Supply Chain Planner: 58% increase in demand

Every month, Walters People highlights a role that is in high demand on the Belgian job market.

This month, Viktorien van Loon, managing consultant in the business support division, gives an insight in why supply chain planners are in high demand.

What are the main tasks of a supply chain planner?

“A supply chain planner must ensure that each product or service is delivered on time to the customer, or to other company locations. They must therefore have a global overview of the stock and guarantee that the quantity of products is good in order to satisfy all customers. Having a close relationship with clients makes it possible to determine which goods are selling well and which are not. In addition, supply chain planners are in charge of improving the procedures and making recommendations based on their own sales analyses.”

What are the main qualities of a supply chain planner?

“A successful supply chain planner must have a good sense of organisation. Communication skills are also required, in the order to develop strong customer relations. To understand customers’ needs, a supply chain planner should ideally speak French, Dutch and English. An advanced IT knowledge with Excel in particular is essential, as well as an analytical mindset in order to quickly understand procedures and data.”

Is there a high demand for supply chain planners on the Belgian labour market?

“Yes, there is a strong demand for supply chain planners. Jobfeed indicates a 58% increase of job offers in 2019, compared to last year. 82% of all supply chain planner jobs are located in Flanders.”

What is the average salary for a supply chain planner?

“The salary depends on the sector and the kind of organisation, but in general a supply chain planner with up to 3 years of experience can expect to earn between 2000 and 2700 EUR gross per month. Professionals with 3 to 6 years of experience can count on a gross monthly salary of 2500 to 3000 EUR and those with over 6 years of experience can earn up to 3800 EUR gross per month. Graduates starting in a supply chain planner role can count on a higher start salary than other starterjobs because they need to be multi-skilled.”

Can supply chain planners expect a salary increase in 2020?

“Supply chain planners can indeed expect a salary increase in 2020, because the demand for talent in supply chain is higher than the number of available candidates on the market. Companies are facing talent shortages and experience difficulties to find candidates with good communication and analytical skills. It’s usually one or the other. As a consequence of this shortage, supply chain professionals are in a good position to negotiate their salary.”

What is the added value of having a supply chain planner in the organisation?

“For organisations, having their own supply chain planner on board is a way to ensure the timely delivery of goods and services from one place to another. This may involve delivery to a customer or another company site, in the same country or abroad. In addition, companies having their own supply chain planner on board will allow them to save money, as profit can be generated from analysing sales figures and making the necessary recommendations to maximise sales results”.