Director of Materials Management

The position combines strategic supply chain leadership with hands-on operational management and will play a significant role in modernizing materials operations through ERP optimization, automation, data analytics, and Lean/continuous improvement initiatives. The successful candidate will be comfortable working directly with plant operations and maintenance teams and will bring a strong understanding of inventory management, engineered spares, warehouse operations, and SAP/ERP systems.

Director of Materials Management
Location: Mountain Pass, CA
Position Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Work Arrangement: On-Site
Compensation: $170, 000–$200, 000 annually, depending on experience
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Director of Materials Management to lead materials, inventory, and warehouse operations within a large-scale industrial manufacturing environment.

This role will have responsibility for developing and executing the site's materials management strategy while maintaining reliable material availability, inventory accuracy, traceability, and operational efficiency. The leader will oversee warehouse and material flow processes supporting raw materials, bulk reagents, maintenance spare parts, and other critical plant requirements.

The position combines strategic supply chain leadership with hands-on operational management and will play a significant role in modernizing materials operations through ERP optimization, automation, data analytics, and Lean/continuous improvement initiatives.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working directly with plant operations and maintenance teams and will bring a strong understanding of inventory management, engineered spares, warehouse operations, and SAP/ERP systems.
Key Areas of Responsibility Materials & Warehouse Operations

• Provide overall leadership for warehouse and materials management activities.
• Establish standardized processes for receiving, inspection, storage, inventory control, staging, and material distribution.
• Ensure materials are available when needed to support production, maintenance, and plant operations.
• Maintain accurate, traceable, and well-controlled inventory across warehouse operations.
• Develop processes that improve material availability while minimizing excess and obsolete inventory.
• Ensure appropriate handling and storage of raw materials, reagents, spare parts, and other industrial materials.
• Maintain strong operational discipline around safety, environmental requirements, and hazardous material handling.

Inventory Strategy & Optimization

• Develop and implement comprehensive inventory management strategies aligned with operational requirements.
• Optimize inventory levels through demand planning, safety stock strategies, ABC classification, and other inventory management techniques.
• Develop and maintain engineered spare parts programs supporting critical plant equipment.
• Establish asset recovery and material transfer programs to improve utilization of existing inventory.
• Evaluate opportunities for consignment and Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) programs.
• Reduce stock-outs while controlling working capital and inventory carrying costs.
• Improve warehouse space utilization and material availability.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing materials management organization.
• Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability across the team.
• Mentor and develop team members while creating a culture focused on safety, ownership, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Lead from the field and maintain a visible presence within warehouse and plant operations.
• Promote a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to materials management.
• Scale organizational capabilities as operational requirements and production volumes evolve.

Supply Chain & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Procurement, Finance, Engineering, EHS, and site leadership.
• Align material availability and inventory strategies with production and maintenance requirements.
• Resolve material constraints and supply chain bottlenecks that could affect plant uptime.
• Collaborate with Finance to maintain accurate inventory valuation and financial controls.
• Provide leadership with visibility into inventory risks, material availability, and operational performance.
• Drive alignment between supply chain processes and broader site objectives.

Technology, Automation & Digital Transformation

• Identify opportunities to use technology to improve warehouse efficiency, inventory accuracy, and material traceability.
• Lead evaluation and implementation of warehouse automation and digital solutions.
• Improve utilization of ERP/MRP functionality to support materials planning and warehouse execution.
• Implement or enhance tools such as:
  • Barcode and scanning systems
  • Digital inventory tracking
  • Warehouse automation
  • Operational dashboards
  • Data analytics
  • Workflow and process automation
• Use data to identify operational bottlenecks and drive measurable improvements.

SAP / ERP & Materials Systems

• Serve as a subject-matter expert for SAP/ERP-enabled materials management processes.
• Optimize system functionality supporting inventory, purchasing, warehouse, reservations, work orders, and material movements.
• Improve data accuracy and system discipline across materials operations.
• Partner with end users to maximize utilization of reservations, work orders, and inventory planning functionality.
• Use ERP data and analytics to support forecasting, inventory optimization, and operational decision-making.

Performance Management & KPIs
Develop and maintain performance metrics that provide visibility into materials and warehouse effectiveness, including:

• Stock-out frequency
• Inventory accuracy
• Inventory turns
• Warehouse space utilization
• Receiving and processing cycle time
• Material availability
• Inventory value
• Excess and obsolete inventory
• Supplier/material performance
• Work order and reservation utilization

Use performance data to identify trends, establish improvement priorities, and communicate results to leadership.
Continuous Improvement & Transformation

• Lead initiatives designed to improve warehouse productivity, inventory performance, and overall supply chain efficiency.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies where appropriate.
• Identify and eliminate process bottlenecks and unnecessary material handling activities.
• Lead large-scale materials and supply chain transformation initiatives.
• Establish sustainable processes rather than short-term operational fixes.
• Act as a change leader during implementation of new systems, processes, and technologies.

Compliance, Controls & Safety

• Maintain compliance with applicable industrial safety, environmental, hazardous material, and transportation requirements.
• Ensure warehouse and materials processes support appropriate internal controls and audit readiness.
• Maintain strong inventory governance and financial control practices.
• Partner with EHS to ensure appropriate storage and handling of chemicals, reagents, and hazardous materials.
• Support regulatory and internal audits as required.
• Promote a zero-incident mindset across materials and warehouse operations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, or a related technical discipline.
• Master's degree or MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in materials management, warehouse operations, supply chain execution, or a related function.
• Experience working in a heavy industrial, chemical processing, mining, manufacturing, or similarly complex operational environment.
• 5+ years of direct experience managing engineered spare parts and complex materials programs supporting plant maintenance and operations.
• Advanced hands-on experience with SAP ERP/MRP systems.
• Strong understanding of inventory optimization, including:
  • ABC classification
  • Safety stock modeling
  • Demand planning
  • Inventory valuation
  • Inventory performance analysis
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and influencing Operations, Engineering, Finance, Procurement, and other stakeholders.
• Experience presenting operational strategies and improvement plans to senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience evaluating or implementing automated warehouse systems in an industrial environment.
• Experience leading large-scale supply chain or warehouse transformation programs.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or other formal continuous improvement experience.
• Strong understanding of industrial safety and regulatory requirements, including OSHA, DOT, EHS, and HazMat.
• Experience with SOX compliance, inventory controls, and financial audit requirements.
• Experience using ERP data and analytics to improve supply chain performance.
• Experience implementing warehouse digitization, barcode systems, dashboards, or automated material tracking.
• Demonstrated change management and organizational transformation experience.

Leadership Profile
The ideal candidate is a hands-on, strategic supply chain leader who is equally comfortable developing long-term materials strategies and walking the warehouse floor to solve an immediate operational issue.

This individual should be:

• Operationally engaged and highly visible
• Comfortable working in a demanding industrial environment
• Data-driven and analytical
• Decisive and solutions-oriented
• Strong at cross-functional collaboration
• Experienced in leading organizational change
• Focused on safety and operational discipline
• Capable of building and developing high-performing teams
• Comfortable operating with a high degree of urgency and accountability

Work Environment & Physical Requirements
This position is based in an industrial manufacturing/mining environment and requires regular interaction with warehouse, plant, and outdoor operations.

The role may involve exposure to:

• Outdoor weather conditions, including heat, cold, and wind
• Industrial manufacturing and processing areas
• Moving mechanical equipment
• Chemicals and airborne particles
• Electrical and other industrial hazards
• Areas requiring specialized PPE

Employees may be required to wear PPE appropriate to the work environment, which may include safety footwear, hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, gloves, protective clothing, respiratory protection, and other required equipment.

The position requires the ability to:

• Lift up to 50 pounds
• Stand and walk for extended periods
• Work in required PPE
• Enter industrial and warehouse environments
• Pass required respiratory fit testing
• Perform occasional climbing, bending, kneeling, reaching, and similar physical activities