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5 qualities of an
effective supply chain
manager
Role requires both analytical and people
skills to succeed
4-minute read

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The supply chain is at the heart of your company’s
operations. Your supply chain manager is in charge
of your product’s journey, from sourcing materials
to ensuring it meets customer demand.

The position has evolved from being the company’s

buyer, or purchasing manager, working in the back
room to being part of the company’s backbone. It
now requires a diverse set of skills that include:

using data

planning, !nancial and contract management

building relationships

solid understanding of manufacturing,

transportation and warehousing

“Astute small and medium-sized companies are

winning o" the supply chain by hiring people who
can do more than purchase goods faster and
cheaper,” says Christian Buhagiar, president and
CEO of the Supply Chain Management Association
of Canada.

“This is a key, strategic hire for the entrepreneur.

The combination of education and experience
means today’s supply chain managers can create
value, mitigate risk and deliver a competitive
advantage—and yes, source goods and materials
to optimize market conditions and demand
planning.”

5 essential qualities in a
supply chain manager
It’s not just one quality or skill that will make an
e"ective supply chain manager. It takes the right
balance of hard and soft skills, which can be a
challenging combination to !nd.

Here are !ve qualities to consider when hiring:

1. math skills combined with strong analytical

and statistical capabilities to understand
supply and demand issues

2. ability to use data to track orders and

shipments, sales trends, demand and any
weaknesses and ine$ciencies

3. understanding of technology—arti!cial
intelligence, machine learning, Internet of
Things, analytics software and apps

4. soft skills to negotiate and build relationships

with suppliers, customers and team members

5. attention to detail to understand the business

and the environment in which it operates

You’re developing relationships with

customers, suppliers, legal, accounting.
So you do have to be a good relationship
builder. I think that skill is often
overlooked.
Christian Buhagiar
President and CEO of the Toronto-based Supply
Chain Management Association of Canada

Technology is inescapable
A 2018 study by BDC indicates that digitally
advanced companies have higher sales and pro!t
growth. These companies are also more likely to
export and innovate. This trend is also having an
impact on supply chain professionals.

“There’s not a new technology that isn’t crashing up

against the supply chain,” Buhagiar says.

The use of data is unavoidable. Supply chain

managers need to understand how to plan for
customer demand with the use of data. They’ve
also got to build relationships with customers and
suppliers to be able to !nd ways to share data to
make your company’s supply chain work smoothly.

Your supply chain manager

is an asset
Buhagiar says you eventually won’t have the time to
take care of the supply chain. At some point in the
company’s growth, you will need to hire someone.

The right candidate will give the company a

competitive edge. A supply chain manager should
be able to give customers what they want, when
they want it and without breaking the company’s
bank.

“Entrepreneurs probably didn’t go into their

businesses thinking their company was built on a
supply chain. If you are bringing in a procurement
manager or a supply chain manager, whatever you
want to call it, you bring somebody who is astute
and you’re saying to them: create a competitive
advantage,” Buhagiar says.

Buhagiar also notes that a supply chain manager

understands the risk in procurement and is able to
mitigate it. For example, when there is a natural
disaster, the supply chain manager has alternative
sources for materials.

Education needed for the

job
Many colleges and universities have programs that
grant diplomas or degrees in supply chain
management or purchasing.

Professional certi!cations, such as the Supply

Chain Management Professional or SCMP
designation from the Supply Chain Management
Association, require work-based experience, a
number of courses and a !nal exam.

“I would encourage entrepreneurs to look for

people who have actually been both educated and
certi!ed in this !eld,” Buhagiar says.

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