U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration https://www.onetonline.org 13m 3,133 #insights
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety. Examine existing procedures or opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, or processing of inventory.
Sample of reported job titles:
Global Supply Chain Director, Material Requirements Planning Manager, Solution Design and Analysis Manager, Supply Chain Director, Supply Chain Manager
Tasks | Technology Skills | Tools Used | Knowledge | Skills | Abilities | Work Activities | Detailed Work Activities | Work Context | Job Zone | Education | Credentials | Interests | Work Styles | Work Values | Related Occupations | Wages & Employment | Job Openings | Additional Information
Tasks
5 of 27 displayed
All 27 displayed- 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.
- Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders.
- Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success.
- Monitor suppliers’ activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements.
- Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies.
- Meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, to provide performance feedback, or to discuss production forecasts or changes.
- Monitor forecasts and quotas to identify changes and predict effects on supply chain activities.
- 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.
- Identify or qualify new suppliers in collaboration with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, or quality assurance.
- Design or implement plant warehousing strategies for production materials or finished products.
- Design, implement, or oversee product take back or reverse logistics programs to ensure products are recycled, reused, or responsibly disposed.
- 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.
- Diagram supply chain models to help facilitate discussions with customers.
- Evaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory.
- Identify opportunities to reuse or recycle materials to minimize consumption of new materials, minimize waste, or to convert wastes to by-products.
- Review or update supply chain practices in accordance with new or changing environmental policies, standards, regulations, or laws.
- Design or implement supply chains that support environmental policies.
- Forecast material costs or develop standard cost lists.
- Locate or select biodegradable, non-toxic, or other environmentally friendly raw materials for manufacturing processes.
Technology Skills
Knowledge
5 of 10 displayed All 10 displayed- Transportation — Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
- Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
- Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Personnel and Human Resources — Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
- Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Skills
5 of 22 displayed All 22 displayed- 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.
- 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.
- Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management — Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Management of Material Resources — Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
- Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.
Abilities
5 of 18 displayed All 18 displayed- Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Work Activities
5 of 30 displayed All 30 displayed- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
- Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
- Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
- Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
- Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
- Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
- Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
- Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
- Providing Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
- Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
- Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
- Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
- Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
- Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
Detailed Work Activities
5 of 23 displayed All 23 displayed- Estimate cost or material requirements.
- Estimate labor requirements.
- Manage inventories of products or organizational resources.
- Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
- Develop procedures to evaluate organizational activities.
- Manage operations, research, or logistics projects.
- Develop organizational goals or objectives.
- Implement transportation changes to reduce environmental impact.
- Confer with organizational members to accomplish work activities.
- Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.
- Negotiate contracts for transportation, distribution, or logistics services.
- Analyze data to assess operational or project effectiveness.
- Implement organizational process or policy changes.
- Coordinate with external parties to exchange information.
- Develop organizational methods or procedures.
- Monitor performance of organizational members or partners.
- Monitor external affairs or events affecting business operations.
- Develop sustainable organizational policies or practices.
- Document organizational or operational procedures.
- Identify opportunities for green initiatives.
- Evaluate quality of materials or products.
- Evaluate potential of products, technologies, or resources.
- Evaluate environmental impact of operational or development activities.
Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities
Work Context
5 of 25 displayed All 25 displayed- Electronic Mail — 100% responded “Every day.”
- Telephone — 100% responded “Every day.”
- Face-to-Face Discussions — 90% responded “Every day.”
- Duration of Typical Work Week — 85% responded “More than 40 hours.”
- Work With Work Group or Team — 60% responded “Extremely important.”
- Contact With Others — 62% responded “Constant contact with others.”
- Time Pressure — 57% responded “Every day.”
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 65% responded “Every day.”
- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results — 45% responded “Very high responsibility.”
- Structured versus Unstructured Work — 52% responded “Some freedom.”
- Coordinate or Lead Others — 40% responded “Extremely important.”
- Freedom to Make Decisions — 43% responded “A lot of freedom.”
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 52% responded “Very important.”
- Responsible for Others’ Health and Safety — 43% responded “Very high responsibility.”
- Spend Time Sitting — 52% responded “More than half the time.”
- Frequency of Conflict Situations — 38% responded “Every day.”
- Letters and Memos — 37% responded “Every day.”
- Deal With External Customers — 43% responded “Important.”
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 33% responded “Important results.”
- Frequency of Decision Making — 30% responded “Every day.”
- Level of Competition — 50% responded “Highly competitive.”
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People — 35% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
- Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled — 33% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
- Physical Proximity — 35% responded “Moderately close (at arm’s length).”
- Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 29% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
Job Zone
| Title | Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed |
| Education | Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor’s degree, but some do not. |
| Related Experience | A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified. |
| Job Training | Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. |
| Job Zone Examples | Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators. |
| SVP Range | (7.0 to < 8.0) |
Interests
All 2 displayedInterest code: EC
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler at My Next Move.
- Enterprising — Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
- Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Styles
5 of 16 displayed All 16 displayed- Leadership — Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
- Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
- Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
- Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
- Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
- Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
- Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
- Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
- Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
- Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
- Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
- Self-Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
- Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
- Independence — Job requires developing one’s own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
- Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others’ needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
- Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Work Values
All 3 displayed- Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
- Working Conditions — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
- Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Wages & Employment Trends
Median wage data for Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers.
Employment data for Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers.
Industry data for Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers.
| Median wages (2020) | $46.34 hourly, $96,390 annual |
| State wages | |
| Local wages | |
| Employment (2020) | 137,600 employees |
| Projected growth (2020-2030) |  Average (5% to 10%) |
| Projected job openings (2020-2030) | 11,800 |
| State trends | |
| Top industries (2020) | |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 wage data
and 2020-2030 employment projections
.
“Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2020-2030). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Sources of Additional Information
All 4 displayedDisclaimer:
Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries.
Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
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