Materials Manager Job Description Templates
Materials manager job description templates for manufacturing, warehouse, construction, and regulated operations, with pay data and FLSA exempt guidance.
Materials Manager Job Description Templates
6 templates across manufacturing, warehouse, construction, and regulated operations, plus senior and coordinator versions, with a pay benchmark table and the FLSA exempt-versus-non-exempt guidance every other template skips. Download as DOCX.
A materials manager leads the materials function for an operation: planning, purchasing, inventory, and the flow of materials through production or distribution. Writing the job description well starts with two decisions: which industry you are in, and whether you actually need a department manager or the hands-on coordinator a smaller operation usually hires. Most templates give you one generic manager page and skip the distinction. This one does not.
At FirstHR, we are upfront that a dedicated materials manager is a mid-market and enterprise role, so these six templates run from manufacturing, warehouse, construction, and regulated manager versions to a senior version and an honest materials coordinator alternative for smaller teams. They add the pay benchmarks and the FLSA exempt-versus-non-exempt guidance the generic templates leave out. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals, and the supply chain manager templates cover the closely related senior role.
What a Materials Manager Does
A materials manager plans, directs, and coordinates the materials function: purchasing, inventory, and the movement of materials through an operation, while managing a team and the systems that support it. The role presupposes a materials department, an ERP or MRP system, and direct reports, which is why it lives at manufacturers, warehouses, and multi-site operations rather than small businesses.
There is no standalone federal occupation code for materials manager; the closest is transportation, storage, and distribution managers (11-3071), which the Bureau of Labor Statistics defines as planning, directing, or coordinating transportation, storage, or distribution activities, and which includes logistics and materials management roles. That occupation reports a median well into six figures, consistent with this being a salaried management position.
Materials Manager Duties and Responsibilities
Materials manager duties cluster into four areas: planning and inventory, purchasing and suppliers, team and leadership, and systems and improvement. A strong job description picks the responsibilities from each area that match the industry and seniority you are hiring for.
The emphasis shifts by industry: manufacturing leans into production supply and MRP, warehousing into inventory accuracy and flow, construction into job-site delivery and budgets, and regulated operations into traceability and compliance. For a structured way to scope the role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your industry and whether you need a manager or a coordinator. The core structure is the same across all six, but each emphasizes the duties, systems, and classification that fit a specific situation. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust.
6 Materials Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a classification note, pay, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Template 1: Materials Manager (Manufacturing)
The standard manufacturing version: lead planning, purchasing, inventory, and material flow to production, managing a team of buyers and planners. The baseline.
Template 2: Warehouse Materials Manager
For a warehouse or distribution operation: receiving, storage, inventory accuracy, and outbound flow, leading the warehouse materials team.
Template 3: Construction Materials Manager
For construction: sourcing and purchasing, coordinating deliveries to job sites, and managing material budgets against project timelines.
Template 4: Pharmaceutical / Regulated Materials Manager
For a regulated operation: materials management under GMP or FDA requirements, with traceability, lot control, and approved-supplier programs.
Template 5: Senior Materials Manager
The senior version: set supply chain strategy, manage managers across sites, and drive large-scale cost and service improvements.
Template 6: Materials Coordinator (Smaller-Business Alternative)
Not a manager: the hands-on, non-exempt coordinator role a smaller operation usually needs, tracking inventory and orders without leading a department.
FLSA: Why the Manager Is Exempt
Unlike most frontline operations roles, a materials manager is salaried and exempt, and getting the classification right matters for how you pay the role. This is also something most competitor templates never address.
For the rules, the DOL covers the executive exemption in Fact Sheet #17B, and the exempt versus non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview explain how the salary and duties tests separate a manager from a coordinator.
Materials Manager vs Materials Coordinator
The most useful question for a smaller business is not how to write a materials manager job description, but whether the role you need is a manager at all. The two roles differ in scope, classification, and pay.
| Factor | Materials Manager | Materials Coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Leads a department and team | Hands-on, individual contributor |
| FLSA status | Exempt, salaried | Non-exempt, hourly |
| Education | Bachelor's typical | High school diploma |
| Experience | 5+ years with leadership | Entry to mid-level |
| Pay | Commonly $85K to $105K+ | Commonly under $60K |
| Best fit | Mid-market and enterprise | Smaller operations |
If you run a smaller operation and need someone to track inventory and place orders, the coordinator is almost certainly the right hire. The logistics coordinator templates and the inventory manager templates cover closely related roles worth comparing.
Skills and Requirements
Materials manager roles combine education, supply chain experience, and leadership. Scale the requirements to the industry and seniority you are hiring for.
| Requirement | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Education | Bachelor's in supply chain, business, or logistics; experience sometimes substitutes |
| Experience | 5+ years in materials or supply chain, including team leadership |
| Systems | ERP or MRP experience (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or similar) |
| Leadership | Proven management of buyers, planners, and coordinators |
| Certifications | APICS CPIM or CSCP valued, sometimes preferred |
| Classification | Exempt, salaried under the executive exemption |
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
Materials Manager Pay
A materials manager is a salaried role that pays above 80,000 dollars in most markets. Set your range to the industry, seniority, and local market.
In practice, title-specific sources commonly place materials manager base pay between roughly 85,000 and 105,000 dollars, with total pay including bonuses running higher. Entry-level materials managers start around 60,000 to 61,000 dollars, and senior managers reach the low six figures and above. A materials coordinator, the non-exempt alternative, typically pays well under 60,000 dollars. National compensation surveys are a useful reference for regional and industry detail.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and onboarding, and for a management hire who owns inventory, systems, and a team, a structured start matters.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, paperwork, e-signatures, onboarding workflow, and org-chart placement in one place, so an operations or manufacturing business can run the same process every time it hires. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not an ERP, MRP, inventory, or supply chain system, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a materials manager do?
A materials manager leads the materials function for an operation: planning, purchasing, and inventory, plus the flow of materials through production or distribution. The work clusters into four areas: planning and inventory (directing materials planning, optimizing inventory and cost, and forecasting demand), purchasing and suppliers (managing procurement, negotiating contracts, and overseeing supplier performance), team and leadership (managing buyers, planners, and coordinators and directing their work), and systems and improvement (owning the ERP or MRP system and leading continuous improvement). It is a management role that presupposes a materials department, a planning system, and direct reports. The closest federal occupation is transportation, storage, and distribution managers, which includes logistics and materials management roles. This page includes manufacturing, warehouse, construction, regulated, senior, and coordinator versions.
Is a materials manager exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
Exempt, in almost all cases. A materials manager typically qualifies under the executive exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act: the primary duty is managing a recognized department, the manager customarily and regularly directs the work of two or more full-time employees, and the manager has the authority to hire or fire or has meaningful input into those decisions, all while paid on a salary basis well above the federal threshold of 684 dollars a week. Many materials roles also meet the administrative exemption, since procurement and purchasing are named as administrative work. A senior materials manager may clear the highly-compensated-employee threshold of 107,432 dollars a year. The practical result is that the manager is salaried and not owed overtime. This differs from a materials coordinator, which is typically non-exempt and overtime-eligible. Classify by actual duties and salary, not the title. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a materials manager and a materials coordinator?
The difference is leadership and classification. A materials manager leads a department: managing a team of buyers and planners, owning the ERP or MRP system, setting strategy, and negotiating with suppliers. It is a salaried, FLSA-exempt role that usually requires a bachelor's degree and five or more years of experience, with pay typically above 80,000 dollars a year. A materials coordinator is the hands-on, execution-focused role: tracking inventory, placing and following up on orders, and keeping materials moving, without managing a department or staff. It is typically a non-exempt, hourly role with a high-school-diploma requirement and pay well below the manager level. For most smaller businesses, the coordinator is the realistic hire, since a dedicated materials manager presupposes a scale that companies of 5 to 50 people rarely have. This page includes both so you can match the document to what you actually need.
How much does a materials manager make?
A materials manager is a salaried role that pays above 80,000 dollars a year in most markets. The closest federal occupation, transportation, storage, and distribution managers, had a median annual wage of 102,010 dollars as of the May 2024 data, with the 10th percentile at 61,200 dollars and the 90th percentile at 180,590 dollars. Commercial sources that track the materials manager title specifically commonly land between roughly 85,000 and 105,000 dollars in base pay, with total pay including bonuses running higher. Entry-level materials managers start around 60,000 to 61,000 dollars, and senior materials managers commonly reach the low six figures and above. By contrast, a materials coordinator, the non-exempt alternative, typically pays well under 60,000 dollars a year. Set your range to the seniority, industry, and local market. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do small businesses hire materials managers?
Rarely. A dedicated materials manager presupposes a materials department, an ERP or MRP system, and a team of buyers and planners to lead, which is a structure found at mid-market and enterprise manufacturers, warehouses, distribution centers, hospitals, and multi-site operations. Companies of 5 to 50 people generally do not have that structure: the materials function is usually absorbed by an owner, an operations generalist, or a single coordinator. When a smaller business hires for materials, it is almost always a materials coordinator, clerk, or handler, which are non-exempt, lower-paid, hands-on roles, rather than a salaried department manager. If you are a smaller operation, the materials coordinator template on this page is most likely the right document. Reserve the manager templates for the point at which you have a materials team to lead and a system to run.
What qualifications does a materials manager need?
Most materials manager roles require a bachelor's degree in supply chain management, business, logistics, or a related field, though some employers accept equivalent experience, especially in warehouse or construction settings. Employers typically expect five or more years of experience in materials, supply chain, or procurement, including team leadership, plus hands-on experience with an ERP or MRP system such as SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite. Strong supplier negotiation, inventory management, forecasting, and people-management skills are core. Certifications such as APICS CPIM or CSCP are valued and sometimes preferred. A senior materials manager will additionally need a track record of large-scale cost and service improvements and experience managing other managers. Scale the requirements to the seniority and industry you are hiring for, and for a regulated operation, add GMP or FDA knowledge. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a materials manager job description include?
A strong materials manager job description names the industry and scope up front, whether manufacturing, warehouse, construction, or regulated, and includes a short summary plus responsibilities grouped into planning and inventory, purchasing and suppliers, team and leadership, and systems and improvement. It should state the required education and experience honestly, name the ERP or MRP systems involved, and specify the team the role will manage. Because the role is FLSA-exempt, note the salaried, exempt classification, and set a competitive salary range, since pay typically runs above 80,000 dollars. For a regulated operation, add GMP, FDA, or quality requirements. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. If you are a smaller business unsure whether you need a manager at all, compare against the materials coordinator role first. This is general information, not legal advice.
How does FirstHR help after I hire a materials manager?
FirstHR handles the people side of the hire, from offer through onboarding, for either a materials manager or a coordinator. Once a candidate accepts, you can send the offer with e-signature, run a consistent first-week and first-90-days onboarding through the AI onboarding wizard and task workflows, deliver systems and process orientation through training modules, place the role and its reports on an org chart, and store the signed offer, I-9, tax forms, and policy acknowledgments in document management. Because pricing is flat rather than per employee, an operations or manufacturing business pays one predictable rate. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not an ERP, MRP, inventory, or supply chain system, so it organizes the hire and the new employee's first months, not your materials operation itself. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers, and applicant tracking is coming soon.