What does a supply chain engineer do?
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.
Supply chain engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real supply chain engineer resumes:
- Lead customer PCB and system BOM reviews.
- Review and manage the supplier approval process and maintain supplier levels in the ERP system.
- Lead the development of subcontract decision matrix, MRP type decision matrix, and scheduling of component work.
- Manage construction and implementation of new warehouses which include determining racking configurations, picking automation and integrating WMS systems.
- Used SQL to provide business intelligence.
- Design a PFEP database using SQL from manufacturing BOM and vendor management data.
- Maintain ERP system in support of products from development to operations, including outside contractors.
- Support testing, design, training and implementation of RedPrairie WMS at a large office supplies company.
- Audit production process procedures, quality documentation (deviation/change validation, DHR) by following FDA requirements.
- Develop FMEA's, control plans, work instructions, gauges, control charts, and process parameters for new products.
- Coordinate local and Brazilian suppliers' external logistics and develop critical suppliers' logistics.
- Prepare method statements for logistics of complex cargo to improve project plans and engineering calculations.
- Support or perform site non-routine GMP training or awareness training sessions relate to exceptions/investigations or complaints.
- Conduct full reports using various data visualization techniques on client's areas of vulnerability, inefficiency, and opportunities for improvement.
- Evaluate existing Okuma L400 CNC lathe machining fixtures and propose tooling modifications.
Supply chain engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Supply Chain Engineers are proficient in Supply Chain, Lean Six Sigma, and Supply Chain Planning. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Supply Chain Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Supply Chain, 18%
Performed task to achieve corporate supply chain performance targets focused on inventory reduction, increased inventory turns and improved order-to-delivery results.
- Lean Six Sigma, 9%
Collect data and perform statistical analysis applying various Lean Six Sigma (LSS) tools.
- Supply Chain Planning, 8%
Delivered critical supply chain planning and oversight for a global provider of products and systems supporting electrical installations and information networks.
- Continuous Improvement, 6%
Advocated and implemented continuous improvement process at suppliers; monitored projects, goals and assisted in identifying improvement goals.
- Logistics, 6%
Integrated a multidisciplinary project team for the implementation of Toyota's Global Systems in national and international parts logistics.
- Process Improvement, 3%
Provided strategic guidance and advice to warehouses / inventory locations on process improvements and expedited the resolution of issues.
Most supply chain engineers use their skills in "supply chain," "lean six sigma," and "supply chain planning" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential supply chain engineer responsibilities here:
Creativity. One of the key soft skills for a supply chain engineer to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what supply chain engineers do because "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Additionally, a supply chain engineer resume shows how supply chain engineers use creativity: "performed system configuration for oracle inventory, osfm, bom and routing. "
Listening skills. Many supply chain engineer duties rely on listening skills. "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff," so a supply chain engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways supply chain engineer responsibilities rely on listening skills: "communicated with operations management, 3rd party logistics and assembly/machine/fabrication processors to support overall decision making. "
Math skills. supply chain engineers are also known for math skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to supply chain engineer responsibilities, because "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." A supply chain engineer resume example shows how math skills is used in the workplace: "obtained and analyzed data and statistics to identify trends and variances in supply chain areas. "
Speaking skills. For certain supply chain engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a supply chain engineer rely on this skill, as "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what supply chain engineers do: "addressed international transportation concerns by implementing the global material management project resulting in higher visibility of entire supply chain. "
Writing skills. A commonly-found skill in supply chain engineer job descriptions, "writing skills" is essential to what supply chain engineers do. Supply chain engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." You can also see how supply chain engineer duties rely on writing skills in this resume example: "completed purchase order writing of demand quantities based on division needs. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to supply chain engineer responsibilities. Much of what a supply chain engineer does relies on this skill, seeing as "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of supply chain engineers: "work with executive management to optimize national supply chain solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most supply chain engineers are:
- Ryder System91 supply chain engineers jobs
- Accenture52 supply chain engineers jobs
- Meta48 supply chain engineers jobs
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Compare different supply chain engineers
Supply chain engineer vs. Process engineer
A Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between supply chain engineers and process engineer. For instance, supply chain engineer responsibilities require skills such as "supply chain," "supply chain planning," "logistics," and "import export." Whereas a process engineer is skilled in "project management," "troubleshoot," "statistical analysis," and "cad." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Process engineers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $87,797. Comparatively, supply chain engineers tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $102,081.process engineers tend to reach lower levels of education than supply chain engineers. In fact, process engineers are 9.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Supply chain engineer vs. Manager, quality engineer
A quality engineer manager is in charge of designing and developing quality control procedures, ensuring all products and operations meet the company's standards. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify business needs, assessing existing quality control methods to identify areas needing improvements, and providing solutions on issues and concerns. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, supply chain engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "supply chain," "supply chain planning," "logistics," and "import export." Meanwhile, a manager, quality engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "quality engineering," "quality management system," "aerospace," and "as9100." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Managers, quality engineer may earn a higher salary than supply chain engineers, but managers, quality engineer earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $124,149. On the other hand, supply chain engineers receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $102,081.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Managers, quality engineer tend to reach lower levels of education than supply chain engineers. In fact, they're 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Supply chain engineer vs. Reliability engineer
A reliability engineer is in charge of determining and managing the asset reliability risks of businesses. Reliability engineers are professionals who solve problems related to engineering. They are equipped with a better understanding of the principles of performance evaluation and prediction for product safety. The job requires knowledge of the field of engineering, strong communication, interpersonal skills, management skills, attention to detail, and reliability. They are also expected to become experts in engineering systems.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a supply chain engineer is likely to be skilled in "supply chain," "supply chain planning," "logistics," and "process improvement," while a typical reliability engineer is skilled in "java," "troubleshoot," "ruby," and "tcp ip."
Reliability engineers make a very good living in the start-up industry with an average annual salary of $139,857. On the other hand, supply chain engineers are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $102,081.When it comes to education, reliability engineers tend to earn lower degree levels compared to supply chain engineers. In fact, they're 8.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Supply chain engineer vs. Product engineer
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Types of supply chain engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
