourcing also knows a lot about international markets, the logistics of transporting commodities and often is fluent in foreign languages.

One doesn't become a director of global sourcing overnight. Often, this position requires a decade or more of experience in sourcing and even a master's degree in business or a related field.

ScoreDirector Of Global SourcingUS Average
Salary
8.7

Avg. Salary $142,539

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.1

Growth rate -6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.30%

Asian 7.37%

Black or African American 8.96%

Hispanic or Latino 12.11%

Unknown 3.81%

White 67.44%

Gender

female 20.00%

male 80.00%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress level
8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Director of global sourcing career paths

Key steps to become a director of global sourcing

  1. Explore director of global sourcing education requirements

    Most common director of global sourcing degrees

    Bachelor's

    69.7 %

    Master's

    18.9 %

    Associate

    8.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of global sourcing skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Supply Chain14.36%
    Strategic Sourcing9.59%
    Global Sourcing8.59%
    Continuous Improvement8.09%
    Supplier Performance5.27%
  3. Complete relevant director of global sourcing training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of global sourcing learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of global sourcing based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of global sourcing resumes.
  4. Research director of global sourcing duties and responsibilities

    • Source new OEMs and manage current OEM relationships.
    • Lead ERP implementation, conduct business reviews and growth discussions with strategic and prefer suppliers.
    • Establish sourcing team from the ground up and lead all Americas technology sourcing and vendor management operations.
    • Initiate a global transport agreement managing international logistics and reducing transport costs.
  5. Get director of global sourcing experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a director of global sourcing. The most common roles before becoming a director of global sourcing include purchasing manager, senior buyer team lead and manager.
  6. Prepare your director of global sourcing resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of global sourcing resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of global sourcing resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of global sourcing resume templates

    Build a professional director of global sourcing resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of global sourcing resume.
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
    Director Of Global Sourcing Resume
  7. Apply for director of global sourcing jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of global sourcing job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of global sourcing job

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Average director of global sourcing salary

The average director of global sourcing salary in the United States is $142,539 per year or $69 per hour. Director of global sourcing salaries range between $102,000 and $198,000 per year.

Average director of global sourcing salary
$142,539 Yearly
$68.53 hourly

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How do directors of global sourcing rate their job?

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Director of global sourcing reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Cons

Works not recognized by upper management!


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

its a challenging work. you need lot of potential to be materials manager.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Learning more on the job and gaining new skills and experience


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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