Supply Chain Management encompasses a number of functional areas of a business.

· Forecasting / Planning
· Purchasing / Procurement
· Logistics
· Operations
· Inventory Management
· Transport
· Warehousing
· Distribution
· Customer Service

Supply Chain Management is viewed differently from one business to another, and whilst we can not go into too much detail here, Supply Chain Management may cover all of the areas detailed above in some business, whilst in other it may only capture certain elements, for example logistics and distribution. However, from a theoretical perspective all of the areas detailed above are sub sets of supply chain management. (See Supply Chain Explained).

It is also important to recognise that all businesses have a supply chain, whether they are manufacturing companies, banks, public sector, or service businesses, each one involves taking a group of resources, creating a product or service, and delivering that product or service to the customer. However, the strategic significance of the various supply chain functions, and therefore the level and significance of career opportunities, will vary according to the type and size of business.

There is no standard route into the supply chain career fields. It is common for people to move across from other business disciplines into the supply chain area, though increasingly supply chain management is becoming a career of choice for graduates, who then build their careers exclusively through the supply chain disciplines.

Qualifications

There are many good and respected business schools offering supply chain and purchasing qualifications at the degree and masters degree level. Of course any business orientated degree will be considered by potential employers, but a very relevant supply chain or purchasing qualification from a leading business school will give you greater access to the “fast track” career route in the top companies.

Membership / Professional Bodies

There are numerous institutes around the world that represent the supply chain and purchasing community and offer vocational based qualifications. Though surprisingly none of these bodies appear to have any significant membership when you consider the population of supply chain and purchasing professionals around the world. We believe that the largest such membership body based in the USA has around 40,000 members. The second largest reports just 28,000 members. Our research suggests that less than 5% of advertised supply chain and purchasing jobs contain any preference for individuals with the qualifications awarded by these membership bodies.

Job Titles

Typical job titles by functional area:

Supply Chain
Supply Chain Analyst
Supply Chain Coordinator
Supply Chain Manager
Supply Chain Consultant

Supply Chain Director

VP Supply Chain

Forecasting / Planning
Expeditor
Materials Planner

Production Planner
Sales Order Planner

Master Scheduler
Demand Planner
Production Planner
Demand Planning Manager
Production Planning Manager

Purchasing / Procurement

Assistant Buyer / Purchasing Assistant
Buyer
Senior Buyer
Category Manager / Commodity Manager
Purchasing Manager / Procurement Manager

Purchasing Consultant / Procurement Consultant
Purchasing Director / Procurement Director
VP Purchasing / VP Procurement

Logistics
Logistics Analyst
Logistics Coordinator
Logistics Engineer
Logistics Manager
Logistics Specialist

Logistics Director

VP Logistics

Operations
Operations Manager
Manufacturing Manager
Production Manager

Inventory Management
Expeditor
Inventory Planner
Inventory Manager

Transport
Transport Coordinator
Transport Planner / Scheduler
Transport Supervisor
Transport Manager
Transport Planning / Scheduling Manager

Warehousing & Distribution
Shift Manager
Warehouse Supervisor
Warehouse Manager
Distribution Centre Manager

Business Development Manager

Customer Service
Customer Service Assistant
Customer Service Manager

*****************************************************************

The area of supply chain encompasses:

· Forecasting / Planning

· Purchasing / Procurement

· Logistics

· Operations

· Inventory Management

· Transport

· Warehousing

· Distribution

· Customer Service

· Supply Chain Management

SupplyChainRecruit.com, incorporating:

· Jobs4Purchasing.com

· Jobs4Logistics.com

· Jobs4Warehousing.com

· Jobs4SupplyChain.com

advertises jobs and attracts candidates across this entire spectrum. The job board is structured in defined industry sectors to enable candidates to search jobs in specific types of employers. Jobs can be searched by skill type, industry sector, career level, and location.

We provide a secure portal to store and update your CV. Once registered you can elect to receive email alerts when new jobs matching your criteria are posted, and you can apply for jobs quickly and easily with the press of a button. Your CV and application details will then be delivered speedily and directly to the advertiser.

You can elect to make your CV details searchable by recruiters and employers.

Login as often as you wish to review and update your CV and other details.

Receive our popular monthly Supply Chain Magazine by email.

Job Searching

The best advice that we can offer job hunters is be clear about what you are looking for in your next job, and in your career overall. Of course everybody is open to new and stunning opportunities that may take them by surprise from time to time, but you are far more likely to fulfill your potential if you have thought about what you are looking for and set about finding it.

We see many candidates that register to receive job alerts for every job category, in every industry sector, in every location. They believe that by being specific they may miss a great opportunity. In reality it is likely to be the complete opposite. They will miss the great job opportunity that is ideally suited to them because they are unable to see it amongst the mass of irrelevant job information that they receive, and that is not genuinely of interest to them.

Register for job alerts, and search for jobs, based upon criteria that genuinely reflects your aspirations and desires.

Applying For Jobs

We believe in respected the differing preferences of candidates. In most cases candidates will not need to register with us in order to apply for the vacancies displayed on SupplyChainRecruit.com or our sub-niche job boards:

· Jobs4Purchasing.com

· Jobs4Logistics.com

· Jobs4Warehousing.com

· Jobs4SupplyChain.com

The application options shown on each job ad vary depending upon the requirements of the advertiser, but generally you will have the option of registering and submitting your application securely online, or contacting the recruiter directly.

Either way it is important to keep a record of the jobs that you apply for so that you can follow up with the advertiser if necessary.

Following Up On Job Applications.

See above

Please note that applications are delivered directly to the advertisers. We do not receive a copy of applications and can not therefore provide any feedback on applications.

Preparing A CV

The value of a well presented CV can not be overstated. However, it is all too often viewed as a chore that must be endured. When one considers the potential benefits of a highly effective CV the investment in quality time can be seen for what it is, an investment.

Click here to download our article: Preparing A High Impact CV

Preparing For Interview

Once you have secured an interview it is important to prepare correctly. In our experience a well prepared candidate will often outperform candidates with more relevant experience or skills. This is because companies employ people. If you come across better to the interviewee then you can put yourself ahead of other candidates.