Materials Manager Jobs in Illinois
Materials Manager jobs in Illinois are in strong demand, with active hiring concentrated in manufacturing, food processing, healthcare distribution, and aerospace and defense across experience levels from entry-level coordinators to senior supply chain leaders. Chicago, Rockford, and the Peoria metro anchor most of the hiring, where established employers like Caterpillar, Abbott Laboratories, and Boeing have deep operations that depend on materials management teams. The most sought-after specialties in Illinois are inventory optimization, production planning, and procurement for complex manufacturing environments. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Position Summary
The Procurement & Materials Manager is responsible for managing the procurement, inventory, material planning, takeoff, and material-estimating functions supporting electrical, low-voltage, telecommunications, and fiber-optic construction projects.
This position works closely with project managers, estimators, electricians, field supervisors, engineers, vendors, and customers to ensure the correct electrical and construction materials are available at the right time, in the right quantities, and at the right cost.
The role will review electrical drawings and project specifications, develop detailed material takeoffs and bills of materials (BOMs), obtain supplier pricing, assist with project estimates and bids, negotiate with vendors, manage purchasing, coordinate material deliveries, and maintain accurate inventory across multiple projects and locations.
A strong understanding of electrical construction materials, electrical distribution equipment, conduit systems, wire and cable, grounding and bonding, and related electrical components is highly preferred.
Key Responsibilities
Procurement & Purchasing
- Source and purchase electrical materials, equipment, tools, and supplies required for commercial, industrial, telecommunications, low-voltage, and infrastructure construction projects.
- Purchase materials including wire and cable, conduit, fittings, electrical distribution equipment, panels, breakers, transformers, disconnects, grounding components, raceway systems, enclosures, supports, and related electrical hardware.
- Develop and maintain relationships with electrical supply houses, manufacturers, distributors, equipment vendors, and subcontractors.
- Obtain and compare vendor quotes to ensure competitive pricing, product compliance, lead times, and availability.
- Negotiate material pricing, lead times, freight costs, payment terms, stocking agreements, and other purchasing conditions.
- Issue purchase orders and track orders from placement through receipt and delivery.
- Verify purchase orders against approved material lists, project budgets, and vendor quotations.
- Monitor material and equipment lead times and proactively identify potential supply-chain issues.
- Coordinate expedited purchasing when required to maintain project schedules.
- Identify opportunities for bulk purchasing, standardized materials, and preferred-vendor agreements to reduce costs.
Electrical Material Planning & Takeoffs
- Review electrical drawings, one-line diagrams, panel schedules, specifications, scopes of work, submittals, and construction documents.
- Perform detailed material takeoffs for electrical and related construction projects.
- Develop accurate project-specific bills of materials (BOMs).
- Identify wire and cable sizes, conduit types and sizes, fittings, raceways, panels, breakers, disconnects, transformers, grounding components, supports, boxes, enclosures, and other required electrical materials.
- Review project requirements for electrical service, power distribution, branch circuits, grounding and bonding, equipment connections, and supporting infrastructure.
- Coordinate with project managers, estimators, electricians, foremen, and field personnel to verify quantities and material requirements.
- Identify discrepancies between drawings, specifications, scopes of work, and material requirements.
- Maintain standardized electrical material lists and preferred-product specifications.
- Assist with material substitutions and value-engineering opportunities while ensuring compliance with project specifications and applicable requirements.
Estimating & Bids
- Prepare material estimates for electrical construction projects, change orders, service work, and customer proposals.
- Solicit electrical supplier and manufacturer pricing and incorporate current material costs into project estimates.
- Develop detailed bid sheets showing quantities, unit costs, extended costs, freight, taxes when applicable, and material markups.
- Assist estimators and project managers with the development of material and equipment costs.
- Review bid packages to identify material requirements, exclusions, allowances, alternates, substitutions, and potential cost risks.
- Obtain quotations for major electrical equipment such as switchgear, transformers, panelboards, disconnects, generators, UPS systems, and other specialty equipment.
- Track fluctuations in copper, wire, conduit, electrical equipment, and other material pricing that may impact project costs.
- Maintain current pricing information for frequently purchased electrical materials.
- Assist in evaluating alternate manufacturers, materials, and suppliers to improve project margins while meeting project specifications.
- Compare estimated material costs against actual project material costs to improve future estimating accuracy.
Inventory & Warehouse Management
- Manage inventory levels across warehouses, yards, service vehicles, and project locations.
- Establish minimum and maximum inventory levels for commonly used electrical and construction materials.
- Maintain appropriate stock of frequently used wire, conduit, fittings, connectors, boxes, grounding materials, fasteners, supports, consumables, and related components.
- Track material receipts, transfers, allocations, usage, returns, and project assignments.
- Ensure materials are properly allocated and charged to the appropriate project or cost code.
- Conduct periodic physical inventory counts and reconcile discrepancies.
- Maintain accurate inventory records within the company's ERP, inventory-management, purchasing, or accounting system.
- Monitor obsolete, excess, damaged, returned, and slow-moving inventory.
- Coordinate the return, reuse, or redistribution of unused project materials.
- Ensure electrical materials and equipment are properly stored, protected, labeled, and organized.
- Oversee warehouse organization and material staging to support efficient field deployment.
- Assist with receiving, loading, unloading, and material handling as necessary.
Project & Field Support
- Work directly with project managers, estimators, electricians, foremen, and construction supervisors to identify upcoming material and equipment requirements.
- Develop procurement schedules based on project schedules, milestones, and anticipated installation dates.
- Coordinate material releases and deliveries to warehouses, staging areas, and active job sites.
- Monitor long-lead electrical equipment such as switchgear, transformers, panelboards, generators, transfer switches, and specialty electrical components.
- Communicate material shortages, backorders, substitutions, and potential schedule impacts to project management.
- Support field operations by quickly resolving material shortages, incorrect shipments, damaged materials, and delivery issues.
- Coordinate material returns and warranty claims with suppliers and manufacturers.
- Maintain organized documentation for purchases, quotations, pricing, submittals, warranties, equipment information, and vendor records.
- Assist with project closeout by reconciling remaining materials, returns, credits, and final material costs.
Electrical Materials & Equipment Knowledge
The successful candidate should have working knowledge of materials and equipment commonly used in commercial, industrial, low-voltage, and telecommunications electrical construction, including:
- THHN/THWN and other building wire
- Copper and aluminum conductors
- MC cable and armored cable
- Service-entrance and feeder cable
- Low-voltage and control cable
- EMT, IMC, RMC, PVC, and flexible conduit
- Conduit fittings, couplings, connectors, and accessories
- Cable tray and raceway systems
- Junction boxes, pull boxes, and electrical enclosures
- Panelboards and distribution panels
- Circuit breakers and overcurrent-protection devices
- Switchgear and switchboards
- Transformers
- Disconnects and safety switches
- Generators and transfer switches
- UPS and battery-backup equipment
- Grounding electrodes, grounding conductors, busbars, lugs, and bonding materials
- Electrical supports, strut, hangers, clamps, anchors, and mounting hardware
- Receptacles, switches, devices, and associated hardware
- Lighting and lighting-control components
- Electrical cabinets and equipment racks
- Power distribution units
- Surge-protection equipment
- Handholes and electrical vaults
- Fiber-optic and telecommunications cable
- Fiber enclosures, racks, cabinets, and splice materials
- Structured cabling and low-voltage components
- Construction tools and consumables
- PPE, safety equipment, and jobsite supplies
Qualifications
- 3+ years of experience in electrical procurement, materials management, electrical estimating, inventory management, purchasing, or a related construction role.
- Experience within electrical construction, commercial/industrial electrical contracting, low-voltage construction, telecommunications, utilities, or infrastructure construction strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of electrical construction materials, equipment, terminology, and installation methods.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical construction drawings, one-line diagrams, panel schedules, plans, specifications, and scopes of work.
- Experience performing electrical material takeoffs and developing bills of materials.
- Understanding of wire and cable, conduit systems, electrical distribution equipment, grounding and bonding, and related electrical components.
- Strong understanding of procurement, purchasing, inventory, and supply-chain processes.
- Warehouse-management and forklift experience preferred.
- Strong mathematical and analytical skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and purchasing/inventory software.
- Strong vendor negotiation and supplier-management skills.
- Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, material releases, purchase orders, bids, and deadlines simultaneously.
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify quantity, pricing, specification, and material discrepancies.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous experience working for an electrical contractor or electrical supply/distribution company.
- Electrical estimating or material takeoff experience.
- Familiarity with commercial and industrial electrical systems.
- Experience procuring switchgear, transformers, panels, generators, and other major electrical equipment.
- Experience with electrical supply houses, manufacturers, and distributors.
- Knowledge of electrical material nomenclature, manufacturer part numbers, and equivalent products.
- Familiarity with the National Electrical Code (NEC) and its impact on material selection and construction requirements.
- Experience preparing contractor bids, change orders, and customer proposals.
- Experience with ERP, purchasing, estimating, or inventory-management systems.
- Experience managing project material budgets and cost controls.
- Experience with telecom, fiber-optic, structured cabling, or low-voltage systems is a plus.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, electrical design documentation, and equipment specifications.
Key Performance Measures
Success in this position will be measured by:
- Material availability and on-time project support
- Accuracy of electrical material takeoffs and BOMs
- Procurement cost savings and purchasing efficiency
- Inventory accuracy
- Reduction of excess, obsolete, and unallocated inventory
- Vendor pricing and performance
- Management of long-lead electrical equipment
- Bid and material-estimating accuracy
- Purchase-order and receiving accuracy
- Material-cost variance between estimate and project completion
- Warehouse organization and material accountability
- Ability to identify and mitigate material-related project risks
- Reduction in emergency purchases, shortages, and project delays caused by material availability
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is someone who understands electrical construction from both a cost and field perspective.
They can review an electrical scope, drawing set, one-line diagram, or project specification and determine what is required to build the project. They understand the difference between conduit types, conductor sizes, breakers, panels, transformers, grounding components, fittings, supports, and other electrical materials—and can translate those requirements into an accurate material takeoff and purchasing plan.
This individual should be capable of taking a project from takeoff to closeout: developing the BOM, obtaining competitive electrical supplier pricing, assisting with the material portion of the bid, purchasing materials after award, coordinating long-lead equipment, managing inventory and deliveries, and reconciling material costs at project completion.
The successful candidate will be highly organized, cost-conscious, technically knowledgeable, and proactive, with the ability to anticipate material needs before they become field problems. They should be equally comfortable reviewing an electrical drawing, negotiating pricing with a supply house, managing warehouse inventory, and working with project managers and field electricians to keep projects moving.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
See All 16 Materials Manager Jobs in Illinois
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Find Materials Manager JobsMaterials Manager Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Materials Manager Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring


Top Industries Hiring
- Food & Beverage
- Manufacturing
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in materials manager jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics, business, or a related field
- Demonstrated experience managing inventory, procurement, and production planning in a manufacturing environment
- Proficiency with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or similar enterprise platforms
- APICS certification such as CPIM or CSCP preferred by most Illinois manufacturing employers
- Strong knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies
- Ability to coordinate cross-functionally with production, quality, and finance teams on-site
Materials Manager Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a materials manager in Illinois?
A bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics, industrial engineering, or business is the standard starting point for materials manager roles in Illinois. There is no state-issued license required for this role in Illinois, but employers strongly favor candidates who hold an APICS certification such as the Certified in Planning and Inventory Management credential. Building experience in purchasing, inventory control, or production scheduling at an Illinois manufacturer or distributor is the most direct path to a materials manager title.
How much do materials managers make in Illinois?
Materials managers in Illinois earn a median of about $153,370 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $100,990 for the lowest 10% to over $225,450 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire materials managers in Illinois?
Employers hiring materials managers in Illinois right now include BIO-MEDICAL SERVICES, Kraft Heinz, and TRC, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Illinois's deep manufacturing base, anchored by companies in the Chicago metro, Rockford, and the Peoria area, means consistent demand from both large corporations and mid-size industrial suppliers.
Which Illinois cities have the most materials manager jobs?
Aurora, Evanston, and Glenview have the most materials manager openings in Illinois. Chicago leads because of its density of corporate headquarters, distribution centers, and diversified manufacturing, while Rockford's strong aerospace and automotive supplier base and the Peoria area's heavy equipment and industrial manufacturing industries drive consistent demand outside the metro.
Are there remote materials manager jobs in Illinois?
Yes, but they're rare. Materials manager work is heavily on-site because the role involves direct oversight of physical inventory, production scheduling, and warehouse operations. About 40% of materials manager openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, and those positions typically involve procurement strategy or vendor management duties that don't require a daily plant floor presence.
How can I get hired as a materials manager in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as a purchasing coordinator, inventory analyst, or production scheduler at an Illinois manufacturer or distributor. Large Illinois employers such as Caterpillar, Illinois Tool Works, and major food and beverage processors regularly bring on candidates in these roles and develop them internally. Earning an APICS student membership and beginning the CPIM coursework while in an entry role signals commitment to the field and gives candidates a concrete edge when applying for their first materials manager position.
Where can I find and apply to materials manager jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to materials manager jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings across the state. Search the available roles by location and specialization, find the ones that fit your background, and apply directly.
See All 16 Materials Manager Jobs in Illinois
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