Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between supply 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 manager and a supply chain director. Additionally, a supply chain director has an average salary of $129,438, which is higher than the $96,971 average annual salary of a supply manager.
The top three skills for a supply manager include supply chain, patients and supplier performance. The most important skills for a supply chain director are supply chain, logistics, and chain operations.
| Supply Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Yearly salary | $96,971 | $129,438 |
| Hourly rate | $46.62 | $62.23 |
| Growth rate | -6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 30,833 | 37,396 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A supply manager or supply chain manager is an individual who supervises the import or creation of raw materials that are to be used by the company to form new products. Supply managers are required to coordinate all aspects of the supply chain to ensure that they are efficient and cost-effective. They must maintain low costs and high efficiency by building and maintaining relationships with the company's partners. Supply managers should also recruit staff members and provide training to help them learn and master their jobs.
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 managers and supply chain directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Average salary | $96,971 | $129,438 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $137,000 | Between $90,000 And $185,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | PVH | Chewy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a supply manager and a supply chain director in terms of educational background:
| Supply Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supply managers' and supply chain directors' demographics:
| Supply Manager | Supply Chain Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% 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% |