WHAT DOES A SUPPLY CHAIN DO?

Published: Dec 31, 2025 - The Supply Chain Professional oversees end-to-end procurement, logistics, and inventory processes to ensure cost-effective and timely product flow across the organization. This position involves analyzing demand trends, coordinating with vendors and internal teams, and implementing continuous improvements that optimize efficiency and reduce operational risks. The individual also ensures compliance with industry standards, leverages data-driven insights for better decision-making, and supports strategic planning to enhance overall supply chain performance.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Supply Chain

1. Supply Chain Analyst Duties

  • Demand Planning: Support demand planning and replenishment planning activities for developed markets.
  • Supply Planning: Develop and maintain demand and supply planning reports to generate MPS, replenishment plans, project inventory, measure manufacturing and replenishment adherence, monitor back orders, and track supply chain planning KPIs.
  • KPI Reporting: Communicate KPIs to upper management.
  • Executive Reviews: Oversee and consolidate content for executive business reviews.
  • Root Cause Analysis: Analyze root causes of supply change requests, excess and obsolete inventory, and back orders.
  • Continuous Improvement: Drive initiatives focused on continuous improvement to reduce excess and obsolete inventory, decrease back orders, and improve line fill rate.
  • Quality Collaboration: Collaborate with quality teams to support the on-time closure of CAPA, QI, and SCARs.
  • Inventory Management: Ensure inventory management and warehouse operations best practices are shared across sites and foster a continuous improvement environment.
  • Project Leadership: Initiate and lead cross-functional project teams that support business initiatives aimed at improving efficiencies and reducing costs.
  • Process Improvement: Map and document existing processes, systems, and data flows, gain consensus, recommend and implement improvements, document new processes and training materials, and ensure compliance.
  • Cross-Functional Coordination: Interface continuously with global demand, global supply, customer service, business intelligence, data analytics, IT, logistics, NPI, engineering, finance, and quality teams.

2. Buyer and Supply Chain Analyst Responsibilities

  • Vendor Relations: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with vendors.
  • Vendor Performance: Ensure vendors meet communication, delivery, and quality expectations.
  • Supplier Reviews: Contribute to regular supplier performance reviews.
  • Purchase Orders: Create, edit, and manage purchase orders.
  • Inventory Analysis: Evaluate inventory levels, communicate overages or shortages, and make recommendations.
  • Purchasing Planning: Participate in determining monthly purchasing requirements based on sales history, forecasts, and market conditions.
  • Logistics Coordination: Work with freight forwarders and carriers to ensure the timely delivery of shipments and resolve issues as they arise.
  • Warehouse Liaison: Act as primary contact for the EU warehouse and provide support on inventory management and shipment information.
  • Shipment Tracking: Monitor inbound shipment status and communicate updates to impacted parties.
  • International Shipping: Manage direct shipments to international distributors and customers.
  • Transfer Orders: Perform US and EU warehouse transfer order processes.
  • Contract Negotiation: Prepare and negotiate contractual documents and binding agreements.
  • Local Sourcing: Locate and manage local sourcing options.

3. Supply Chain Associate Tasks

  • Inventory Support: Support the senior planner on North America inventory management.
  • Inventory Analysis: Review inventory reports for trends and identify low inventory items for purchasing and transfer.
  • Slow-Moving Analysis: Identify slow-moving items and raise them for action during sales and planning meetings.
  • Promotion Tracking: Track all items on the promotions list to ensure inventory flow supports required delivery dates.
  • Shipment Expediting: Communicate with the senior planner when action is needed to expedite shipments.
  • Exception Management: Highlight all exceptions and unplanned sales activities to adjust purchasing and manufacturing priorities.
  • Order Processing: Support planning and operations with monthly order processing.
  • Shipment Coordination: Coordinate shipment releases with sales and factories.
  • Production Coordination: Assist the senior planner in coordinating with factories on inventory needs and priorities for mass production.
  • Document Processing: Coordinate with factories and accounting on shipping document processing.
  • Ad Hoc Support: Support the senior planner and operations manager on ad hoc projects.

4. Supply Chain Coordinator Essential Functions

  • Production Planning: Plan actual production in the local production system.
  • Finished Goods: Plan and be accountable for finished goods availability.
  • Inventory Targets: Be accountable for achieving inventory performance targets for assigned supply chains.
  • Demand Responsiveness: React quickly to changes in customer forecasts and demand.
  • Stock Optimization: Calculate and set optimal stock targets per product and location using the defined process.
  • Planning Parameters: Maintain planning parameters in the planning system.
  • Supply Communication: Update replenishment and country CLA teams on potential shortages, expected delivery dates, and delivery plans when supply is limited.
  • Lifecycle Management: Manage product phase-ins and phase-outs.
  • KPI Reporting: Measure and report key performance indicators.
  • Data Analysis: Prepare reports and analyze supply chain data.
  • Capacity Planning: Support the deployment of capacity planning tools and processes.

5. Supply Chain Director Key Accountabilities

  • Supply Chain Leadership: Oversee supply chain operations and direct the organization’s supply chain planning and structure.
  • Demand Forecasting: Evaluate past performance data to forecast needs and production levels.
  • Issue Resolution: Ensure issues are resolved in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
  • Strategic Judgment: Rely on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
  • Policy Development: Develop, implement, and maintain supply chain policies and procedures.
  • Executive Leadership: Provide supply chain advice, direction, and leadership.
  • Strategy Development: Design, develop, and implement focused strategies in collaboration with senior leadership.
  • Budget Planning: Participate actively in the budget and goal-setting process.
  • Executive Advisory: Provide advice and consultation to senior and executive management for strategic decisions.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Interact with executives, major customers, and large site managers to offer consultation, influence decisions, and resolve critical issues.
  • Cost Management: Manage activities contributing to year-over-year non-labor expense reduction.
  • Relationship Management: Develop positive working relationships with external stakeholders and customers.

6. Supply Chain Engineer Functions

  • Data Analysis: Collect data and perform statistical analysis.
  • Process Mapping: Map and document processes.
  • Process Improvement: Recommend and implement process improvements.
  • Operations Design: Apply company methodologies and tools to design distribution and transportation operations, including staffing, equipment, sizing, and layout.
  • Inventory Analysis: Assist with inventory analysis.
  • Performance Metrics: Establish performance measures.
  • Customer Communication: Assist in communications with internal and external customers to understand business requirements.
  • Business Support: Support business development and contribute to efficient design and solution processes.
  • Resource Optimization: Determine efficient resource utilization by analyzing layouts, labor force, equipment, and driver utilization charts.
  • Operational Support: Assist engineering and operations managers in implementing efficient and competitive solutions.
  • Lean Six Sigma: Apply various Lean Six Sigma tools.

7. Supply Chain Manager Roles and Responsibilities

  • Procurement Approval: Approve the ordering of necessary goods and services.
  • Order Finalization: Finalize purchase details of orders and deliveries.
  • Performance Reporting: Track and report key functional metrics to reduce expenses and improve effectiveness.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to accomplish key business results.
  • Risk Analysis: Anticipate unfavorable events through analysis of data and prepare control strategies.
  • Contract Risk: Perform risk management for supply contracts and agreements.
  • Cost Control: Control spending and drive long-term savings on procurement costs.
  • Proposal Evaluation: Compare proposals for price and specifications.
  • Vendor Communication: Communicate with vendors to ensure that the product arrives in a timely fashion.
  • Supplier Relations: Build and maintain long-term relationships with critical suppliers.
  • Systems Management: Manage technological systems that track the shipment, inventory, and supply of materials.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure adherence to all departmental and company-wide safety, health, and environmental rules and regulations.
  • Industry Awareness: Stay current with changing industry trends.

8. Supply Chain Operations Manager General Responsibilities

  • S&OP Leadership: Actively work with the supply chain manager to develop and implement a robust sales and operations planning procedure.
  • Commercial Liaison: Liaise with commercial colleagues to incorporate customer needs into planning and contribute to an efficient S&OP process and stock management.
  • People Management: Manage people's performance and engagement through effective leadership and performance evaluation.
  • Safety Leadership: Promote and ensure safety by monitoring accident frequency, implementing corrective actions, and fostering a safety-first culture.
  • Quality Compliance: Maintain quality standards in compliance with ISO13485, addressing customer complaints and resolving internal non-conformances.
  • Environmental Compliance: Ensure environmental compliance with ISO14001 and respond to specific customer environmental requirements.
  • Cost Control: Control costs by managing purchase prices, minimizing waste, and maximizing labor effectiveness.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Maintain regulatory compliance with legal and group requirements.
  • Strategic Planning: Lead strategic planning and capital investment in products and equipment.
  • Executive Leadership: Provide strong leadership within the UK management team across supply chain, purchasing, quality, safety, environment, manufacturing, technical, and logistics functions.
  • Operational Reporting: Ensure timely daily, weekly, and monthly reporting and communication.
  • Improvement Leadership: Lead improvement project initiatives to increase production efficiency and resource utilization.
  • Continuous Improvement: Implement and sustain continuous improvement methodologies.
  • Performance Measurement: Measure, analyze, and report progress on improvement projects and activities.
  • Audit Ownership: Ensure compliance with health and safety as well as product safety and quality standards, with teams taking ownership of audit outcomes.
  • Lean Leadership: Promote a proactive, fact-based approach to eliminating all forms of waste and lead the adoption of lean principles and continuous improvement.

9. Customer Supply Chain Planner Role Purpose

  • Demand Forecasting: Forecast demand for regularly used products by analyzing sales forecasts and average consumption to support supply chain activities over a minimum six-month horizon.
  • Sales Collaboration: Consult with sales or customer teams to gather relevant data and insights on demand through monthly order planning meetings.
  • Inventory Optimization: Collaborate with sales staff to develop strategies for optimizing finished goods inventory levels within management-defined targets.
  • Inventory Lifecycle: Work with sales staff to eliminate aged or obsolete inventories, manage new product introductions, and understand factors influencing customer consumption.
  • Cross-Functional Alignment: Drive cross-functional collaboration to influence supply chain demand and prioritize order fulfillment.
  • Receivables Coordination: Coordinate with accounts receivable to resolve issues affecting the payment of open invoices.
  • Logistics Expediting: Work with transportation logistics staff to expedite material shipments needed for forecasted sales and recover in-transit orders.
  • Impact Analysis: Analyze supply chain impacts and collaborate with sales staff to implement corrective actions.
  • Contract Review: Receive customer orders and perform contract reviews to ensure alignment with quotations and master price lists.
  • Vendor Shipments: Manage shipments from third-party vendors.

10. Supply Chain Planning Manager Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • KPI Definition: Define and set clear and challenging key performance indicators for the department aligned with company goals and objectives.
  • Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with the director of supply chain on strategic initiatives to streamline operations and build a more sustainable supply chain.
  • Demand Planning: Set up and define the demand planning process and lead its implementation to forecast future orders and trends across short, medium, and long-term horizons.
  • Inventory Accuracy: Maintain inventory accuracy through stock segregation, prioritization, planned cycle counting, root cause analysis, and action planning.
  • Capacity Planning: Lead capacity management and planning for each site, including theoretical capacity definition, capacity analysis, and continuous improvement of efficiency.
  • ERP Management: Ensure accuracy of ERP parameters through periodic updates and monitoring of changes in operational practices.
  • Production Ownership: Own the supply and execution of the production plan.
  • Supplier Collaboration: Collaborate with factories and key suppliers to resolve operational supply chain issues.
  • Planning Leadership: Serve as a leading member of the planning department and act as the single point of contact for planning and scheduling with senior management.
  • Scheduling Optimization: Manage and improve day-to-day scheduling operations to enhance service levels by aligning with sales expectations and increasing production efficiency and output reliability.
  • NPI Coordination: Collaborate with the broader supply chain team to define and implement the new product introduction process.
  • Sales Liaison: Act as the liaison between the supply chain and the sales team.

11. Integrated Supply Chain Global Strategy Program Manager Overview

  • Strategy Development: Review and recommend improvements to the development of integrated manufacturing and supply chain strategies to align with company goals.
  • Strategic Projects: Initiate and drive strategic projects across global operations, leading to actionable recommendations.
  • Gap Analysis: Identify gaps and propose corrective actions for manufacturing and supply chain enhancements based on market, industry, and competitive trends.
  • Due Diligence: Conduct due diligence activities related to manufacturing and supply chain for potential mergers, acquisitions, and divestments.
  • Team Leadership: Lead multiple teams to produce high-quality, evidence-based analyses in collaboration with departments, businesses, and markets.
  • Business Case: Develop business cases grounded in analytics and competitive intelligence while comparing alternative scenarios.
  • Solution Design: Coordinate with content experts, business units, and markets to develop innovative integrated supply chain solutions.
  • Strategic Partnerships: Establish and maintain partnerships with strategists from different businesses and countries to guide the rollout of supply chain strategies.
  • Consultative Support: Provide a consultative role to projects by sharing templates, best practices, training materials, information access, and lessons learned.
  • Performance Reporting: Deliver regular performance updates to program management, highlighting variances from plan and areas needing corrective actions.

12. Supply Chain Project Manager Duties and Roles

  • Project Ownership: Be the point of contact in the supply and delivery organization for key projects and transformation programs.
  • Team Management: Build and manage project teams composed of internal and third-party resources.
  • Initiative Prioritization: Contribute to identifying, scoping, filtering, prioritizing, and piloting supply chain initiatives that offer the most profitable returns on investment in alignment with the supply chain strategy and roadmap.
  • Project Planning: Define project plans in collaboration with sponsors and stakeholders based on agreed project objectives.
  • Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead and coordinate activities across functional groups, including demand planning, customer service, logistics operations, supply planning, IT, commercial, quality, and procurement.
  • Project Tracking: Maintain project trackers and reporting tools.
  • Delivery Management: Manage projects and deliver solutions on time, within budget and scope, while meeting quality standards.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Provide direction and communicate deliverables clearly to cross-functional team members and stakeholders, both internally and externally.
  • Milestone Management: Proactively manage all key milestones of development and execution to ensure successful delivery.
  • Strategy Execution: Understand and execute the supply chain strategy and roadmap.
  • KPI Benchmarking: Use supply chain tools and reports to identify and benchmark KPIs and results.

13. Supply Chain Specialist Roles and Details

  • Material Flow: Perform supply chain duties to ensure smooth material flow to and from vendors and customers.
  • Purchasing Coordination: Coordinate purchasing and receiving processes for both inventory and non-inventory materials and services.
  • Manufacturing Coordination: Direct manufacturing activities with vendors supplying raw materials and finished goods.
  • Logistics Management: Organize logistics for moving materials and finished products to and from vendors.
  • Vendor Management: Manage vendor relationships, both domestic and international, through email and phone communication.
  • ERP Operations: Create and post internal production work orders and receive purchase orders using the ERP system.
  • Purchase Planning: Collaborate with team members to develop material purchase plans based on sales projections.
  • Project Support: Work closely with other departments during new or ongoing projects when goods need to be purchased.
  • Consignment Management: Manage consigned material storage across multiple co-packer facilities through the ERP system.
  • Contract Management: Create and maintain new and existing vendor contracts.
  • Order Administration: Receive, create, and maintain physical and electronic purchase orders with proper backup documentation.
  • Team Support: Assist, support, and provide backup coverage for all members of the supply chain team.
Relevant Information
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