supply chain management jobs

supply chain management jobs

Exploring Career Opportunities in Supply Chain Management

1. Introduction to Supply Chain Management

It was a Fortune editor that made the higher connection between the “demise” of bigger firms and the recognition of “networks”. Hundreds of global supply chains had transformed themselves into what was then known as digital supply chains. In 1997, Vandevelde introduced the hype term “supply chain management”, a concept that had been in operation for centuries, and illuminated the relationships between such simple entities as functions within a business to complexity. While it took over a century for “supply chain” to morph, such a concept has been in business for centuries. Very few concerns are new, but doing business isn’t what it was. The information age has increased the speed at which goods circulate, and for both product producers and service providers, speed is what it’s all about. Speed reduces cost and reduces customer frustration.

In the late 1990s, it became clear that a large number of firms were not functioning well. Sales and stock performance showed that traditional businesses were dilapidated and not functioning well. Numerous business articles report that the business climate was so bad that the Fortune 500 list could change by 30-40% in just three short years.

The concept of managing supply chains is not new. For centuries, local producers and craftsmen simply traveled to local markets to sell basic products. Over time, transportation and communication systems expanded, and the world rapidly opened up. It is now necessary to design and manage a complex network of suppliers and intermediaries to move goods and information across the globe.

2. Key Roles and Responsibilities in Supply Chain Management Careers

Companies and consultants seek candidates with specific educational backgrounds to fill entry- and mid-level openings in logistics and supply chain management. These roles include supply chain analyst, logistics engineer, transportation planner, and more. These individuals perform essential tasks in their respective organizations, and their work prepares them for promotion to manager positions and, ultimately, for leadership roles in the organization. This chapter identifies key roles and responsibilities in two categories of supply chain management opportunities – entry- and mid-level careers and leadership careers – and at two kinds of organizations – company and consulting. It also discusses the qualifications sought by recruiters looking to hire individuals for these positions. With these profiles as a guide, professionals in supply chain management will be better able to pinpoint their own unique career paths.

Supply chain management spans multiple areas, including engineering, operations management, distribution and logistics, and information technology. These departments are represented in the roles of supply chain analyst, logistics engineer, director of global logistics, supply chain program manager, enterprise software manager, and many other career paths in manufacturing and service firms and on the consulting side of the industry as well. Nevertheless, a set of key roles and responsibilities exists across the array of opportunities in supply chain management. Box 1-1 provides brief profiles of a few individuals who have accepted supply chain management positions.

3. Skills and Qualifications for Success in Supply Chain Management Jobs

Companies often have hundreds of applicants for any one job and may go through multiple rounds of interviews before hiring decisions are made. Many applicants are screened out well before they reach the interview stage. How can a job candidate stand out in this crowded field of applicants? Thousands of MBA students are aware of what employers tell B-schools around the world they want. And many applicants for jobs in supply chain management are MBA graduates. There are many master’s degree-level programs with specialties in supply chain management, but none nearly as universal as the MBA. There is a growing undergraduate major in supply chain management, specialty enough so that supply chain management majors or certificates are a recent innovation at many institutions including leading business schools.

What are the qualifications and skills necessary for the rapidly growing number of jobs both in supply chain management and in related areas which are open to graduates in this area? Salary surveys and feedback from both company recruiters and people who hold SCM jobs provide guidance about the qualifications and skills supply chain management employers are seeking but usually find hard to locate.

4. Emerging Trends and Technologies in the Supply Chain Industry

Business Intelligence. These tools enable the provision of diversified analytics to monitor events, set notifications, measure performance, and help in better decision-making in the company.

Advanced planning and optimization software. These tools help businesses build supply chains faster and more accurately.

Another technology that simplifies the logistics process is the use of Auto-ID (automatic identification) data capture and radio frequency (RF) technologies. These technologies are used to automate the flow of goods and materials between customers and suppliers in the supply chain. They also obviate some of the communication problems and manual jobs.

Track and trace systems. These systems allow an organization to track the location of goods and services throughout the supply chain and ensure a functioning and efficient way of ensuring product safety.

In an effort to maintain a competitive edge, many companies are employing a plethora of supply chain strategies and technologies. Some technologies that are of increasing use for supply chain management include:

5. Career Paths and Growth Opportunities in Supply Chain Management

In the traditional view, supply chain encompasses procurement, manufacturing or transformation, distribution management, and customer service. It emphasizes the value-adding nature of these processes and the creation and management of channels and relationships in sustainable fulfillment of service to customers. Many will also add logistics to the list. Intriguing in many traditional supply chain management discussions is the assumption that all the firms in the chain are independent, having no formal ownership position or governance control over the other members’ property. The fact that many companies are ‘outsourcing’ non-core, yet critical functions displays the development of new governance mechanisms. What is even more intriguing is the rapid movement from traditional to more collaborative supply chain partnerships. These agreements extend beyond traditional roles and responsibilities and may lead to the evolution of new structures. Large firms are not only outsourcing more, they are partnering with fewer but more reliable suppliers as they focus on their key strengths. J. McKinsey has predicted that between 25 and 40% of what is now done by large US corporations will be done through alliances with other organizations in the next 3-5 years, effectively replacing hierarchy with shared responsibilities and rewards. The evidence is clear that there has been rapid and substantive change in the way the supply chain operates and is being managed. Companies and society will never be the same again. The explosive changes underway have implications for both business practitioners and those who are influencing this process through research and education. This chapter focuses on your career opportunities as business practitioners. How will these changes impact recruiting requirements, skill sets, and career progression issues related to working in this dynamic and very exciting area? What are the criteria that companies use to select new Supply Chain team members or recognize/promote existing team members? What do our industry colleagues suggest are the major attributes of potential supply chain leaders?

It is a very exciting time to be in supply chain management. The world of supply chain management is rapidly changing. Supply chain management is being seen more and more as a broad-based competency rather than a ‘stovepipe’ or functional responsibility. As business process reengineering concepts evolve within individual companies, a vision extending beyond the four walls of the business is becoming more common. Culturally, many enterprises are evolving towards consensus-oriented, cross-functional teams to deal with a myriad of critical business processes, of which supply chain management is considered one. It is widely recognized that efficiency in supply chain management can contribute significantly to a company’s profitability and competitiveness.