VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain Recruiters
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Supply chain directors who connect plant, supplier and customer. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
The strongest fit has run the full loop from forecast to shipment in a plant with real changeover cost, long lead components and customers who fine for late delivery. A distribution executive can be excellent and still lack feel for routings, bills of material and capacity limits.
Supply chain directors who connect plant, supplier and customer.
The title hides very different jobs. In one company the director owns production planning, purchasing, inbound freight, warehouses and customer service. In another the person coordinates buyers and a logistics lead while the plant managers keep their own schedules. A resume that says supply chain leadership tells us little until we know which of those pieces carried a budget and a headcount. Employers also struggle to judge whether a candidate improved the network or simply inherited a stable one. The hardest searches involve a company that changed its product mix or acquired a plant and now needs one planning rhythm across sites.
The strongest fit has run the full loop from forecast to shipment in a plant with real changeover cost, long lead components and customers who fine for late delivery. A distribution executive can be excellent and still lack feel for routings, bills of material and capacity limits. A director from a high volume repetitive plant may struggle in a job shop with variable orders. Title match matters less than whether the candidate has made trade offs between inventory, service and cost, and defended them to a controller and a sales vice president.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
In a make to order plant, the director spends time on quoting lead times, protecting capacity for expedited customers and managing engineered components that arrive late. In a make to stock plant the work centers on forecast accuracy, safety stock policy and warehouse flow.
Qualification in practice
Evidence we look for includes the plants and product families under the role, the size of the team by function, the ERP and planning tools in use, how a recent shortage was handled, and what was changed afterward. A bachelor's degree is common, and APICS style credentials can help, but a described sales and operations planning process that the candidate actually led is stronger than any certificate.
How the scope changes by plant type
In a make to order plant, the director spends time on quoting lead times, protecting capacity for expedited customers and managing engineered components that arrive late. In a make to stock plant the work centers on forecast accuracy, safety stock policy and warehouse flow. Regulated plants add lot traceability, supplier approval and documentation. Union sites add rules about overtime assignment and who may move material. We ask candidates to describe their last plant in these terms because a single story reveals more than a list of tools.
Red flags in this search
Be cautious when every success is described as a cost saving with no mention of service impact. Another flag is a candidate who owns strategy slides but has never been in the weekly meeting where sales, production and purchasing disagree. Also check whether team members followed them from job to job, which suggests real leadership.
How we run the search
We start by writing down what the role owns today and what it should own in two years, because owners often describe the second job while budgeting for the first. Because many directors are employed and quiet, the first conversation is confidential and about fit, not an application. We calibrate with the hiring leader after the first few conversations and adjust.
Need a VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
Candidates sit in mid-size and large manufacturers, in private equity owned groups consolidating purchasing, and in family businesses where a long serving materials leader is ready for a wider remit. Some come from the supplier side or from a customer, which gives them useful scar tissue about how missed commitments travel down a chain.
Many are currently senior managers who ran planning and purchasing together and want the director seat. We ask where they sit today because reporting line, plant count and ERP maturity change what they can credibly claim.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Qualification in practice. We ask for supplier consolidation decisions with the reasoning, not only the savings. Red flags in this search. Be cautious when the candidate cannot name the constraint in their last plant, or when their story about a shortage ends with a buyer working overtime rather than a changed policy.
- Qualification in practice. We ask for supplier consolidation decisions with the reasoning, not only the savings.
- Red flags in this search. Be cautious when the candidate cannot name the constraint in their last plant, or when their story about a shortage ends with a buyer working overtime rather than a changed policy.
- How we run the search. We then approach people directly in similar plants, ask for scope before story, and present only those who match the operating context.
The search
How the search runs?
The strongest fit has run the full loop from forecast to shipment in a plant with real changeover cost, long lead components and customers who fine for late delivery. A distribution executive can be excellent and still lack feel for routings, bills of material and capacity limits.
Agree the brief
The strongest fit has run the full loop from forecast to shipment in a plant with real changeover cost, long lead components and customers who fine for late delivery. A distribution executive can be excellent and still lack feel for routings, bills of material and capacity limits.
Approach relevant people
Candidates sit in mid-size and large manufacturers, in private equity owned groups consolidating purchasing, and in family businesses where a long serving materials leader is ready for a wider remit. Some come from the supplier side or from a customer, which gives them useful scar tissue about how missed commitments travel down a chain.
Qualify the work and support the hire
Evidence we look for includes the plants and product families under the role, the size of the team by function, the ERP and planning tools in use, how a recent shortage was handled, and what was changed afterward. A bachelor's degree is common, and APICS style credentials can help, but a described sales and operations planning process that the candidate actually led is stronger than any certificate.
Need a VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain searches?
Need a VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain search?
Need a VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$107,230 annual national median for SOC 11-3071 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers.
VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain hire?
Yes: Many candidates are employed, so we approach people discreetly and share your name only after both sides have agreed on fit. The hardest searches involve a company that changed its product mix or acquired a plant and now needs one planning rhythm across sites.
Do we need someone who has run logistics too?
Only if the role owns it. We separate planning, purchasing and freight experience so the profile matches the actual remit.
How do you judge ERP skill at this level?
We ask what the candidate changed in the system or the process around it, and who they relied on. Directors rarely configure, but they must know what the data can support.
Can the search stay confidential?
Yes: Many candidates are employed, so we approach people discreetly and share your name only after both sides have agreed on fit. The hardest searches involve a company that changed its product mix or acquired a plant and now needs one planning rhythm across sites.
What if our supply base is mostly overseas?
We screen for sourcing, import and supplier quality experience, and ask for specific examples of disruption handled rather than a general claim of global exposure. A resume that says supply chain leadership tells us little until we know which of those pieces carried a budget and a headcount.
How is the search fee agreed?
The fee is a percentage of first-year base salary, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need a VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
Should the director come from our industry?
Not always: Process similarity matters more than product. We check whether the planning logic, lead times and customer expectations resemble yours.
What should you know before sending vp of supply chain / director of supply chain?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review VP of Supply Chain / Director of Supply Chain