What Does A Supply Chain Manager Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

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Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Supply Chain Managers

Supply Chain Managers direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety. Examine existing procedures or opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, or processing of inventory.

Salary
$105100
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality


What they do

Supply Chain Managers direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety. Examine existing procedures or opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, or processing of inventory.

  • Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials.
  • Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving.
  • Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution.
  • Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Supply Chain Managers manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving. They select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution.

A typical day for a Supply Chain Manager will also include:

  • Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials.
  • Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure the availability of materials or products.
  • Design, implement or oversee product take back or reverse logistics programs to ensure products are recycled, reused, or responsibly disposed of.
  • Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders.
  • Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Supply Chain Managers also analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success. They may also monitor suppliers’ activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Supply Chain Managers confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure the availability of materials or products. They might also meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, provide performance feedback, or discuss production forecasts or changes.

In addition, they identify or qualify new suppliers in collaboration with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, or quality assurance.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance.

To some Supply Chain Managers, it is also their responsibility to analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

Very High

Is this job meaningful

High

75% said they were satisfied with their job and 62% said they found their job meaningful.


Sean Li
Elkay

I am a Senior Supply Chain Planner at Elkay, and I have been in this position since March 2020. Prior to that, I have held a couple different roles at Elkay as I first joined the company as a Global Buyer in 2017, and then became a Global Sourcing Specialist in 2018.

My typical day

As a supply chain planner, my job is to make sure the business establishes appropriate inventory levels to meet sales demand. Every day, we utilize an ERP system and communicate with people from manufacturing and distribution sites and the procurement team to balance the materials inbound, production and consumption. We also develop and maintain different Excel reports to optimize the overall process and mitigate out of stock risks.

When I was a buyer and sourcing specialist, my daily job was to communicate with suppliers, negotiate with them to drive cost savings, monitor purchase order delivery, solve quality issues, and bring in the best qualified suppliers for our new product development projects.

Pros

The main pro of being a Supply Chain Planner is that you grow to understand how a company’s operational system runs thoroughly. This includes understanding how and where the raw material is purchased, how they are manufactured in the factory, how much inventory to stock in the warehouse, and how they are delivered to the customers based on their requests. Each step requires strategic plans to make sure they are aligned with business goals.

Along the same lines, another pro to being a Supply Chain Planner is that it significantly improves your strategic thinking and data analysis skills. Supply Chain Planners need to make a lot of decisions daily that could have a direct impact on multiple teams, such as if we should place a purchase order sooner to avoid a potential shortage, if we should increase work order quantity so we could unitize raw materials and warehouse space, or if it’s time to consider adding more production lines to the manufacturing site to meet increased demand. Since all the ideas require data to transfer them to a more convincible proposal, I’ve also grown familiar with using multiple data analysis tools to ensure our data is accurate, up to date, and easy to read. These data analysis skills can be used cross-functionally, making you an even more valuable asset to your organization.

Cons

Due to the importance of this job function, the heightened stress level that occurs, as a result, is the biggest con. As Supply Chain Planners, we need to make sure we act quickly to the requests from other teams. For example, the manufacturing plant can’t wait too long for a work order since the staff in the factory need the work order to do their job. Also, since we are the ones who calculate and design the inventory level, we need to make sure the data is accurate and consistent. Typically, we need to double-check and confirm before submitting a change proposal, which can take time and create stress. To combat this stress, I’ve found that communicating well and often with my team alleviates pressures that may be felt and results in better business outcomes.

Advice to students interested in this career path

The first thing you want to determine before you decide to pursue this career path is your passion for the supply chain. Without passion, you won’t have the motivation to learn and grow. Students can go about determining this by thinking about it regarding recent events. For example, when you listened to the COVID-19 pandemic news in the past year, did you notice how the pandemic had affected the global supply chain? Were you curious as to why a pandemic could have such an impact on the supply chain? As a Supply Chain Planner, you are focused on numbers and understanding and utilizing analytical tools like Excel and an ERP system. To perform best in this role, you must make sure you are not afraid of using these tools and are willing to learn new technologies as they are introduced. Supply Chain is also the department that connects all other departments, so Supply Chain Planners need to constantly communicate with internal and external customers. Due to this, you also need to have good communication skills to deliver clear messages effectively.

Overall, I would say passion, a desire to learn new skills (specifically mathematically oriented skills), and good communication practices would be the top three things you should consider before pursuing a career as a Supply Chain Planner. If you have all those things, this role would be an excellent fit for you!


Pros

Suitable for people who like to start and carry out projects.

Suitable for people who want independence and like to work on their own and make decisions.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

One of the highest-paid careers in the world.

Cons

Not suitable for people who like to work with designs.

It is hard to get into this career. A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).

How much do they make

Average salary

$105100 per year

Average hourly wage

$51 per hour

Entry-level Supply Chain Managers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $56,970 to $73,700 per year or $27 to $35 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $164,140 $79
Senior (Top 25%) $126,560 $61
Median $96,390 $46
Junior (Bottom 25%) $73,700 $35
No experience (Bottom 10%) $56,970 $27

This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Supply Chain Managers based on their average annual salary.

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing $178780 $85.95
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations $151310 $72.74
Telecommunications $150240 $72.23
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities $145930 $70.16
Scientific Research and Development Services $143460 $68.97
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities $139190 $66.92
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services $139090 $66.87
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing $137950 $66.32
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing $137720 $66.21
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing $136610 $65.68

View more salary by industries here.

Where can they work

Where can Supply Chain Managers work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Supply Chain Managers including the average salary in that industry.

Employers Total Employed Annual Salary Hourly Wages
Warehousing and Storage 13730 $97720 $46.98
Truck Transportation 11140 $98080 $47.15
Management of Companies and Enterprises 8730 $132660 $63.78
Federal Executive Branch 6880 $107510 $51.69
Local Government 5430 $111300 $53.51
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods 5090 $101590 $48.84
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods 4930 $98490 $47.35
Freight Transportation Arrangement 4920 $96540 $46.41
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 4450 $108360 $52.10
Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing 2780 $81380 $39.12

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
0%

40 hours
15%

More than 40 hours
85%

Working schedule

71%

29%

0%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
0%

Every day
100%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
0%

Every day
100%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
10%

Every day
90%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
0%

Once a year
48%

Once a month
29%

Once a week
24%

Every day
0%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
5%

Slightly competitive
5%

Moderately competitive
30%

Highly competitive
50%

Extremely competitive
10%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
10%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
10%

Once a week or more
15%

Every day
65%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
14%

Once a year or more
19%

Once a month or more
33%

Once a week or more
14%

Every day
19%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
35%

Once a year or more
35%

Once a month or more
20%

Once a week or more
5%

Every day
5%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
57%

Once a year or more
24%

Once a month or more
5%

Once a week or more
10%

Every day
5%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Hard
You will need a considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. Careers in this difficulty category usually require a Bachelor’s degree and several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. Similar careers include Database Administrators, Chemists, Art Directors, and Accountants.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
0%

High School Diploma or equivalent
0%

Post-Secondary Certificate
0%

Some College Courses
0%

Associate’s Degree or similar
5%

Bachelor’s Degree
67%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
10%

Master’s Degree
19%

Post-Master’s Certificate
0%

First Professional Degree
0%

Doctoral Degree
0%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

No majors found

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
0%

1 month
0%

1 to 3 months
0%

3 to 6 months
5%

6 months to 1 year
0%

1 to 2 years
10%

2 to 4 years
14%

4 to 6 years
10%

6 to 8 years
14%

8 to 10 years
14%

Over 10 years
33%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
5%

1 month
10%

1 to 3 months
24%

3 to 6 months
24%

6 months to 1 year
24%

1 to 2 years
5%

2 to 4 years
0%

4 to 10 years
5%

Over 10 years
5%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Leader

People with this personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.

The Builder
38%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
29%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
24%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
33%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
100%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
67%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
67%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
74%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
62%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
62%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
71%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
81%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


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