Companies rely on their supply chain operations to ensure they can access necessary resources and efficiently ship out products. A supply chain director works to ensure these functions are efficient and cost-effective.

The worldwide nature of today’s company environs, along with the escalating usage of lean manufacturing principles, means this industry is developing in complexity and degree of responsibility. Becoming a director of supply chain operations can be a rewarding career for individuals who are fascinated by logistics and manufacturing across an array of industries.

Supply chain director positions are in almost every industry and qualifications necessary to succeed can usually transfer from industry to industry. No two director jobs are the same, and there is significant competition for these positions.

Supply chain functions include all the actions essential to moving goods between companies. The director position deals in many different facets of various manufacturing industries, like procurement, warehousing, quality control and shipping operations. A director should be able to make projections for demand, evaluate inventory and resolve issues related to the supply chain. This person must respond to organizational challenges and work to meet organizational goals.

Most supply chain director jobs include opportunities for advancement, such as a promotion to Vice President of Operations.

Job Duties

A director typically supplies tactical direction and support for supply chain operations and personnel. For instance, in the medical device manufacturing industry, standard job duties include overseeing and leading demand-and-supply Planning, sourcing initiatives, materials planning and procurement. These professionals are also required to lead the S&OP process, as well as initiatives such as PPV/VAVE savings, supplier development, JV and partnerships with OEMs.

Qualifications

A director of supply chain operations should have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, business or a supply chain specialization. An applicant should have 12 to 15 years of experience managing in an area of the supply chain, as well as seven or more years of leadership experience. The ideal application also has strong communication, leadership, negotiation and interpersonal abilities. She or he should have solid analytical, statistical and problem-solving abilities. Top candidates for this job exude humility, prioritize transparency and have a high degree of integrity.

Salary and prospects

Compensation for this position ranges from $140,000 to $200,000. Factors affecting salary include amount of experience, education and location. To set salary expectations, prospective applicants ought to conduct research on various job openings and the requirements for these openings speak to their individual skill set.

For job prospect purposes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics considers a director of supply chain operations to be under the umbrella of ‘general and operations managers’ and as such – the federal agency has projected job opportunities for this category to increase by 7 percent through 2024.

Current Opening for Director of Supply Chain

ZDA is currently recruiting for a supply chain director for a growing multibillion-dollar medical device equipment manufacturer. Located in Pittsburgh, this is a direct-hire opportunity posted in late May 2020. You can learn more about this exciting opportunity and apply here.