Purchasing manager vs director of materials management

The differences between purchasing managers 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 purchasing manager and a director of materials management. Additionally, a purchasing manager has an average salary of $98,118, which is higher than the $91,206 average annual salary of a director of materials management.

The top three skills for a purchasing manager include supply chain, strategic sourcing and project management. The most important skills for a director of materials management are materials management, supply chain, and patients.

Purchasing manager vs director of materials management overview

	Purchasing Manager	Director Of Materials Management
Yearly salary	$98,118	$91,206
Hourly rate	$47.17	$43.85
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	30,430	81,836
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing manager do?

A purchasing manager is responsible for organizing and managing products to order or sell. Purchasing managers review product specifications, negotiate pricing details with the vendors, evaluate and choose the best suppliers, and assist purchasing agents. Purchase managers are also responsible for resolving order processing issues and analyzing current market trends to determine which products to purchase. A purchasing manager must have excellent decision-making and strategical skills to examine effects, inspect defective items, and create an in-depth analysis of customers' needs to improve their performance and sales.

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.

Purchasing manager vs director of materials management salary

Purchasing managers and directors of materials management have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Manager	Director Of Materials Management
Average salary	$98,118	$91,206
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $136,000	Between $72,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between purchasing manager and director of materials management education

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

	Purchasing Manager	Director Of Materials Management
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Purchasing manager vs director of materials management demographics

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

	Purchasing Manager	Director Of Materials Management
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% 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 Percentage	11%	11%

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

Purchasing manager example responsibilities.

Manage payroll and accounts payable.
Lead major purchasing projects for automotive OEM vehicles.
Used RFI, RFP, RFQ techniques to identify, select, and engage with suppliers to ensure competitive market advantage.
Establish an integrate MRO supply program which eliminate specific company manage buying, inventory control and warehousing functions.
Manage all procurement activities to support manufacturing operations including raw materials, tooling, components and MRO services.
Manage several indirect sourcing RFP projects including categories for translation services, payroll services, capital equipment and engineering services.

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.

Purchasing manager vs director of materials management skills

Common purchasing manager skills

Supply Chain, 15%
Strategic Sourcing, 7%
Project Management, 5%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
Purchase Orders, 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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Purchasing Manager vs Director Of Materials Management

Updated January 8, 2025

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