Skills a Global Supply Planner Should Possess
Are you one of those individuals fascinated by a challenging career? Do you have a penchant for analytics and details and have a desire to work in a highly dynamic environment? If the answer to both these questions is an emphatic ‘Yes’, then the career of a global supply chain planner may interest you. Global supply planners are professionals hired by a wide variety of industries. They are entrusted to assist the management in achieving organizational objectives. They do so by analyzing the global resources and ascertaining future needs, to balance the supply and demand.
Interested? But, you need to plan your career path well in advance, to be able to break into this lucrative profession. Employers look for certain skills, educational backgrounds and attributes when they hire for these positions.
Keep on reading! We will tell you all you wanted to know!
Educational criteria
Educational qualifications required for global supply planners may vary slightly according to the employer and the industry. But, most recruiters would require the basic qualifications as mentioned below:
- Associate’s degree– An associate’s degree of 2 years’ duration, along with some work experience is desired for entry-level supply chain jobs
- Bachelor’s degree- For planning positions in supply chain, employers generally look for a bachelor’s degree of 4 years’ duration in the fields of engineering, business management, supply chain or any related discipline. Relevant work experience and/or industry certification would boost your chances even further.
- Master’s degree- For the position of a senior global planner, employers usually look for advanced qualifications such as MBA (Master of Business Administration) or M.Sc. in Supply Chain Management. These courses usually take 2 years to complete after your Bachelor’s degree.
Other skills required for global supply planners
If you aspire to make a name in this profession, you need to demonstrate impeccable planning, reasoning skills and quantitative capabilities. You would also require excellent verbal and written communication skills, along with proficiency in certain database software applications. As the modern supply chain systems have embraced cutting-edge approaches such as lean logistics and Six Sigma, knowledge of these (in addition to a proper understanding of modern supply chain principles) will give you a definite edge.
Moreover, the recruiters would look for the following general skills and attributes in a candidate looking to have a career as a global supply chain planner:
- A sharp and analytical mind
- Industry knowledge
- Negotiating skills and rational decision making
- The ability to work independently or in a team
- Foreign language skills, as the case may be
- Maturity, integrity and accountability
What is expected of a global supply chain planner?
Also known as logisticians, at times, global supply planners are expected to develop, schedule and plan project management tools to support the SCM operations of a global organization. They require to work closely with the production teams, factory, logistics, sales teams and raw material suppliers to ensure that the organizational plans are in sync with the demand and supply.
The job of a global supply chain planner is a specialized one. They need to create a global production blueprint and this requires a great deal of analysis and planning. They are expected to improve customer service, decrease waste, increase organizational efficiency and reduce costs. While performing their duties, global supply planners contribute to corporate sustainability as well as to the company bottom line and ensure that the products/services are readily available to the customers.
Global supply planners are also responsible for managing and monitoring global inventories. They forecast the production and sales levels to plan for the required materials well in advance. They are also required to handle different logistics projects, do capacity planning and monitor the response time/delivery performance. It’s up to these planners to accumulate and analyze data/information, observe the available trends and forecast reports for the management, employees and other stakeholders. They are also entrusted with the task to develop, monitor and publish production plans and to analyze if the finished goods conform to the specified levels of satisfaction. No wonder that global supply planners are in high demand in the global SCM organizations.
If analyzing and quantifying data fascinates you and you would like to contribute to the global economy someday, then you should prepare for the potentially blossoming career of a global supply planner. It’s just the right time for you to advance your educational qualification and buckle up for this diverse, yet complex profession.