Supply Chain Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35 · broader occupation

Median pay

$107,230

BLS May 2025 · broader occupation

1. Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials. importance 4.2 of 5
2. Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving. importance 4.2 of 5
3. Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution. importance 4.1 of 5
4. Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality. importance 4.1 of 5
5. Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure availability of materials or products. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Monitor suppliers' activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies. importance 4.0 of 5
13. Meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, to provide performance feedback, or to discuss production forecasts or changes. importance 4.0 of 5
14. Monitor forecasts and quotas to identify changes and predict effects on supply chain activities. importance 3.7 of 5
15. 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. importance 3.6 of 5
16. Identify or qualify new suppliers in collaboration with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, or quality assurance. importance 3.6 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Developing and Building Teams and Analyzing Data or Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Forecast material costs or develop standard cost lists.
• Locate or select biodegradable, non-toxic, or other environmentally friendly raw materials for manufacturing processes.
• Appraise vendor manufacturing capabilities through on-site observations or other measurements.
• Conduct or oversee the conduct of life cycle analyses to determine the environmental impacts of products, processes, or systems.
• Investigate or review the carbon footprints and environmental performance records of current or potential storage and distribution service providers.

Knowledge areas: Transportation, Administration and Management, English Language, Economics and Accounting and Customer and Personal Service.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, SAP software, Inventory management systems. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for the broader occupation.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a supply chain manager.

Most O*NET's occupation experts for this occupation (67%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Supply Chain Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Supply Chain Manager to direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.
- Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance.
- Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance.
- 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.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in coordination, judgment and decision making and time management
- Working knowledge of Transportation and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For the broader BLS occupation Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers, the median annual wage was $107,230 in May 2025. The broader occupation's median hourly wage was $51.55.

BLS counts the O*NET occupation Supply Chain Managers within Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers and publishes no separate wage for it, so the figure is for that broader occupation.

BLS projects employment in the broader occupation Transportation, storage, and distribution managers to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,300 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full supply chain manager salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real supply chain manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only supply chain manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (coordination and judgment and decision making); supply chain manager interview questions turns them into practice questions.