What Does a Distribution Center Manager Do?

A distribution center manager is a professional who is responsible for managing all the daily activities of a centralized distribution center, warehouse, or another shipping facility. Distribution center managers are required to supervise the loading and unloading of all packages as well as ensure that all goods and products have the proper storage conditions. They must evaluate freight services and manage relationships with the chose vendors. Distribution center managers are also required to monitor the safety of the facility and make sure that workers properly store everything to prevent injuries.

Distribution Center Manager Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real distribution center manager resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Assist in implementing MRP program, BOM and manage inventory reorder points and forecasting.
Manage all DC relate building projects and small systems support department for 6 DCs.
Manage distribution center operations for industry leading LTL transportation provider.
Manage financial performance including operational expense control, damage reduction, capital expenditures and payroll.
Manage successful integration of new WMS system including voice pick technology and engineer labor standards.
Manage logistics operations issues that include branch logistics plan implementation, warehouse and delivery personnel management, inventory management and security/safety/housekeeping.
Strive for world-class RDC and LDC operations.
Oversee the guidelines to exceed FDA in the consumer food industry.
Conduct all GMP training on all shifts and with new employees.
Create ISO procedures and internal audit process to compile with ISO certification requirements.
Assist with the rollout and training for both SalesLogix and Siebel CRM systems.
Develop and implement new ERP WMS and TMS systems to support the growing business.
Enforce GMP's while selecting, loading, receiving, and handling food product.
Design and oversee the development of 600 miles of distribution lines of 13.8 KV.
Champion lean six sigma initiative that optimize packaging resulting in freight/supply savings of $250K.

Distribution Center Manager Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 13% of Distribution Center Managers are proficient in Logistics, Customer Service, and OSHA.

We break down the percentage of Distribution Center Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Logistics, 13%
Secure annual contract amendments between Ikea and third party Logistics Company also develop agreed contractual Service Standards together with Retail.
Customer Service, 11%
Process and Personnel Management: Oversee warehouse/distribution process functions and personnel to insure daily productivity and customer service requirements were met.
OSHA, 5%
Ensured proper safety procedures as regulated by OSHA guidelines * Contributed to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Lead initiatives to ensure business growth that met or exceeded customer expectations through continuous improvement of distribution operations.
Inventory Control, 4%
Implemented a multilevel conveyor pick system for accessory and tabletop merchandise resulting in improved productivity and more effective inventory control.
Process Improvement, 4%
Trained group managers on developing and implementing action plans for continuous quality improvement and process improvement over six departments.

Some of the skills we found on distribution center manager resumes included "logistics," "customer service," and "osha." We have detailed the most important distribution center manager responsibilities below.

See the full list of distribution center manager skills.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious distribution center managers are:

Walmart47 Distribution Center Managers Jobs
Target44 Distribution Center Managers Jobs
HD Supply30 Distribution Center Managers Jobs

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What Logistics Directors Do

A logistics director spearheads and oversees a company's logistics operations. They are primarily responsible for setting goals and guidelines, managing the budgets and timelines, researching new opportunities, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of operations, and implementing solutions against problem areas. They must also maintain positive relationships with key clients and external parties, such as distributors and suppliers. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead employees while implementing the company's policies and regulations, recommending new ones as needed.

In this section, we compare the average distribution center manager annual salary with that of a logistics director. Typically, logistics directors earn a $9,369 higher salary than distribution center managers earn annually.

While their salaries may differ, one common ground between distribution center managers and logistics directors are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like customer service, continuous improvement, and inventory control.

There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a distribution center manager responsibilities require skills like "logistics," "osha," "shipping receiving," and "safety program." Meanwhile a typical logistics director has skills in areas such as "supply chain," "logistics operations," "project management," and "oversight." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

On average, logistics directors reach higher levels of education than distribution center managers. Logistics directors are 6.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Logistics Supervisor?

A logistics supervisor is an individual tasked to oversee goods shipment and delivery in organizations. Supervisors manage the planning, organization, and implementation of the company's systems. They take responsibility for managing the inventory of warehouse stocks based on the foreseeable requirements. It is part of their job to schedule deliveries and pickups with the internal staff or transportation companies. Their skills should include adaptability, project management proficiency, and communication skills.

Next up, we have the logistics supervisor profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a distribution center manager annual salary. In fact, logistics supervisors salary difference is $34,158 lower than the salary of distribution center managers per year.

Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Distribution center managers and logistics supervisors both include similar skills like "customer service," "osha," and "continuous improvement" on their resumes.

But both careers also use different skills, according to real distribution center manager resumes. While distribution center manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "logistics," "distribution centers," "safety program," and "distribution operations," some logistics supervisors use skills like "safety procedures," "excellent time management," "standard operating procedure," and "customer issues."

On average, logistics supervisors earn a lower salary than distribution center managers. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, logistics supervisors earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $82,503. Whereas, distribution center managers have higher paychecks in the automotive industry where they earn an average of $93,754.

In general, logistics supervisors study at similar levels of education than distribution center managers. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Manager Compares

Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.

The third profession we take a look at is manager. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than distribution center managers. In fact, they make a $40,808 lower salary per year.

By looking over several distribution center managers and managers resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "customer service," "inventory control," and "direct reports." But beyond that the careers look very different.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from distribution center managers resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "logistics," "osha," "continuous improvement," and "process improvement." But a manager might have skills like "food safety," "financial statements," "management," and "powerpoint."

Interestingly enough, managers earn the most pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $71,781. As mentioned previously, distribution center managers highest annual salary comes from the automotive industry with an average salary of $93,754.

Managers are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to distribution center managers. Additionally, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Traffic Manager

The main job of a traffic manager is to make sure that account service marketing collateral works and flows efficiently to production and creative departments. Traffic managers take responsibility for keeping everyone in the team on task and the projects on deadline. They manage the logistics tasks and keep the parties up-to-date on the recent progress. It is their job to coordinate work among the account managers, staff members, and advertisers. Also, they develop and maintain procedure transportation and distribution for delivery efficiency maximization.

Now, we'll look at traffic managers, who generally average a lower pay when compared to distribution center managers annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $37,725 per year.

While their salaries may vary, distribution center managers and traffic managers both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "inventory control," "distribution centers," and "direct reports. "

Each job requires different skills like "logistics," "customer service," "osha," and "continuous improvement," which might show up on a distribution center manager resume. Whereas traffic manager might include skills like "project management," "traffic management," "account executives," and "faa."

Traffic managers reach similar levels of education when compared to distribution center managers. The difference is that they're 4.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.