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The differences between supply chain engineers and supply chain directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a supply chain engineer, becoming a supply chain director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a supply chain director has an average salary of $129,438, which is higher than the $84,229 average annual salary of a supply chain engineer.
The top three skills for a supply chain engineer include supply chain, lean six sigma and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a supply chain director are supply chain, logistics, and chain operations.
| Supply Chain Engineer | Supply Chain Director | |
| Yearly salary | $84,229 | $129,438 |
| Hourly rate | $40.49 | $62.23 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 53,744 | 37,396 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A supply chain engineer is an individual who manages the overall supply chain and logistics strategy of a company to maximize the process efficiency and productivity. Supply chain engineers must implement the overall supply chain strategy and suggest solutions for process improvements. They negotiate with suppliers, logistic service providers, and other chain partners about the purchase, packaging, and transporting of raw materials. Supply chain engineers can also work in a variety of industries such as manufacturing, aerospace, and energy.
A supply chain director is primarily in charge of the overall supply chain operations in a company. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to improve processes, creating business plans and sales forecasts, delegating tasks, coordinating and selecting suppliers and vendors, creating new supply chain policies when necessary, and spearheading the inventory and delivery processes. There are also instances when a supply chain director must report to higher-ranking officials, produce progress reports, and craft presentations. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead the workforce while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Supply chain engineers and supply chain directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Engineer | Supply Chain Director | |
| Average salary | $84,229 | $129,438 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $113,000 | Between $90,000 And $185,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Chewy |
| Best paying industry | Education | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a supply chain engineer and a supply chain director in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Engineer | Supply Chain Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supply chain engineers' and supply chain directors' demographics:
| Supply Chain Engineer | Supply Chain Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 10% |