Why Choose a Supply Chain Career Path? Skills & Opportunities

Supply Chain Career Path – An Overview

Supply chain management is the process of integrating and optimizing all steps necessary to produce products in the proper amount and deliver them on time. Basically, it is the movement of raw materials to consumable products in the most efficient manner possible. A retail company, for example, Wal-Mart, is the largest company that is part of the Fortune 500 and has built its fortune on the success of its supply chain management system. Supply chain management is among the fastest-growing sectors, and there are many good reasons to choose the supply chain career path, especially if you have a knack for organization and working with others.

Why Choose a Supply Chain Career Path?

Quite often, a seemingly small change in the supply chain, may save the company a considerable amount of money and produce a more efficient means of getting goods to the market. Here are just a few reasons to choose a supply chain career path.

a. Necessary Service

Unlike many other management practices that come and go with time, supply chain management is one that will always be around. It is a fundamental part of any business that creates products, so its survival is guaranteed.

b. Growing Demand

As the success of Walmart has demonstrated, more companies are now focused on creating successful supply chain management procedures and they will need to bring in those capable of delivering the right outcome.

c. Bright Future

Global expansion of business over the past two decades has created new demands for supply chain managers to help oversee the process. It is a growth industry that shows no signs of slowing down in the foreseeable future.

How to Start a Supply Chain Manager Career Path?

The role of supply chain management is growing worldwide, and to take a supply chain manager career path, you will need to start by getting the right education and experience. Once you have received such education, for example, logistics training, the next step is gaining experience by working for a company as part of their supply chain management team.

As you gain in experience, your talents and skills will be in demand by other supply chain management and planning companies where you can take over their managerial staff to run their supply chain.

Top 5 Supply Chain Career Paths

The career path for supply chain management opportunities are many, it’s simply narrowing down the ones that offer the most potential.

1. Inventory Manager.
2. Materials Manager.
3. Purchasing/Procurement Manager.
4. Warehouse Operations & Transportation Manager.
5. Logistics Manager.

All five of the above mentioned roles could be the part of supply chain manager job description (depending on the company). These positions are considered essential for supply chain management and represent the best opportunities for career advancement. Many start out as clerks in purchasing or inventory to learn the ropes, so they can advance to managerial positions. It’s quite common for many in the field to work more than one position during their careers. This is because the demands of the job may require expertise in different aspects of supply chain management. To develop these skills, AIMS’ masters in supply chain management and supply chain management certification online are among the best qualifications offered 100% online.

The career path for logistics and supply chain management is a healthy one, so if you have the aptitude for organization, work well with others, and can observe and plan, you have a bright career ahead of you in supply chain management.

Supply Chain Management Career Path – Key Roles & Responsibilities

a. Communication

Communication is key in supply chain management business, whether it’s with customers, vendors, or colleagues. Being a supply chain professional, you’ll need to be able to interact with each of these roles to ensure that the supply chain management operations in your company run smoothly.

b. Operations Management

Successful leaders are often those who are capable of balancing operations, marketing, and sales in a way that benefits everyone. Successful supply chain managers are leaders who are capable of doing this.

c. Analysis

Remember, that using the right supply chain analysis tools and techniques is the key. Successful supply chain professionals are analytically-minded people who can take in a lot of information and process it so that they can make informed decisions and solve problems.