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Director of supply chain operations skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Priya Nagaraj,

Daniel Stanton

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical director of supply chain operations skills. We ranked the top skills for directors of supply chain operations based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.2% of director of supply chain operations resumes contained supply chain as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a director of supply chain operations needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 director of supply chain operations skills for your resume and career

1. Supply Chain

A supply chain is a network or a sequence by which finished products of a company are distributed to retailers and then supplied to the end-users. The distribution of products and services from the production line to the final buyers is carried out in a series of steps including; manufacturing, transportation, and their distribution. The whole supply chain consists of different entities including; manufacturers, transportation, warehouses, suppliers, and retailers. The entities ensure that the products retain their originality while also minimizing the cost of delivery.

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use supply chain:

Devised and executed strategic plan for new product/market development and global partnerships to improve supply chain efficiency and market advantage.
Contributed to reorganization strategies relating to manufacturing, and facility optimization by serving on the supply chain operations leadership team.

2. Chain Operations

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use chain operations:

Lead the transformation of global supply chain operations through development and execution of supply chain simplification and variable/base cost productivity projects.
Created complex product costing models and capacity utilization models to assist senior management during the integration of supply chain operations.

3. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use customer service:

Assumed General Manager responsibilities for primary distribution center including customer service, product support, manufacturing, and warehouse activities.
Observed strict adherence to program and contract requirements by facilitating communications, training, and customer service across the organization.

4. Chain Management

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use chain management:

Gained hands-on experience in multiple aspects of supply-chain management: demand planning, material management, warehousing/transportation, and customer service.
Developed Sales / Marketing materials, including several white papers on Validation, Regulatory Compliance and Supply Chain Management service offerings.

5. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use continuous improvement:

Coordinated team activities focusing on safety, productivity, inventory control, sanitation, & continuous improvement.
Championed continuous improvement initiatives to leverage Toyota Production System Lean Science technologies and MRP/JIT production planning.

6. Project Management

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use project management:

Project management duties include developing, maintaining and continuously improving the new product commercialization process and total supplier management.
Worked with architects and project management team in the design of supply support areas in new G.I.

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7. Process Improvement

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use process improvement:

Champion business and system process improvements with the ability to gain organizational buy-in and effectively accelerate and implement business initiatives.
Trained supervisors in utilizing process improvement methods; examined receipt, handling and distribution of 4,800/monthly customer requests.

8. Demand Planning

Demand planning is the process of forecasting demand for a product or service and implementing an operational strategy throughout the supply chain to meet it. The goal is to find a balance between having enough inventory to meet customer needs without overstocking. Demand planners work in different departments of an organization to make sales forecasts, adjusting inventory levels to seasonal demand, materials planning, and procurement forecasts.

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use demand planning:

Analyzed material positions for demand planning and approve changes to requirements/safety stock.
Managed team responsible for all plant scheduling, supplier relationships, inventory management, forecasting, demand planning and contract manufacturing.

9. Lean Six Sigma

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use lean six sigma:

Mentor teams in Lean Six Sigma, Newell Rubbermaid Production System (NRPS) to drive conformance and Quality.
Developed curriculum and delivered regular lean six sigma training modules for manufacturing and support staff.

10. KPIs

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use kpis:

Review monthly established KPIs and associated scorecards.
Created with the BI team Accuracy and Bias KPIs for tracking and ongoing improvement.

11. Chain Functions

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use chain functions:

Focused on efforts to seamless integrate diverse operational and strategic initiatives across a wide variety of international supply chain functions.
Promoted to successive Director level positions including increasing responsibilities as an executive manager in the Supply Chain function.

12. Inventory Management

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use inventory management:

Inventory Management & Control: Created finished goods inventory control process improving on time delivery and inventory reduction, eliminating stock-outs.
Inventory Management: Analyzed and maintained material inventory for all cells ensuring optimal inventory/capacity levels heading into annual Peak Season.

13. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use erp:

Completed and fine-tuned implementation of ERP system.
Implemented Oracle ERP system, established cost accounting and revenue recognition systems, and manufacturing policies and procedures.

14. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use sigma:

Utilize lean/six sigma principles to streamline logistics operations and ensure cost effe3ctive factory to customer initiatives.
Applied Six Sigma to identify bottlenecks and work with a team to develop and implement solutions.

15. Strategic Sourcing

Here's how directors of supply chain operations use strategic sourcing:

Managed strategic sourcing and operational performance of diverse global supplier base.
Established operations and strategic sourcing policies.

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What skills help Directors Of Supply Chain Operations find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What director of supply chain operations skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Priya Nagaraj

Professor of Economics and Global Business, Website

One of the most important factors is some experience in the industry. An internship working in the logistics or supply chain area is a plus. Sometimes students' internships are not specifically in logistics, in such cases, it helps to have worked on a project in class that mimics real-life situations.

What type of skills will young Directors of supply chain operations need?

Daniel Stanton

CEO, Mr. Supply Chain

Of course, supply chain professionals need to understand the basics of logistics, procurement, and operations. But if I had to pick just three skills that I think are going to be critical for supply chain graduates in the years ahead, I'd say 1) Data Analysis, 2) Systems Thinking, and 3) Project Management. The amount of data that's available is growing quickly, and we need people who can access and analyze it. Then, we need to understand what that data means, and how it affects all of the different functions within our supply chains. And finally, in order to use that data to make changes, supply chain professionals need to be able to launch and manage projects effectively.

Do you want to know more?

List of director of supply chain operations skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a director of supply chain operations resume and required skills for a director of supply chain operations to have include:

Supply Chain
Chain Operations
Customer Service
Chain Management
Continuous Improvement
Project Management
Process Improvement
Demand Planning
Lean Six Sigma
KPIs
Chain Functions
Inventory Management
ERP
Sigma
Strategic Sourcing
On-Time Delivery

Customer Satisfaction
Inventory Control
Supply Chain Planning
Business Process
Chain Organization
EDI
Chain Strategy
Cost Reduction
Production Planning
MRP
Direct Reports
Management System
Lean Manufacturing
Strategic Direction
Supplier Performance
WMS

Distribution Centers
RFQ
Lawson
Kaizen
FDA
Commodities
ISO
Kanban
OTD
RFP
Order Management
Enterprise Resource Planning
Cash Flow
Spend Analysis
BOM

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Director Of Supply Chain Operations Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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