What are the Different Supply Chain Manager Jobs?

Supply chain manager jobs are available in a wide range of industries, ranging from manufacturing to retail distribution. Supply chain is a term used to describe all the integration and connections used in purchasing and logistics. It is the supply chain manager’s job to coordinate the procurement, receipt, storage, and timing of all supplies required by the firm.

In the past ten years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of different supply chain manager jobs available. The recognition of supply chain management as a distinct skill has grown slowly and is closely tied to the increase in information technology usage and the shift to just-in-time delivery. The ability to minimize overhead while keeping production output at the same levels is a delicate balancing act, but can significantly reduce overhead expenses.

Supply chain manager jobs are most commonly held by candidates who have completed a post-secondary education in business from a community college or university. As a management position, there is a minimum five years of working experience in logistics or supply chain required to qualify.

Although small manufacturing and distribution firms may have several people responsible for supply chain issues, they do not tend to have a supply chain manager. These positions are usually found in large companies, often with multiple plant locations. This position typically reports to the operations or plant manager, providing valuable information on the turnaround time for deliveries, locations of shipments, and storage capacity.

One of the primary supply chain manager jobs is to coordinate the restocking of materials. The initial portion of the procurement process is the responsibility of another department, and once the contract is in place, it is managed by the supply chain manager. When stock levels reach a specific point, the manager is responsible for reordering to ensure no interruption in production output. Overstocking wastes valuable space and may result in higher costs per unit than anticipated.

Received materials must be transported to the required location and scheduled to avoid bottlenecks at the receiving dock. For example, paper supplies ordered for a packaging firm must be delivered to the correct plant within a time frame where the equipment to unload the paper is available. The coordination of the receipt and storage of materials is very important. All the cost savings achieved through managed purchasing is lost if staff and resources are wasted waiting for equipment and materials.