Supply chain manager to commercial director
A supply chain manager already meets 32% of what the commercial director role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.9/ 100
1 How much of what a commercial director is expected to do is already part of a supply chain manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the commercial director role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A commercial director role treats 4 of its required skills as things a supply chain manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- develop professional network
- manage contracts
- project management
- risk management
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commercial director role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a supply chain manager background worth leading with.
- already held pricing strategies business, administration and law
- already held market pricing business, administration and law
- already held analyse consumer buying trends information skills
- already held risk management business, administration and law
- already held international business business, administration and law
- already held project management business, administration and law
All 11 carried skills, including the 4 the commercial director role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn align efforts towards business development required
- still to learn build business relationships required
- still to learn implement marketing strategies required
- still to learn integrate new products in manufacturing required
- optional, not held communicate with customer service department optional
- optional, not held deliver a sales pitch optional
- optional, not held achieve sales targets optional
- still to learn commercial law required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- optional, not held customer service optional
- still to learn manage sales channels required
- still to learn use analytics for commercial purposes required
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held prepare cost-plus pricing models optional
- still to learn manage sales teams required
- optional, not held fix meetings optional
- optional, not held manage tender processes optional
- optional, not held manage yield optional
- optional, not held use theoretical marketing models optional
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a commercial director role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage sales teams practise this
- 02 commercial law study this
- 03 manage sales channels practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held risk management knowledge
- already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
- already held international business knowledge
- already held manage staff skill
- already held market pricing knowledge
- already held pricing strategies knowledge
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held train employees skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held communicate with customer service department optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held deliver a sales pitch optional
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
- optional, not held achieve sales targets optional
- optional, not held fix meetings optional
- optional, not held manage tender processes optional
- optional, not held manage yield optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held prepare cost-plus pricing models optional
- optional, not held use theoretical marketing models optional
88 held skills the commercial director role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accurately estimate work hours skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role advise on sustainable management policies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse logistic changes skill
- not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
- not needed by the target role apply change management skill
- not needed by the target role apply for government funding skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
- not needed by the target role assist in planning production scheduling skill
- not needed by the target role attend trade fairs skill
- not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate purchasing levels of raw materials skill
- not needed by the target role carry out statistical forecasts skill
- not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
- not needed by the target role conflict management knowledge
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role control trade commercial documentation skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate purchasing activities skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role direct logistical functions skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
- not needed by the target role estimate costs of required supplies skill
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role forecast dividend trends skill
- not needed by the target role forecast economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role forecast future levels of business skill
- not needed by the target role forecast production quantities skill
- not needed by the target role forecast products' demand skill
- not needed by the target role forecast sales over periods of time skill
48 further entries not listed here
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn commercial law required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
Other moves recorded from supply chain manager
- ICT vendor relationship manager 51% covered · moderate
- ICT buyer 46% covered · substantial
- operations manager 40% covered · substantial
- purchaser 39% covered · substantial
- programme manager 38% covered · substantial
- fundraising manager 35% covered · substantial
- contract engineer 33% covered · substantial
- trade regional manager 32% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a supply chain manager become a commercial director?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A supply chain manager already covers 32% of what a commercial director is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 4 of which the commercial director role treats as required.
What skills does a supply chain manager need to become a commercial director?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is manage sales teams.
How hard is the move from supply chain manager to commercial director?
Its learning distance is 65.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.