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Director of purchasing vs director of materials management

The differences between directors of purchasing and directors of materials management can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of purchasing and a director of materials management. Additionally, a director of purchasing has an average salary of $106,945, which is higher than the $91,206 average annual salary of a director of materials management.

The top three skills for a director of purchasing include supply chain, purchase orders and product development. The most important skills for a director of materials management are materials management, supply chain, and patients.

Director of purchasing vs director of materials management overview

Director Of PurchasingDirector Of Materials Management
Yearly salary$106,945$91,206
Hourly rate$51.42$43.85
Growth rate-6%-6%
Number of jobs17,84781,836
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4747
Years of experience66

What does a director of purchasing do?

A director of purchasing oversees the procedures related to buying resources and supplies, directing operations from planning to execution while adhering to standards and company policies. They primarily perform research and assessments to understand project needs in terms of price, quality, and delivery time. They also identify ideal suppliers, negotiate deals, and build positive business relationships. Additionally, a director of purchasing has the authority to make significant decisions, delegate responsibilities among staff, oversee employment procedures within the department, and solve issues and concerns when any arise.

What does a director of materials management do?

A director of materials management is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the daily operations in a company's purchasing and supply departments. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, supervise the procurement programs and procedures, manage purchasing staff, review documentation and requests, and liaise with vendors and suppliers, building positive relationships with them. They must also address issues and concerns, resolving them in a timely and efficient manner. Furthermore, a director of materials management must lead teams while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Director of purchasing vs director of materials management salary

Directors of purchasing and directors of materials management have different pay scales, as shown below.

Director Of PurchasingDirector Of Materials Management
Average salary$106,945$91,206
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $166,000Between $72,000 And $114,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAAlbany, NY
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyRivianMicrosoft
Best paying industryManufacturingManufacturing

Differences between director of purchasing and director of materials management education

There are a few differences between a director of purchasing and a director of materials management in terms of educational background:

Director Of PurchasingDirector Of Materials Management
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Director of purchasing vs director of materials management demographics

Here are the differences between directors of purchasing' and directors of materials management' demographics:

Director Of PurchasingDirector Of Materials Management
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 75.1% Female, 24.9%Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between director of purchasing and director of materials management duties and responsibilities

Director of purchasing example responsibilities.

  • Manage all aspects of the RFQ process, contracts, cost and rebate negotiations, and awarding of business.
  • Manage out-bound logistics services and third-party logistics providers to expand the range of commodities need to support automobile and aerospace manufacturing.
  • Develop standards and implement procedures for materials planning, product acquisition, inventory control, material distribution and logistics management.
  • Implement cost controls using commodity segmentation, vendor KPI's and cost justification base on key market indicators.
  • Monitor KPI indicators such as inventory turns, supplier on time delivery, inventory cycle count accuracy, and PPV.
  • Develop RFP (request for proposal) analysis, negotiation strategy, contract drafting and agreement execution plans on all contracts.
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Director of materials management example responsibilities.

  • Manage selection of all suppliers, vendor consolidation and new SKU creation to include BOMs.
  • Manage GPO and individually negotiate supplier agreements and compliance.
  • Work closely with production planning team (MRP) to insure product availability to the production floor.
  • Plan wafer starts, WIP control.
  • Schedule time phase finish goods purchases from an MPS software system and production material purchases from an MRP system.
  • Conduct thorough business case evaluation of legacy ERP software in support of management decision to upgrade or purchase new.
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Director of purchasing vs director of materials management skills

Common director of purchasing skills
  • Supply Chain, 18%
  • Purchase Orders, 9%
  • Product Development, 7%
  • Vendor Relations, 6%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Cost Savings, 4%
Common director of materials management skills
  • Materials Management, 16%
  • Supply Chain, 12%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Inventory Control, 5%
  • Value Analysis, 4%

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