Supply Chain Managers

• Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure availability of materials or products.
• Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality.
• Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service.
• Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance.
• Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders.
• Meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, to provide performance feedback, or to discuss production forecasts or changes.
• Implement new or improved supply chain processes.
• Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies.
• Monitor supplier performance to assess ability to meet quality and delivery requirements.
• Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, inventory control, warehousing, or receiving.
• 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.
• Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success.
• Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution.
• Collaborate with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, and quality assurance, to identify or qualify new suppliers.
• 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.
• Develop material costs forecasts or standard cost lists.
• Assess appropriate material handling equipment needs and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials.
• Design or implement plant warehousing strategies for production materials or finished products.
• Appraise vendor manufacturing ability through on-site visits and measurements.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Supply Chain Managers.

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• 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.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Supply Chain Managers.