Manager, Materials

The Materials Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of inventory, case support, supply distribution, and materials staffing for a 9-bed orthopedic surgical hospital performing approximately 7,000 cases annually.

This role ensures that all surgical and clinical areas—particularly the OR, anesthesia, and SPD—are consistently stocked with the right supplies, in the right quantities, at the right time, while maintaining compliance with inventory controls, expiration management, and regulatory standards.

The Materials Manager serves as the operational bridge between the OR and Materials, focusing on workflow execution, staff oversight, vendor coordination at the operational level, and uninterrupted case readiness. This role is not responsible for purchasing or procurement activities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Daily Materials & OR Support Operations

• Oversee daily materials workflows to support scheduled and add on orthopedic and spine cases.
• Review surgical schedules (3–7 days out) to identify inventory risks, specialty supply needs, and case specific requirements.
• Ensure accurate and timely case pulling, delivery, and staging of supplies in designated OR drop off locations.
• Maintain continuous communication with Clinical leadership regarding missing or unavailable items, substitutions approved at the clinical level, case changes and late add-ons.
• Oversee daily restocking of:

- OR core

- Anesthesia workroom

- Turnover supplies (e.g., gowns, masks, wipes, kits) 

- Fluid room and fluids in OR

- All other clinical supply rooms (IP, PACU, OBS)

2. Inventory Management & Controls

• Maintain appropriate PAR levels using volume-based utilization and turnover patterns.
• Enforce FIFO inventory rotation and proactive expiration management across all supply locations.
• Oversee receiving, stocking, returns, and internal distribution workflows.
• Lead monthly expiration audits and corrective actions.
• Coordinate and reconcile quarterly and annual physical inventories.
• Identify slow moving, obsolete, or excess inventory and coordinate disposition or vendor exchanges where operationally appropriate (non-financial). 

3. Vendor Coordination (Operational Only)

• Responsible for new vendor credentialing and onboarding, and vendor credentialing compliance
• Serve as the day-to-day operational contact for materials and implant vendors related to delivery coordination, backorder notifications, case-specific stocking support, product returns and swaps.
• Escalate pricing, contract, or purchasing issues to the Purchasing team. This position is not responsible for negotiating pricing, contracts or purchase order creation.

4. Departmental Staffing & Leadership

• Develop and manage staffing schedules aligned with surgical volume and OR hours.
• Ensure adequate coverage for early morning case pulls, same-day add ons, end-of-day restocking and turnover support.
• Cross train staff to ensure continuity across receiving, stocking, and OR support functions.
• Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, and competency assessments.
• Lead daily huddles and promote strong communication between Materials, Purchasing, OR, and SPD teams.

5. Compliance, Quality & Readiness

• Ensure materials operations support compliance with CIHQ, and infection prevention standards.
• Maintain audit ready documentation for inventory handling, expiration management, and recalls.
• Coordinate product recalls and safety alerts with Quality, OR leadership, and vendors.
• Support continuous readiness for regulatory surveys and internal audits. 
• Work with Finance and OR to plan capital purchases for surgical instruments and equipment.

6. Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and report operational KPIs such as case-fill accuracy, expired product rate, inventory returns, stockout frequency, OR delay incidents related to materials
• Identify workflow inefficiencies and lead improvement initiatives focused on reliability, accuracy, and staff productivity. 
• Review and update SOP’s and workflow documents.

• Education & Training:
  • Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Experience:
  • 5 years of materials management or inventory operations experience in a surgical or hospital environment.
  • Strong orthopedic and implant supply exposure preferred.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration:
  • N/A
• Key Skills:
  • Deep understanding of OR workflows and case-based inventory management
  • Strong organizational and leadership skills
  • High attention to detail and operational discipline
  • Ability to manage staff in a fast paced surgical environment
  • Proficiency with inventory and materials systems (e.g., Multiview, Trubridge or similar)
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Teams required
  • Cross functional collaboration and communication skills
  • Strong problem-solving skills

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.