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The differences between supply chain managers and supply chain directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a supply chain manager and a supply chain director. Additionally, a supply chain director has an average salary of $129,438, which is higher than the $100,414 average annual salary of a supply chain manager.
The top three skills for a supply chain manager include supply chain, logistics and project management. The most important skills for a supply chain director are supply chain, logistics, and chain operations.
| Supply Chain Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Yearly salary | $100,414 | $129,438 |
| Hourly rate | $48.28 | $62.23 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 37,773 | 37,396 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A supply chain manager is an individual who takes responsibility for managing hardware, equipment, and any other logistical details of an organization. Supply chain managers work alongside the external partners for parts and raw material procurement. They make sure that global companies coordinate with their sources of goods. These professionals also assess their suppliers and negotiate corporate contracts with vendors. The skills they needed include technical understanding, project management, cost accounting skills, and business ethics.
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 managers and supply chain directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Average salary | $100,414 | $129,438 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $139,000 | Between $90,000 And $185,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Washington |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Chewy |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a supply chain manager and a supply chain director in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supply chain managers' and supply chain directors' demographics:
| Supply Chain Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2% | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 10% | 10% |