One of the most popular areas of study today is that of supply chain management. This term refers to the management of production, purchasing, storage, transport and sales. Essentially, a supply chain manager is someone who understands the entire process of a company and can direct employees at every step of the way.
It involves a lot of logistics, great organizational skills and the ability to communicate well with everyone from foreign manufacturing companies to department store buyers. If this field intrigues you, then a degree can be the best way to break into the industry and secure a new and exciting career.
A bachelor’s degree can help you find an entry-level career, but a master’s is ideal for top jobs in the field. Here are just five of the top careers that you might enjoy with an online degree in supply chain management.
1. Warehouse Operations Manager
In many large businesses, dozens or even hundreds of staff members work primarily in warehouses rather than large office buildings. Warehouses might hold raw materials to be used during the manufacturing process, or they might hold finished products that are ready to be sold. For retail outlets, warehouses might even be where a range of packaged items are held until they are needed on shelves. The warehouse operations manager works to ensure that items are easily located when needed, they direct the oldest items out of storage to make room for newer items and they ensure that there is an updated inventory list available when needed.
2. Buyer
A buyer for a business is someone who uses inventory lists to purchase new items or materials for sale. While this might sound easy, it involves incredible timing and organizational skills. You’ll need to predict when items are needed to account for shipping times without running out of storage room if they get there too early. It is a job of finding balance.
3. Transportation Coordinator
To get raw materials, packaging and finished products to the right place at the right time, someone needs to take control of transportation altogether. The transportation coordinator is exactly that person, and their job includes creating schedules for deliveries and organizing when drivers will work as well as their most efficient routes across the country.
4. Operations Manager
This title is one of the most common in the field, and it is a very all-encompassing moniker. The operations manager might simply be the person who knows a little about every aspect of the company and can make quick decisions and what to do in any situation. The warehouse manager might call operations for help, and the transportation coordinator might do the same thing. If you work well under pressure, this might be right for you.
5. Project Manager
This title refers to someone who takes complete control of a particular project, becomes very familiar with it and then sees it through to completion. Project managers take on tasks like releasing a new movie, introducing a new brand or building a skyscraper.
