Logisticians

Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsO*NET 13-1081.00United States

Analyze and coordinate the ongoing logistical functions of a firm or organization. Responsible for the entire life cycle of a product, including acquisition, distribution, internal allocation, delivery, and final disposal of resources.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $81,925
Projected change: +16.8%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 286.46K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What logisticians do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Maintain and develop positive business relationships with a customer's key personnel involved in, or directly relevant to, a logistics activity.
Develop an understanding of customers' needs and take actions to ensure that such needs are met.
Manage subcontractor activities, reviewing proposals, developing performance specifications, and serving as liaisons between subcontractors and organizations.
Direct availability and allocation of materials, supplies, and finished products.
Review logistics performance with customers against targets, benchmarks, and service agreements.
Develop proposals that include documentation for estimates.
Explain proposed solutions to customers, management, or other interested parties through written proposals and oral presentations.
Redesign the movement of goods to maximize value and minimize costs.
Perform managerial duties such as hiring and training employees and overseeing facility needs or requirements.
Direct team activities, establishing task priorities, scheduling and tracking work assignments, providing guidance, and ensuring the availability of resources.
Collaborate with other departments as necessary to meet customer requirements, to take advantage of sales opportunities or, in the case of shortages, to minimize negative impacts on a business.
Report project plans, progress, and results.
Protect and control proprietary materials.
Stay informed of logistics technology advances and apply appropriate technology to improve logistics processes.
Develop and implement technical project management tools, such as plans, schedules, and responsibility and compliance matrices.
Provide project management services, including the provision and analysis of technical data.
Manage the logistical aspects of product life cycles, including coordination or provisioning of samples, and the minimization of obsolescence.
Perform system lifecycle cost analysis and develop component studies.
Plan, organize, and execute logistics support activities, such as maintenance planning, repair analysis, and test equipment recommendations.
Participate in the assessment and review of design alternatives and design change proposal impacts.
Direct and support the compilation and analysis of technical source data necessary for product development.
Support the development of training materials and technical manuals.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $50,300
25th percentile: $63,984
50th percentile: $81,925
75th percentile: $105,830
90th percentile: $133,814

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $81,925 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+16.8%much faster than average

2025286,458 jobs

2035 projected334,595 jobs

48,137 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree: 75%
High school diploma or less: 8.3%
Certificate: 8.3%
Some college: 8.3%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Supply Chain
Warehousing
Logistics
Inventory Management
Procurement
Purchasing
Continuous Improvement Process
Supply Chain Management
SAP Applications
Process Improvement
Auditing
Material Requirements Planning
Enterprise Resource Planning
Project Management
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoicing
Supply Chain Planning
Production Planning
Inventory Control
Workflow Management

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Logistics Coordinators5,764 postings
02Production Planners4,193 postings
03Logistics Specialists3,543 postings
04Materials Planners2,076 postings
05Supply Chain Specialists1,910 postings
06PSE Sales and Services/Distribution Associates1,897 postings
07Logistics Associates1,817 postings
08Demand Planners1,769 postings
09Transportation Specialists1,527 postings
10Supply Chain Associates1,454 postings
11Distribution Associates1,110 postings
12Supply Planners960 postings
13Supply Chain Coordinators956 postings
14Logistics Management Specialists954 postings
15Authorized Retailers915 postings
16Logistics Assistants906 postings
17Distribution Center Security Officers902 postings
18Supply Chain Technicians901 postings
19Planners891 postings
20Logistics Technicians857 postings

Top employers

01Allied Universal2,161 postings
02United States Postal Service1,903 postings
03Fastenal922 postings
04Robert Half846 postings
05Aston Carter802 postings
06Northrop Grumman621 postings
07Lockheed Martin528 postings
08ManpowerGroup505 postings
09Amazon488 postings
10GE Aerospace467 postings
11RTX455 postings
12United States Department of Transportation415 postings
13Accenture411 postings
14Randstad410 postings
15Adecco382 postings
16Serco367 postings
17Insight Global361 postings
18Aerotek359 postings
19Kelly Services339 postings
20Cardinal Health324 postings

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