Director of Supply Chain

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Director of Supply Chain

Department: Supply Chain

Reports To: Chief Financial Officer

Supervises: Procurement Coordinator, Warehouse Coordinator, Materials Handler

FLSA Status: Exempt

Safety Sensitive: No

Summary

The Director of Supply Chain provides leadership and day-to-day accountability for purchasing, warehousing, inventory, logistics, vendor management, and material controls supporting NOEC electric operations and BOLT broadband operations. The position ensures that approved materials, equipment, and services are sourced, received, stored, tracked, issued, returned, and disposed of accurately, timely, and cost-effectively. Working within established purchasing authority and internal controls, the Director coordinates with operating departments to convert approved demand forecasts and project plans into reliable sourcing and stocking plans.

Standards of Excellence

All employees are expected to contribute to a culture of excellence by:

• Professionally representing the cooperative and BOLT with accurate knowledge and a positive attitude.
• Adapting to change and actively supporting organizational initiatives.
• Communicating clearly, respectfully, and consistently with members, subscribers, and teammates.
• Managing responsibilities efficiently and maintaining attention to detail.
• Making informed decisions based on cooperative policies and subscriber service standards.
• Practicing and promoting safety in all work environments.
• Demonstrating ethical behavior and integrity at all times.

Leadership & Operational Responsibilities

Strategic Supply Chain Leadership

• Develop and maintain an integrated supply chain plan supporting the material, equipment, and service needs of NOEC electric operations and BOLT broadband operations.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Finance, and project leaders to translate approved forecasts, capital plans, maintenance schedules, construction plans, and operational needs into effective sourcing, inventory, and delivery plans.
• Lead material-readiness planning to identify shortages, long-lead risks, excess inventory, and other issues that could affect projects, storms, outages, or ongoing operations.

Procurement & Vendor Management

• Direct purchasing activities, including requisitions, competitive quotes or bids, purchase orders, approvals, expediting, receipt coordination, and order closure in accordance with established purchasing authority and internal controls.
• Develop and manage supplier relationships, contracts, pricing, warranties, freight terms, alternate sources, and supplier performance to support cost-effective and reliable operations.
• Monitor open orders, backorders, lead times, pricing, delivery performance, vendor returns, warranty claims, and other purchasing exceptions; communicate risks and drive issues to resolution.

Warehouse, Materials & Inventory Management

• Oversee receiving, storage, issuance, staging, transfers, returns, deliveries, and disposition of materials to maintain accurate custody and accountability from receipt through final use.
• Establish and maintain appropriate inventory levels, reorder points, safety stock, and critical stock based on usage, forecasts, lead times, operational needs, and storage capacity.
• Maintain inventory accuracy through cycle counts, physical inventories, variance resolution, ERP reconciliation, and appropriate management of excess, damaged, slow-moving, or obsolete materials.

Risk Management, Compliance & Continuity

• Maintain supply-continuity plans for critical materials, including alternate suppliers, emergency sourcing, long-lead monitoring, and strategies for major supply disruptions.
• Ensure purchasing and material-management activities comply with applicable cooperative policies, internal controls, ethical standards, funding requirements, and federal and state requirements.
• Promote safe warehouse, material-handling, loading, delivery, and storage practices and ensure employees follow applicable safety policies and procedures.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Develop and monitor key performance measures related to inventory accuracy, material availability, stockouts, purchasing activity, supplier performance, excess inventory, and warehouse operations.
• Provide the CFO and other appropriate leaders with regular reporting on material availability, purchasing commitments, supplier risks, inventory trends, exceptions, and corrective actions.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Supervise, coach, and develop purchasing and warehouse personnel; establish clear expectations and coordinate staffing, workload, cross-training, and coverage.
• Build effective working relationships across Engineering, Electric Operations, Broadband Operations, Finance, Accounting, IT, Safety, and other departments to support organizational needs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies

Purchasing & Strategic Sourcing: Applies competitive sourcing, purchase order, contract, lead-time, and total-cost practices to meet operational needs.

Inventory Control: Maintains accurate records, appropriate stocking levels, disciplined cycle counts, and effective controls over adjustments and disposition.

Warehouse Operations: Establishes safe, orderly, accountable receiving, storage, issuance, return, transfer, and delivery processes.

Vendor Management: Builds productive supplier relationships and uses performance measures, corrective actions, warranties, returns, and alternate sourcing to reduce risk.

Analytical Judgment: Uses cost, usage, forecast, inventory, and supplier data to identify risks and make practical recommendations.

Internal Controls: Understands approval authority, segregation of duties, audit trails, documentation, and material-custody requirements.

Communication & Collaboration: Communicates material risks clearly and coordinates effectively across electric, broadband, finance, engineering, operations, and project teams.

Leadership & Accountability: Sets clear expectations, develops employees, follows through on commitments, and takes ownership of accuracy, availability, cost control, and service.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations, Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in purchasing, inventory, warehousing, materials management, logistics, or related operations, including supervisory or leadership responsibility
• Experience in an electric utility, broadband or telecommunications provider, cooperative, construction, manufacturing, distribution, or similarly asset-intensive environment preferred
• Working knowledge of electric utility or broadband/telecommunications materials and demonstrated ability to develop proficiency across both disciplines
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP and inventory management systems, spreadsheets, reporting tools, and data analysis
• Strong negotiation, judgment, problem-solving, communication, organization, and relationship-building skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and urgent operational needs

Physical & Work Requirements

• Work performed in office, warehouse, supplier, and field or project-site environments with regular exposure to active material-handling and construction activities
• Frequent visits and periodic travel to NOEC and BOLT warehouses, service areas, project sites, and supplier facilities
• Availability may be required during storms, outages, emergencies, or other critical material events
• Ability to safely inspect, count, identify, and occasionally handle or move materials consistent with assigned duties and established safety procedures
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel to field and supplier locations as needed

Character & Compliance

• Must successfully pass a background check
• Must comply with NOEC and BOLT employment, safety, procurement, conflict-of-interest, and ethical conduct requirements
• Must protect confidential vendor, pricing, contract, inventory, and organizational information