Director of Materials Management

About the Role

Visara Partners is recruiting for a prominent Saudi customer seeking a Director of Materials Management to oversee procurement, material planning, inventory control, and warehouse operations at a steel manufacturing facility. This leadership position focuses on guaranteeing the timely, efficient, and cost-effective availability of raw materials, consumables, spare parts, and operational supplies essential for uninterrupted production.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and execute a comprehensive Materials Management strategy aligned with production goals and corporate objectives.
• Supervise activities in procurement, warehousing, inventory governance, and materials planning.
• Ensure uninterrupted supply of raw materials, consumables, maintenance spares, safety stocks, and critical operational items.
• Collaborate closely with Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Planning departments to forecast requirements and avoid production downtime.
• Manage both local and global sourcing, supplier vetting, tender processes, commercial assessments, contract negotiations, and purchase order administration.
• Negotiate competitive contracts and long-term agreements while upholding quality, timeliness, and financial criteria.
• Develop material requirement plans with set reorder points, safety stock levels, and critical spares classification.
• Optimize inventory and working capital by minimizing shortages, excess stock, slow-moving items, and obsolete materials.
• Guarantee warehouse efficiency, proper handling, storage conditions, stock accuracy, and compliance with health and safety standards.
• Implement cycle counts and physical stock audits regularly, investigating any discrepancies.
• Monitor supplier quality, delivery performance, compliance, lead times, and risks in the supply chain.
• Source alternative suppliers and devise contingency plans for vital materials and spares.
• Ensure all procured materials meet approved technical and quality standards in collaboration with relevant departments.
• Prepare and control the annual procurement and materials budget.
• Enhance internal controls, procurement approvals, segregation of duties, and governance frameworks.
• Drive effective use of ERP and materials management systems, preferably SAP modules including MRP, purchasing, inventory, and warehousing.
• Develop key performance indicators for the department and report performance and risks regularly to the CEO.
• Lead and mentor the Materials Management team fostering accountability, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Key Accountabilities

• Consistent material availability for production and maintenance needs.
• Procurement cost efficiency and adherence to budgets.
• Accurate inventory records and availability.
• Reduction in excess, obsolete, and slow-moving stock.
• Effective management of critical spare parts.
• Supplier performance management and risk mitigation.
• Optimized warehouse productivity, safety, and material preservation.
• Compliance with procurement policies and authorization protocols.
• Optimizing working capital tied to inventory.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial/Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration, or related disciplines.
• Master’s degree is preferred.
• Professional certifications (CIPS, CPSM, CSCP, or equivalent) advantageous.
• 12 to 15 years progressive experience in materials management, industrial procurement, warehousing, or supply chain roles.
• Minimum of 5 years in senior management or leadership roles.
• Experience in steel, metals, heavy manufacturing, mining, cement, petrochemical, or similar process manufacturing sectors.
• Proven track record managing industrial materials, maintenance spares, critical supplies, and large-scale warehouse operations.
• Expertise in local and international supplier sourcing and contract negotiation.
• Experience working in Saudi Arabia or GCC countries preferred.

Technical and Leadership Competencies

• Industrial procurement strategies and strategic sourcing.
• Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) expertise.
• Warehouse and inventory management proficiency.
• Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) materials handling.
• Critical spare-parts management skills.
• Supplier qualification and performance monitoring.
• Contract negotiation and commercial acumen.
• Cost reduction and value analysis techniques.
• Inventory and working capital optimization.
• Procurement governance and enhanced internal controls.
• Supply chain risk management and mitigation.
• ERP systems expertise, particularly SAP Materials Management.
• Budget preparation, financial reporting, and KPI management.
• Strategic thinking, leadership development, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Decision-making, problem-solving, risk management, integrity, accountability, operational excellence, and results orientation.

Performance Metrics

• Material availability rate.
• Production downtime due to material shortages.
• Supplier on-time delivery performance.
• Procurement cost savings and avoidance.
• Inventory accuracy and turnover rates.
• Stock-out frequency.
• Availability of critical spare parts.
• Value of slow-moving and obsolete inventory.
• Purchase requisition to order cycle duration.
• Warehouse productivity and utilization rates.
• Supplier quality and rejection rates.
• Compliance with procurement budgets.
• Improvements in working capital.

Additional Information

• The role is full-time and located at the manufacturing plant in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia.
• Regular presence is required within production, warehouse, maintenance, and receipt areas.
• Travel may be necessary for supplier visits, inspections, negotiations, and supplier qualification activities.