Supply Chain Managers

Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsO*NET 11-3071.04United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $105,767
Projected change: +9.2%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 236.56K 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 supply chain managers do

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

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.
Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance.
Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance.
Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure availability of materials or products.
Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service.
Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders.
Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success.
Meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, to provide performance feedback, or to discuss production forecasts or changes.
Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies.
Monitor suppliers' activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements.
Monitor forecasts and quotas to identify changes and predict effects on supply chain activities.
Participate in the coordination of engineering changes, product line extensions, or new product launches to ensure orderly and timely transitions in material or production flow.
Design or implement plant warehousing strategies for production materials or finished products.
Design, implement, or oversee product take back or reverse logistics programs to ensure products are recycled, reused, or responsibly disposed.
Identify or qualify new suppliers in collaboration with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, or quality assurance.
Develop or implement procedures or systems to evaluate or select suppliers.
Document physical supply chain processes, such as workflows, cycle times, position responsibilities, or system flows.
Diagram supply chain models to help facilitate discussions with customers.
Evaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory.
Identify opportunities to reuse or recycle materials to minimize consumption of new materials, minimize waste, or to convert wastes to by-products.
Design or implement supply chains that support environmental policies.
Review or update supply chain practices in accordance with new or changing environmental policies, standards, regulations, or laws.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $64,053
25th percentile: $81,198
50th percentile: $105,767
75th percentile: $145,540
90th percentile: $194,078

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $105,767 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+9.2%faster than average

2025236,559 jobs

2035 projected258,312 jobs

21,753 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: 76.2%
Master's or Professional degree: 19%
Associate degree: 4.8%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

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

Supply Chain
Inventory Management
Continuous Improvement Process
Warehousing
Supply Chain Management
Procurement
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory Control
Process Improvement
Purchasing
Logistics
Finance
Project Management
Auditing
Logistics Management
Workflow Management
SAP Applications
Cycle Counting
Materials Management
Operations Management

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Supply Chain Managers3,335 postings
02Logistics Managers2,231 postings
03Materials Managers1,978 postings
04Parts Managers1,902 postings
05Inventory Managers1,364 postings
06Directors of Supply Chain1,340 postings
07Inventory Control Supervisors981 postings
08Logistics Supervisors786 postings
09Replenishment Managers784 postings
10Inventory Supervisors668 postings
11Demand Planning Managers660 postings
12Supply Chain Logistics Managers657 postings
13Supply Chain Project Managers599 postings
14Retail Supervisors596 postings
15Logistics Leads412 postings
16Supply Chain Planning Managers396 postings
17Supply Chain Program Managers382 postings
18Transportation Logistics Managers375 postings
19Customer Service Retail Inventory Supervisors341 postings
20Logistics Operations Managers323 postings

Top employers

01WIS International999 postings
02Amazon834 postings
03Ryder799 postings
04Premier Transportation543 postings
05GE Aerospace516 postings
06Accenture406 postings
07PricewaterhouseCoopers351 postings
08Michaels344 postings
09The Home Depot329 postings
10GPAC214 postings
11Western Digital212 postings
12Google205 postings
13RTX197 postings
14Ryder Integrated Logistics182 postings
15Kuehne + Nagel180 postings
16Crash Champions173 postings
17Staples170 postings
18Copeland168 postings
19Robert Half161 postings
20Domino's Pizza160 postings

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