Supply and Distribution Managers

ANZSCO ID 133611

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
24,500
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
94%
Female Share
19%
Average age
45

Summary

Supply and Distribution Managers manage the supply, storage and distribution of goods produced by organisations.

Specialisations: Logistics Manager, Logistics Officer (Air Force), Ordnance Corps Officer (Army), Supply Chain Manager, Supply Officer (Navy), Transport Corps Officer (Army).

Extensive experience or a formal qualification in a related field (like logistics, freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution or business management) is needed to work as a Supply and Distribution Manager. Vocational Education and Training (VET) and university are both common study pathways.

Tasks

  • Determines, implements, and monitors the strategies, policies and plans for purchasing, storage, and distribution.

  • Prepares and implements plans to maintain the required stock levels at minimum cost.

  • May negotiate contracts with suppliers to meet quality, cost and delivery requirements.

  • Monitor and review storage and inventory systems to meet supply requirements and control stock levels.

  • Operates recording systems to track all movements of supplies and finished goods, to ensure the re-ordering and re-stocking at optimal times.

  • Liaise with other departments and customers concerning requirements for outward goods and associated forwarding transportation.

  • Oversees the recording of purchase, storage and distribution transactions.

  • Directs staff activities and monitors their performance.

Characteristics

Job Type
Managers
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Supply, Distribution and Procurement Managers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 94% of people employed as Supply and Distribution Managers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 28 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 48 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
39.1%
2
Manufacturing
12.4%
3
Wholesale Trade
10.7%
4
Public Administration and Safety
7.8%
5
Other industries
24.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.4% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

18.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.4% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.1% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.2% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Supply and Distribution Managers All Jobs Average
NSW 34.1 31.6
VIC 27.4 25.6
QLD 18.2 20.0
SA 6.4 7.0
WA 10.2 10.8
TAS 1.2 2.0
NT 1.1 1.0
ACT 1.2 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
45
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
19%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Supply and Distribution Managers is 45 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 19% of the workforce. This is 29 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Supply and Distribution Managers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.2 5.0
20-24 2.2 9.3
25-34 18.2 22.9
35-44 29.5 22.0
45-54 30.0 21.6
55-59 10.9 9.0
60-64 6.2 6.0
65 and Over 2.9 4.2
Median Age 45 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Extensive experience or a formal qualification in a related field (like logistics, freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution or business management) is needed to work as a Supply and Distribution Manager. Vocational Education and Training (VET) and university are both common study pathways.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Transport and Logistics Training Package VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Supply and Distribution Managers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 10.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 18.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 16.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 16.7 21.1
Year 12 20.2 18.1
Year 11 5.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 12.0 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Supply, Distribution and Procurement Managers who are reliable, organised and can communicate clearly. Employers also value leadership and planning skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 63%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 61%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 57%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 57%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 55%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 55%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 54%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 54%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 54%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 54%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 54%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 52%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 52%

    Management of material resources

    Providing the right equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do work.

  • 52%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 52%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 50%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 48%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 73%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 70%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 68%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 67%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 61%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 59%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 58%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 57%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 56%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 54%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 53%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 49%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 47%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 46%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 46%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 45%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 36%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 35%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 33%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 29%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 61%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 61%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 57%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 52%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 50%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 48%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 48%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 46%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 45%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 41%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 41%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 83%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 77%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 76%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 76%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 75%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 74%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 73%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 72%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 72%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 71%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 71%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 71%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 70%

    Hiring and organising staff

    Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees.

  • 69%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 68%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 67%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 67%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 62%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 61%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 59%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 67%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 38%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 33%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 29%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 24%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 81%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 74%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 71%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 67%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 62%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 97%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 90%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 88%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 85%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 84%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 84%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 81%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 81%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 80%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 79%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 78%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 76%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 74%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 71%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 67%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 61%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 11-9199.04 - Supply Chain Managers.


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