In the ever evolving world of business, supply chain managers play a huge role in a company. They’re like the captain of a ship, making sure everything they bring on the ship is in a good condition and reaches its destination efficiently. The career of supply chain manager is indeed a promising career, especially in this millenia. But what is a supply chain manager actually?
What is a supply chain manager?
Supply chain manager is a professional who controls, oversees, and manages every movement and stage of production of a product or service. They coordinate the purchasing of raw materials, manufacturing, distributing, and delivery of the final product.
They have a goal to make sure that every product or service is delivered safely to the customers’ hands. Their job involves strategic planning, coordination with different departments and suppliers, and continuous optimization of the supply chain to meet business goals.
What does a supply chain manager do?
As a professional, surely supply chain managers have their own responsibilities. This is what a supply chain manager does on daily basis:
- Correspondence with other division to buy the right raw materials
- Negotiate contracts and develop a good relationship with suppliers and buyers
- Oversee manufacture and delivery process of a product as well as product storage
- Plan and implement logistical strategy, making sure targets are met
- Manage the costs that is involved in producing a product while maintaining quality
- Manage and minimize the risks
- Work on forecasts and inventories, keeping an accurate record of the process and analysing performance
How to become a supply chain manager?
In order to become a supply chain manager, you have to graduate college first. Initially supply chain jobs are open to all graduates, but there are some fields that are typically more common to work in, namely supply chain management, business management, logistics management, transport management, finance, computing, and information systems.
Not only degrees, you also need certain skills to become a supply chain manager. You have to have an excellent skill in time, relationship, business, and risk management. Other skills that you have to consider are planning, problem solving, negotiation, influencing, thinking analytically, communication, leadership, and IT literacy skills.
How much do supply chain managers make?
How much do supply chain managers make might be different in each country. The salary might depend on several factors such as your education, certifications, additional skills, experience, location, the sector you work in, the size and type of company you work for, your professional qualifications, and the number of years you have spent in your profession.
In the UK as of 2021, the average salary for all supply and procurement professionals is £47,435. At entry level, the average salaries are around £27,519. For supply chain executives, they can earn around £30,420 on average. Supply chain analysts and supply chain planners can earn £35,380 and £30,291 on average respectively. For the supply chain director level, the average salary is around £102,411. In the US, as of July 25 2023, the average supply chain manager salary is $122,265. It ranges from $95,146 for the lowest and $153,273 for the highest.
Is supply chain management a good career?
The world of supply chain management indeed needs broad skills of managing many things, ranging from managing the production to managing the risk. Not only that, the responsibilities that they bear are also arduous. They are not only responsible for the production, but also responsible for the distribution and delivery. However, considering their great responsibilities, the salary that they earn is also as big as it. The career path of supply chain management also has prosperity. The demand in this field is also huge because every company needs a supply chain manager. Hence it’s safe to say that supply chain management is a good career.
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