by Jennifer Hart Yim | Aug 21, 2020 | Blog, Supply Chain, Talent
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of three guest posts by Kate Began of Polycase.
The increasing digitization of commerce has revolutionized global supply chains in all kinds of ways. Shipments can now be dispatched with the click of a button, sophisticated algorithms can automatically route truckers around traffic jams, and goods can be imported and exported more quickly and easily than ever.
To handle all of those big changes and ensure that today’s supply chains keep up with the times, a new career has been born: the digital supply chain manager. This relatively new career is taking off fast. So, what’s it all about? Today, we’ll talk about what a career as a digital supply chain manager entails, how to enter this in-demand field, and even why some supply chain management jobs may be totally different from what you expect.
What exactly does a digital supply chain manager do?
Duties
Digital supply chain managers are responsible for helping businesses implement the tools of 21st-century logistics in their supply chains. It’s all about keeping one foot in the bold new frontiers of the digital world and one foot in classic business acumen. The goal? Breaking down walls and silos, and creating a more efficient and integrated process.
The job of a digital supply chain manager usually includes tasks such as:
- Using predictive analytics tools and automated replenishment to more effectively meet businesses’ inventory needs
- Managing the operation and implementation of software systems such as ERP suites and digital logistics platforms
- Helping businesses integrate their eCommerce platforms with their operations on the ground
- Deploying IoT devices and automation in innovative and cost-effective ways digital supply chain management jobs may be totally different from what you expect.
- Analyzing data collection practices and finding new ways to collect the data that matters
- Ensuring that all elements of the supply chain, both physical and digital, are secured appropriately
- Devising and implementing strategies for continually improving supply chain technologies and evaluating the latest technological trends
As the digital supply chain continues to evolve, the digital supply chain manager’s duties will continue to do so as well. It’s a career that requires a commitment to rolling with the punches and continually improving one’s own skills.
Qualifications
What kind of qualifications does someone need today to get a job as a digital supply chain manager?
- Education: At a minimum, you’ll probably need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, preferably in a subject like supply chain management, business, statistics, or information technology. Of course, a higher degree like an MBA can only help a candidate’s chances.
- Skills: A digital supply chain manager needs to have a working knowledge of key digital logistics tools such as demand forecasting software, trucker load boards, route planning software and major ERP software suites. But it’s important to remember that a good digital logistics manager’s skills don’t live inside the plastic enclosure of any of their many devices. At the end of the day, it comes down to a candidate’s ability to plan, prioritize and forge meaningful connections with other stakeholders.
- Experience: Entry-level jobs in the digital supply chain management field often include jobs such as logistics analysis, customer service, procurement coordinators, and buyers. Digital supply chain management is a field in which experience and skills are king, so someone with a long history of success in the field may be a competitive candidate even without an advanced degree.
Job outlook
With supply chains expanding and digitizing every day, the job market outlook for digital supply chain managers is fairly strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts job growth of 5 percent (or about as fast as an average career path) for logisticians of all kinds, but there’s good reason to think that digital supply chain management will be a fast-growing subset of that career.
That’s because, as eCommerce continues to create the new realities of the market, the BLS also predicts continued strong growth in all kinds of industries adjacent to eCommerce. And as businesses attempt to compete (or work alongside) eCom behemoths like Amazon and Walmart, the demand for logistics professionals who can navigate the digital supply chain is likely to remain high.
How about average salaries and income? According to BLS data, the average logistician earns around $75,000 per year, which already isn’t too shabby. However, considering the high demand for digital and software skills, digital supply chain managers are likely to earn toward the higher end of the pay scale for their field. And for candidates whose skills include the back-end aspects of software development, the opportunities can be even greater.
The other kind
Depending on who you’re talking to, the phrase “digital supply chain manager” can also refer to a totally different career. The other kind of digital supply chain manager works to coordinate the many aspects of delivering a digital product or service to the consumer.
Think about it: Any app or service that you use goes through a multitude of layers of other software and Web services. From Amazon Web Services to WordPress to cloud security software, this new “digital supply chain” is an essential part of 21st-century commerce. Making sure that every step of the chain is secure and functional is a big job that requires a lot of big-picture thinking and familiarity with a huge variety of technologies.
This kind of digital supply chain management is much more software-focused and can often be done remotely. Essential qualifications skew much more toward the technical side, with degrees and experience in full-stack development, software engineering, computer science, and information technology all offering relevant knowledge.
For those seeking the careers of tomorrow, digital supply chain management is almost certain to have its place among the most critical jobs. Its combination of logistics and sophisticated computer skills isn’t for everyone—but it’s definitely a promising career for those who find that it calls to them.
Kate Began serves as the Sales and Marketing Manager for Polycase. She oversees the customer service representatives, assists with product development, and leads the marketing efforts from the Avon, Ohio headquarters. Kate is also an avid Cleveland Indians fan!
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by Fronetics | Mar 6, 2019 | Blog, Content Marketing, Current Events, Logistics, Marketing, Supply Chain, Talent
Increasingly, women are pursuing careers in the supply chain. But they continue to face a salary gap — and the higher they climb, the wider it gets.
Highlights:
- Men in the supply chain industry earned an average of 29% more than women in 2017.
- Women perform at the same levels as men with the same job titles and expectations but may not be given the same opportunities to advance their careers.
It’s no secret that the supply chain and logistics sector is largely male-dominated. Over the past decade, women have increasingly pursued supply chain careers and assumed leadership roles. But according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, women in the industry continue to face a pay gap, and that pay gap widens as they rise through the ranks.
[bctt tweet=”According to a recent study by the Institute for Supply Management, which surveyed 3,000 supply chain professionals, men in the industry earned an average of 29% more than women in 2017.” username=”Fronetics”]
According to a recent study by the Institute for Supply Management, which surveyed 3,000 supply chain professionals, men in the industry earned an average of 29% more than women in 2017. Interestingly, in higher level positions, where there are still relatively few women, the pay gap was even wider — and it was wider still between workers with the highest levels of experience. Among those who had been in the supply chain for 15 to 19 years, the study found that men earned 48% more than women with identical experience levels.
Progress?
In her article, Wall Street Journal supply chain and logistics reporter Jennifer Smith points out that there has been some progress. “The gap has narrowed slightly since 2016,” she writes, “when the disparity in salaries was 31 percentage points.” But she goes on to detail the ways in which the industry lags behind when it comes to pay equity.
Smith quotes Cory Ann Holst, senior director of data and performance management for the global business services division of snack-food giant Mondelez International Inc. “Women haven’t made near the progress that the industry wants us to think we have,” says Holst. “We all know there is a glass ceiling.”
Echoing this sobering reality-check, a compensation survey by supply chain organization APICS found an overall pay disparity, albeit smaller, with women earning an average of 16% less than their male counterparts. Abe Eshkenazi, chief executive of APICS, told Smith that “women perform at the same levels as men with the same job titles and expectations but may not be given the same opportunities to advance their careers.”
Why the gap?
While the pay disparity in the supply chain is generally in-line with that of the broader U.S. labor force, it’s still striking. So, what causes the pay gap to persist? And why does it go from a gap to a gulf at higher-level positions and greater experience levels? “Experts say a range of factors play into the gender pay gap,” writes Smith, “including discrimination and different career choices. White-collar jobs often reward people who work long hours or change positions frequently, for instance, steps some women with families may be less likely to take.”
Smith points to the career trajectory of Sana Raheem, now head of operations at the Farmer’s Dog, a subscription-based healthy pet food company in New York City. Raheem worked her way up in logistics at Kraft Heinz Co and was a senior manager of logistics and supply chain at Mondelez International. It wasn’t an easy road. “Getting there meant taking jobs in remote manufacturing facilities with a mostly-male labor force and few female role models,” writes Smith.
“I had many moments early in my career where I was told to slow down, be less aggressive, and pay my dues,” said Raheem. “I saw a lot of women around me accept similar feedback and spend years making less than their male counterparts.”
According to Robert Handfield, professor of supply chain management and executive director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management, “the industry is increasingly well suited for women. It involves identifying opportunities, thinking strategically, and working collaboratively.”
By every measure, the supply chain needs more women at all levels. It’s time to compensate them fairly.
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by Fronetics | Dec 20, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Supply Chain, Talent
Here are our most-viewed blog posts from 2018 about talent, including analysis of industry trends, and influencers you should be paying attention to.
New Year’s is the time for resolutions — personally and within your professional life, as well. Take a look at your company’s track record for identifying strengths and interests within your employees, and hiring and retaining great talent, and evaluate how to improve upon it.
We’ve assembled our top 5 talent posts of 2018. We hope these can be a resource to help your business overcome challenges and achieve your goals for the new year.
Top 5 talent posts of 2018
1. 6 Reasons Your Supply Chain Employees Are Looking for New Jobs
This guest post from Argentus Supply Chain Recruiting examines the most likely reasons why passive candidates seek out new jobs, particularly in Supply Chain and Procurement. It’s not out of a desire for more money as often as you might think. More often than not, it’s the more intangible factors. Read more
2. 7 Supply Chain & Logistics Professionals to Follow on LinkedIn
With LinkedIn Publishing, users are able to create long-form posts and articles to communicate their subject-matter expertise and interests. Following LinkedIn members gives you access to their profiles, as well as any original or third-party posts they publish on their newsfeeds. So your newsfeed becomes populated with the content the users you follow are publishing and sharing — meaning, if you follow the right people, you get invaluable insight into industry leaders’ thoughts and trends. Here are some of our favorite supply chain and logistics professionals to follow on LinkedIn. Read more
[bctt tweet=”With LinkedIn Publishing your newsfeed becomes populated with the content the users you follow are publishing and sharing — meaning, if you follow the right people, you get invaluable insight into industry leaders’ thoughts and trends. ” username=”Fronetics”]
3. Top 10 Mobile Apps for Supply Chain Professionals
Supply chain and logistics professionals are finding mobile applications to be a necessary tool these days. In an industry focused on the transport of products and goods, mobile apps are giving supply chain professionals a new freedom from the confines of their desks. Here are 10 mobile apps for supply chain professionals to be familiar with. Read more
4. Top 5 Logistics and Supply Chain Careers
With the talent gap growing wider every day, ambitious current and future supply chain professionals have many interesting opportunities. And not only that — logistics and supply chain careers are increasingly high paying. Here’s a look at five of the top logistics and supply chain careers available to today’s professionals. Read more
5. Industry Report: Supply Chain Management is Becoming Younger, More Educated, More Diverse
A major new survey shows that millennials are moving into the workforce in a big way, changing its Supply Chain’s demographics and disrupting the industry. It’s a far-reaching report with a lot of results busting down stereotypes both about Supply Chain and millennials themselves. Here were some of our biggest, and most surprising, takeaways. Read more
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