Hot Job: Senior Manager of Materials
Materials managers, also sometimes referred to as purchasing managers or procurement managers, plan, direct, and coordinate the process of buying materials, products and services for large organizations. Senior materials managers are usually tasked with creating deals and securing contracts with the vendors who supply the organization with the materials it needs to produce its products, as well as overseeing procurement and purchasing departments.
Job Duties
Senior managers of materials have a great deal of responsibility within an organization. They participate in the development and evaluation of requests for proposals (RFPs) for materials that the organization uses in its product development. They may also develop contract management processes, procedures, and instructions, enforce company purchasing policies and work with HR to interview, hire and train staff members and middle managers for purchasing departments.
Senior materials managers have a significant say in contract negotiations with vendors and choosing which vendors are ultimately chosen. They may also ensure those vendors are meeting the SLAs of their contracts.
Essential Qualifications
Those looking to apply for a senior materials manager role should hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, but most senior-level managers in this role hold MBAs. To attain a senior leadership role, ten years of experience is typically required, with at least three years of management experience.
Senior materials management roles require significant interaction with people – employees, other members of senior management, executives, vendors, and prospective vendors, etc. Because so much of the job is about interpersonal communication, senior materials managers should have high emotional intelligence, the ability to demonstrate empathy, diplomacy, exceptional writing skills and they should have strong teamworking and conflict management skills.
Pay and Outlook
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for senior materials managers in 2018 was $118,940. While job growth for lower-level purchasing and procurement roles is expected to decline over the next ten years, senior managers will continue to be in demand and should experience about an 8% average growth rate through 2028.
Current Opening for Senior Materials Managers
ZDA is currently recruiting for a Senior Manager of Materials (Procurement & Supply Planning) for a growing and profitable $3B medical device equipment manufacturer. This role oversees ten employees, including senior buyers, commodity specialists and production planners. The senior manager will provide functional expertise to improve the utilization of Oracle in planning and execution processes including design, development and implementation of software enhancements.
Candidates should hold a BA degree, but an MBA is preferred. Additionally, candidates must have at least ten years in procurement and planning with three or more years of management/supervisory experience. Experience in regulatory manufacturing environments is a plus.
The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, relationship-building skills, as well as a demonstrated ability to develop a high-performing team. They should also have strong analytical skills and excellent skills in Oracle or a comparable ERP system. Compensation is between $130-160k with bonuses and benefits.
You can learn more about this opportunity and apply online here.
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