How to Become a Supply Chain Analyst: A Student’s Guide

Revenue generated by the supply chain analytics market is expected to exceed $13.5 billion by 2028 globally. This same market was valued at just $5.2 billion in 2022. This sudden growth highlights how vital analytics has become to supply chain management operations, making it a great time to consider a career as a supply chain analyst.

The path from student to supply chain analyst is quite different from other data jobs. There is a greater emphasis on subject matter expertise and experience in this role.

In this guide, we’ll tell you what it takes to go from student to supply chain analyst. We’ll explain what a supply chain analyst does, the skills needed, the steps in this career path, and more.

A supply chain analyst uses insights from data analytics to optimize or improve a company’s supply chain operations. They ensure raw materials and goods go from suppliers to the company or from the company to end users as quickly and as inexpensively as possible.

Supply chain analysts keep track of inventory and market trends to identify opportunities to improve efficiency. However, they must also be on the lookout for potential supply and delivery disruptors to ensure operations don’t grind to a halt. Regular responsibilities of a supply chain analyst include:

• Data Collection and Analysis: Interpreting data from different sources to identify opportunities, risks, bottlenecks, and other trends that can impact the supply chain.
• Monitoring Supply Chains: Keeping track of supply chain operations, ensuring production is on schedule and tasks such as sourcing and deliveries are done on time.
• Monitoring Inventory: Tracking inventory levels and forecasting how much is needed based on demand patterns.
• Managing Supplier and Distributor Relations: Communicating regularly with other players in the supply chain to maintain good relations, resolve conflicts, and learn of any developments.
• Process Improvements: Developing and implementing changes to the supply chain based on data analysis to improve efficiency or limit the effect of disruptions.
• Evaluating Suppliers and Distributors: Keeping track of suppliers’ and distributors’ performances to identify underperforming entities.
• Preparing Reports and Dashboards: Generating reports and dashboards on the company’s supply chain to inform stakeholders about the state of operations.

Supply chain analysts support company operations in all parts of the supply chain, including inventory management, demand and production planning, and sourcing. They also help design and improve the entire supply chain. The skills you need to handle such tasks include:

• Data Analysis: Working with data to understand and improve supply chain operations, including solid data analysis skills and familiarity with tools such as SQL.
• Data Visualization: Creating reports, dashboards, and visualizations about the supply chain for other stakeholders and familiarity with tools such as Tableau and PowerBI.
• Communication: Conveying insights from data analysis to stakeholders and establishing good relationships with suppliers and distributors.
• Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal skills to work with colleagues, external suppliers, and distributors.
• Problem-Solving: Responding to unexpected events requiring rapid supply chain changes to avoid or limit disruptions.
• Additional Abilities: Demand forecasting, organizational skills, and time, risk, and inventory management, among others.

A career as a supply chain analyst starts with getting the relevant education and training. You may be able to get an entry-level position as a supply chain analyst, but many people start in other positions before rising to this level.

Get a Degree in a Relevant Field

A relevant degree is a significant advantage in becoming a supply chain analyst. Relevant degrees in this career include:

• Supply chain management
• Industrial engineering
• Business administration
• Logistics
• Operations research

You can get a four-year bachelor’s degree, or if you already have one in an unrelated field, you can opt for a relevant master’s degree.

Internships and Skill Building

Experience is a valuable asset for anyone looking to work as an analyst in a supply chain. Internships and other active skill-building opportunities are essential for gaining this experience.

Apply for internships in industries where supply chain management is critical to operations, such as manufacturing, food and beverages, fashion, and pharmaceuticals. Also, industries such as transportation and warehousing should be considered, as well as those that play critical roles in supply chains.

Get a headstart on the analytics side of the job by working on relevant projects. Check out these supply chain projects on Interview Query.

Apply for Entry Level Positions

Some large companies like to hire fresh graduates and train them, which provides entry-level supply chain analyst positions. Apply to these whenever possible. However, smaller companies and startups will likely prefer someone more experienced.

Luckily, other entry-level roles, e.g., production planner, materials planner, project coordinator, logistics coordinator, purchasing agent, etc., can serve as stepping stones to the analyst position. Working in these roles allows you to be part of supply chain management operations and to learn more about the industry and key players.

It also helps you get your foot in the door, build networks, and position yourself as a good candidate for supply chain analyst positions that open up.

Work On Your Resume and Interview Skills

As you apply for your first job, you should also enhance your resume and interview skills. Resume screening is often done automatically, so learn how to prepare a resume that aligns with the position you’re applying for and get it past the screening stage.

Working on your interview skills is more demanding. Many companies have multiple interview stages, which may include phone screenings, technical interviews, coding interviews, take-home assignments, etc. Knowing how to handle these interviews is critical to landing entry-level jobs.

Interview Query has helped many students in the data fields to successfully prepare for interviews. We provide many resources to this end, including interview questions (filtered by position and other criteria), company interview guides, coaching, and mock interviews. You can also find out more about hiring trends in supply chain analytics from our blog.

Move Up the Chain to Supply Chain Analyst

If your entry-level job isn’t as a junior supply chain analyst, you’ll have to work your way up. Use the opportunity to learn more about the company’s operations and supply chains and the industry at large. Seek to identify opportunities for the company to improve operational efficiency in whichever area you start in.

You should also work on improving the hard and soft skills you’ll need as a supply chain analyst in the future. Find out which software tools your company uses and learn them. Finally, look for any opportunities to advance closer to your dream position.

Getting additional qualifications or certifications, e.g., Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and Six Sigma, can also help you advance faster along this path.

Supply Chain Analyst Career Progression

Becoming a supply chain analyst isn’t the end of this career path. Depending on your skills and interests, you could advance to a senior supply chain analyst position or roles such as supply chain lead, supply chain manager, operations manager, project manager, etc.

Companies specializing in goods that are physically transported usually need supply chain analysts. These companies may need to transport raw materials, spares from suppliers, or finished goods to customers. Online and offline retailers also need supply chain analysts.

Companies that offer consultancy, transportation, and other services to manufacturers and e-commerce companies may need their own supply chain analysts as well. Top companies hiring supply chain analysts include:

• Boeing: Boeing is one of the largest companies in the aerospace industry. It works with suppliers from all over the world to manufacture aircraft and spacecraft for commercial airlines, governments, and the military. It maintains a complex supply chain to get the raw materials and parts it needs to deliver planes and spares.
• Intel: Intel is a leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Their chips end up in machines worldwide, and their customers include a long list of PC manufacturers and retail companies.
• Safeway: This is a supermarket chain that sells food and other merchandise. It has over 900 locations and relies on an intricate supply chain to ensure customers at different locations can find the items they need at their stores.

According to Indeed, supply chain analysts make an average of $74,661 per year. However, the pay range is broad, with some making as little as $47,500 and others making $117,352. Check out the salaries section on Interview Query to see how this compares to other data roles.

Supply chain analysts generate insights by interpreting data generated at different points in the supply chain to keep operations running as efficiently as possible. This role has become more important as companies move to highly digitized supply chain management systems. Supply chain analysts often have qualifications in areas related to business and logistics. Experience is prized in this field, and you may have to start in other roles before landing the analyst position. Companies that need to ship raw materials and physical goods are the primary ones hiring for this position.

Interview Query is a crucial resource for those seeking data-related positions, including supply chain analysts. Our question bank includes behavioral interview questions and model answers to help you craft your responses, and you can also try out our AI interviewer to practice answering questions in an interview. If you’d like to know which companies are hiring for this position, visit our job board and check out this post on supply chain analyst interview questions to see what you could be asked.

The path to becoming a supply chain analyst isn’t always clearly defined, but we hope this guide will help you land your first position.