Customer Supply Manager jobs
Maintaining a supply of stock is vital in retail and manufacturing. With retail, a lack of stock can result in empty shelves or inability to monopolise on promotions. In manufacturing, failure to supply vital components can bring a production line to a halt, with potentially disastrous results for supplier and manufacturer alike.
The customer supply manager’s job will be at the bare minimum to ensure that such events never happen. But it will also be about much more. It will be to ensure regular and timely delivery to meet the customer’s needs, communicate with the customer regularly to be updated on shifting needs which can either be predictable (e.g. seasonal demand or national festivals) or in reasonably short timeframes (e.g. something sparked by unseasonable weather or product recall replenishments). It will also to ensure that efficiency is built into the whole process.
Modern supply management can involve a good deal of automated ordering via direct-channel communication between sales departments, stock rooms and supplier. It is still essential to keep on top of the supply needs and manage forecasts and fine-tuning however, and since this might form only a part of the supply effort, there could be a good deal of juggling between this and the traditional means of identifying supply needs.
The skills required
With regular contact with customers an essential part of the job, the customer supply manager will need to possess first rate communication skills over any channel or face to face. Errors in ordering that are down to bad communication or overly complex instructions will not be tolerated in almost any supplier/customer relationship.
Since you might have a good deal of autonomy in the role, you’ll need to demonstrate an ability to make actionable decisions and see them through to fulfilment without constant reference to senior management. In high volume customer supply, such as in supermarkets, the supplied goods could be diverse and numerous, so you’ll need to be on top of all their stats from an early stage.
You’ll also need to be completely at ease using software solutions that are relevant to the type of supply you’ll be engaged with. A good all-round ability to pick up and master novel IT solutions will stand you in good stead, as many suppliers will have their own systems in operation.
Customer Supply Manager Jobs in Salford
The city of Salford grew up around the same time as neighbouring Manchester until the two merged into one great metropolis, now called Greater Manchester, as the Industrial Revolution got into full swing. Both cities lie within the boundaries of the M60, the Greater Manchester ringroad, and are also joined by the inner ringroad, the Mancunian Way. Salford takes in several towns such as Eccles, Swinton, Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam, bringing the total population to around 240,000. Although Manchester and Salford have similar histories, Salford was always to be in Manchester’s shadow commercially, and there is no discernible city centre to speak of, whereas Manchester’s central business district is large.
A great engineering feat was the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, which linked Salford and Manchester to the Irish Sea for practically any vessel – this was no barge canal. It ended the dominance of Liverpool as a sea port and brought trade and allowed export directly from the factories and mills. Its terminus was a huge port with massive berths, in what is now Salford Quays. Although ships do still use the canal, the quays are now a massive development of shopping, museums, galleries and residential units. MediCityUK is there, and it’s where many parts of the BBC, including 5 Live, Breakfast, Sport and Children’s are now based.
Salford is extremely well connected, sharing Manchester’s road, rail, tram, canal and international airport network. It’s also a thriving and vital part of Greater Manchester, with its own industry, university and a major hospital. With the huge industrial estate of Trafford Park on the doorstep and a conurbation of 2.5 million to serve, it’s no wonder that we regularly handle Customer Supply Manager jobs in Salford.
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Cast UK’s supply chain opportunities
Cast UK’s founder members and consultants all come from the logistics, procurement and supply chain sectors, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for in their staff and careers respectively. Cast UK is growing in this part of the UK recruitment industry, mainly because these are the only sectors we deal with, which means that many employers come to us first to create a candidate shortlist because they know we’re tightly focused on delivering the best people to them.
People approach us for many reasons, whether seeking more job fulfilment or simply relocating with the family, so it’s good to know that we always have the complete range of positions available nationwide.
Please see what’s available in your region and if you’ve seen something you’re interested in, do get in touch – whether it’s today or tomorrow, we might have the ideal position for you.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Customer Supply Manager for your business or find you a job as a Customer Supply Manager then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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