What does a materials director do?
A materials director oversees daily operations of a purchasing office and storeroom. They oversee an organizations' policies, supervise staff within the purchasing office, distribute supplies, carry out requisitions, coordinate warehouse activities, and maintain relationships with vendors. They also need to keep detailed records of procurement activities and material quantities.
Materials director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real materials director resumes:
- Manage cross-functional teams during the implementation of an ERP system that are successfully install and maintain without affecting the revenue stream.
- Lead assembly operations and materials during major line reconfiguration and ISO certification.
- Manage supplier performance base on identify KPIs and implement supplier-sourcing strategies to improve performance.
- Implement and enhance use of MRP system, allowing use of accurate inventory reporting for fiscal year end.
- Stream line and upgrade the planning process improving internal and external service levels in an ISO certify environment.
- Enhance the functionality of the ERP system by revising all part numbers to conform to standardize part number/description protocols.
- Enhance productivity and efficiency by rolling-out numerous MRP software capabilities throughout organization.
- Implement a Kanban process that eliminate material kitting and reduce process interruptions.
- Design and implement an electronic Kanban replenishment system for stockroom and items store in point-of-use storage location
- Coordinate operations activities with customer service, marketing and sales including customer liaison with customer logistics agencies.
- Form cross-functional team at plant and develop operational restructuring action around on-site logistics that provides supply choices that avoid exploitation
- Direct all in-house manufacturing/machining work orders and processing from engineering BOM release through post machining processes by coordinating with machining manager.
- Work with NPI teams on new product introductions.
- Integrate OEM customer forecasts and company sales budget into a cohesive internal forecast for materials planning purposes.
Materials director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Materials Directors are proficient in Supply Chain, Logistics, and Continuous Improvement. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Negotiating skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Materials Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Supply Chain, 17%
Recruited to bridge gap between Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing, allowing manufacturing sites to participate in and execute initiatives.
- Logistics, 9%
Finished Goods - Catalyst for controlled warehousing standards to simplify the material handling logistics process, eliminating unneeded handling and searching.
- Continuous Improvement, 6%
Established Spare Part replenishment programs, and implemented various continuous improvement processes throughout the Materials Organization to improve overall performance.
- Materials Management, 5%
Facilitated company acquisition assimilation activities for Materials Management
- Inventory Control, 5%
Directed centralized procurement, production and inventory control, global sourcing and purchasing through two department managers.
- On-Time Delivery, 5%
Created, implemented and managed production planning processes; improved operations utilization, operations productivity, customer service and on-time delivery.
"supply chain," "logistics," and "continuous improvement" are among the most common skills that materials directors use at work. You can find even more materials director responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a materials director 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." Materials directors often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed consistent global replenishment strategies across 20 locations, 7 erp systems and 3 regional data warehouses. "
Negotiating skills. Many materials director duties rely on negotiating skills. "purchasing managers and buyers and purchasing agents often must negotiate the terms of a contract with a supplier," so a materials director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways materials director responsibilities rely on negotiating skills: "reduced acquisition cost by 32% by negotiating direct buy contracts with oem manufacturers. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of materials directors is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday materials director duties, as "purchasing managers and buyers and purchasing agents must possess math skills." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of logistics operations using simulation models and other tools. "
The three companies that hire the most materials directors are:
- Standard Aero Aviation Holdings Inc
6 materials directors jobs
- StandardAero6 materials directors jobs
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.5 materials directors jobs
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Compare different materials directors
Materials director vs. Supply officer
Contracts administration managers are responsible for negotiating and administering government and commercial contracts, preparing proposals, and ensuring that they comply with all company policies and legal requirements. These managers report the progress of their projects to top management during meetings. They manage the performance of their staff daily. Their job involves participating in developing, formulating, and revising policies, procedures, and templates. They also support their finance and program teams in communicating with their clients to ensure that invoices are made timely and accurately.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a materials director are more likely to require skills like "supply chain," "logistics," "continuous improvement," and "materials management." On the other hand, a job as a supply officer requires skills like "logistics support," "financial management," "food service," and "property accountability." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that supply officers earn slightly differ from materials directors. In particular, supply officers are 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a materials director. Additionally, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Materials director vs. Contracts administration manager
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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real materials director resumes. While materials director responsibilities can utilize skills like "supply chain," "logistics," "continuous improvement," and "materials management," contracts administration managers use skills like "contract administration," "proposal preparation," "contract management," and "delivery schedules."
On average, contracts administration managers earn a lower salary than materials directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, contracts administration managers earn the most pay in the utilities industry with an average salary of $109,617. Whereas materials directors have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $120,396.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Contracts administration managers tend to reach similar levels of education than materials directors. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Materials director vs. Procurement officer
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a materials director is likely to be skilled in "supply chain," "continuous improvement," "materials management," and "mrp," while a typical procurement officer is skilled in "purchase requisitions," "contract management," "procurement procedures," and "procurement policies."
Procurement officers earn the highest salary when working in the retail industry, where they receive an average salary of $74,267. Comparatively, materials directors have the highest earning potential in the energy industry, with an average salary of $120,396.When it comes to education, procurement officers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to materials directors. In fact, they're 2.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Materials director vs. Inventory/purchasing manager
Types of materials director
Updated January 8, 2025
