What does a Material Manager do?

A material manager is responsible for monitoring inventories and stock supplies, ensuring the adequacy of materials needed for manufacturing or other operations, depending on the organization's industry. Material managers meet with suppliers and third-party vendors, negotiating contracts that would fit the budget goals of the company without compromising quality. They manage the distribution of resources throughout the organizations' department and provide purchase reports for the management. A material manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to address the needs of an organization for smooth operations.
Material manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real material manager resumes:
- Implement vendor manage inventory (VMI) programs with three key suppliers.
- Improve cash flow and increase OTD through the introduction of vendor consignment and vendor manage inventory programs.
- Identify optimal purchasing periods for conducting RFQ's in order to take advantage of peak supply periods.
- Expedite and project manage materials, heavy contact with vendors and clients to coordinate shipments of materials.
- Manage forecasts, orders, and inventory levels via EDI and customer portals to meet OEM demand.
- Manage OEM inventory to meet warranty and customer requirements.
- Implement inventory control process to reduce inventory errors and improve inventory accuracy in the ERP system.
- Learned and apply all applicable HMS processes to properly load bulk materials and interacts with the lab.
- Create weekly schedules for the shipping department and responsible for inventory control of all WIP material, customer parts and components.
- Implement and follow up ECO dispositions.
- Approve ECO after item master updates are complete.
- Co-Found lean sigma initiative to transform culture to embrace and develop lean practices.
- Used lotus notes, ISO9000 system, and follow sop procedures and do GMP.
- Receive all raw materials shipments which require a sample of material to be submit for QA certification of conformance.
- Monitor WIP levels and its movements within the production area as well as the measurement of accuracy of physical inventories.
Material manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Material Managers are proficient in Supply Chain, Logistics, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Negotiating skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Material Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Supply Chain, 12%
Provided logistical support in manufacturing planning, material planning, procurement, information systems administration, supply chain and strategic planning.
- Logistics, 7%
Managed all inventory and logistics functions for prosthetic devices including quality assurance procedures, purchasing, and inventory consignment strategies.
- Customer Service, 6%
Established policies/procedures and initiated expansion of computer technology to automate general business, customer service, purchasing, and inventory functions.
- Inventory Control, 5%
Managed the overall purchasing and inventory control functions of a manufacturing business, and oversaw the Receiving Department and Purchasing Department.
- Materials Management, 5%
Directed supply chain and materials management operations at multiple sites, including production facilities, warehouses, and international construction sites.
- Continuous Improvement, 5%
Introduced lean manufacturing concepts such as continuous improvement and Five S housekeeping practices to a traditional job shop manufacturing environment.
"supply chain," "logistics," and "customer service" are among the most common skills that material managers use at work. You can find even more material manager responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a material manager to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "when evaluating suppliers, purchasing managers and buyers and purchasing agents must analyze their options and choose a supplier with the best combination of price, quality, delivery, or service." Material managers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "created a production schedule based on customer requirements utilizing vantage (erp) manufacturing database and coordinated schedules with shop foreman. "
Negotiating skills. Another essential skill to perform material manager duties is negotiating skills. Material managers responsibilities require that "purchasing managers and buyers and purchasing agents often must negotiate the terms of a contract with a supplier." Material managers also use negotiating skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "use of kanban increased the company's leverage in negotiating contracts. "
Math skills. material managers are also known for math skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to material manager responsibilities, because "purchasing managers and buyers and purchasing agents must possess math skills." A material manager resume example shows how math skills is used in the workplace: "performed accurate demand planning based on various metrics, statistics and trend analysis. "
The three companies that hire the most material managers are:
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Material manager vs. Supply chain director
A supply chain director is primarily in charge of the overall supply chain operations in a company. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to improve processes, creating business plans and sales forecasts, delegating tasks, coordinating and selecting suppliers and vendors, creating new supply chain policies when necessary, and spearheading the inventory and delivery processes. There are also instances when a supply chain director must report to higher-ranking officials, produce progress reports, and craft presentations. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead the workforce while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, material manager responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "shipping receiving," "purchase orders," and "material flow." Meanwhile a typical supply chain director has skills in areas such as "chain operations," "business processes," "lean six sigma," and "kpis." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Supply chain directors tend to make the most money working in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $134,920. In contrast, material managers make the biggest average salary, $97,765, in the technology industry.On average, supply chain directors reach higher levels of education than material managers. Supply chain directors are 9.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Material manager vs. Director, procurement
The responsibilities of a procurement director revolve around ensuring the efficient and smooth flow of supplies within the company, developing procurement strategies for optimal services and operations, assessing risks, and overseeing the implementation of new policies and regulations in the company. It is essential to coordinate with analysts to identify areas with potential opportunities or those needing improvements. Moreover, a director, procurement may directly communicate with stakeholders or higher-ranking officials, participate in recruiting new members of the workforce, and create programs for profit growth and significant results.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, material manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "supply chain," "materials management," "on-time delivery," and "shipping receiving." Meanwhile, a director, procurement has duties that require skills in areas such as "supplier relationships," "procurement strategies," "oversight," and "procurement function." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Directors, procurement may earn a higher salary than material managers, but directors, procurement earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $148,169. On the other hand, material managers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $97,765.In general, directors, procurement achieve higher levels of education than material managers. They're 9.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Material manager vs. Procurement officer
A procurement officer is primarily in charge of overseeing the procurement of supplies and equipment for an organization, prioritizing cost-efficiency and quality. It is their duty to manage the company's supply inventory, compile and analyze procurement requests, develop purchase plans, handle purchase procedures, and maintain records of all transactions, producing reports regularly. They must also liaise and negotiate with vendors and suppliers, building positive relationships with them. Furthermore, as a procurement officer, it is essential to lead the procurement team, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a material manager is likely to be skilled in "supply chain," "customer service," "materials management," and "continuous improvement," while a typical procurement officer is skilled in "purchase requisitions," "contract management," "procurement procedures," and "procurement policies."
Procurement officers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $74,267. On the other hand, material managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $97,765.When it comes to education, procurement officers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to material managers. In fact, they're 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Material manager vs. Supply chain consultant
A supply chain consultant specializes in performing research and analysis to develop strategies for optimal services. Typically working in the manufacturing industry, their responsibilities revolve around monitoring the inventory and supply flow of materials, liaising with vendors and suppliers, coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, identifying strengths and weaknesses in the operations, and suggesting actions on areas needing improvement. Furthermore, as a supply chain consultant, it is essential to create and recommend business plans, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Types of material manager
Updated January 8, 2025