Warehouse manager to logistics and distribution manager
A warehouse manager already meets 28% of what the logistics and distribution manager role asks for. The move turns on 25 required skills not yet in the profile.
78.1/ 100
1 How much of what a logistics and distribution manager is expected to do is already part of a warehouse 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 logistics and distribution manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A logistics and distribution manager role treats 9 of its required skills as things a warehouse manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement
- give instructions to staff
- manage dispatch software systems
- manage staff
- manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities
- perform cost accounting activities
What stands in the way is 25 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A logistics and distribution manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a warehouse manager background worth leading with.
- already held oversee warehouse value-added activities management skills
- already held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities handling and moving
- already held manage dispatch software systems working with computers
- already held safety regulations for warehouses services
- already held identify software for warehouse management working with computers
- already held perform cost accounting activities management skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 9 the logistics and distribution manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 8 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 anticipate the overhaul of the fleet required
- still to learn manage the fleet according to planned operations required
- still to learn coordinate dock operations required
- still to learn develop efficiency plans for logistics operations required
- still to learn direct logistical functions required
- still to learn conduct full-scale emergency plan exercises required
- still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- optional, not held coordinate export transportation activities optional
- optional, not held coordinate import transportation activities optional
- still to learn communicate with shipment forwarders required
- still to learn solve operational transport problems required
- still to learn liaise with colleagues required
- still to learn liaise with transportation companies required
- still to learn provide operational efficiency training to employees required
- optional, not held improve rail service delivery optional
- optional, not held liaise with port users optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- still to learn analyse relation between supply chain improvement and profit required
- still to learn analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn analyse business plans required
- still to learn analyse supply chain strategies required
- optional, not held check dangerous goods transport unit optional
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- optional, not held transportation methods optional
- still to learn attend to detail in preparation for audits required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- still to learn regulations for international transportation required
- still to learn supply chain management required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a logistics and distribution manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 anticipate the overhaul of the fleet practise this
- 02 control reorder points practise this
- 03 manage the fleet according to planned operations 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- already held give instructions to staff skill
- already held manage dispatch software systems skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities skill
- already held perform cost accounting activities skill
- already held safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
- already held warehouse operations knowledge
- already held work in a logistics team skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held identify software for warehouse management skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held oversee warehouse value-added activities skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn control reorder points required
- still to learn e-commerce systems required
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held coordinate export transportation activities optional
- optional, not held coordinate import transportation activities optional
- optional, not held improve rail service delivery optional
- optional, not held liaise with port users optional
- optional, not held transportation methods optional
- optional, not held check dangerous goods transport unit optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
40 held skills the logistics and distribution manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role analyse work-related written reports skill
- not needed by the target role apply safety management skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role carry out storage risk management skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role comprehend financial business terminology skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety conditions in storage rooms skill
- not needed by the target role ensure stock storage safety skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role improve business processes skill
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain physical condition of warehouse skill
- not needed by the target role maintain stock control systems skill
- not needed by the target role maintain updated professional knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role maintain warehouse database skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage third-party logistics providers skill
- not needed by the target role manage warehouse operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage warehouse organisation skill
- not needed by the target role meet productivity targets skill
- not needed by the target role monitor security procedures in warehouse operations skill
- not needed by the target role monitor storage space skill
- not needed by the target role oversee freight-related financial documentation skill
- not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role plan future capacity requirements skill
- not needed by the target role plan the dispatching of products skill
- not needed by the target role plan the stocking of products skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide staff training in warehouse management skill
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise the work of staff on different shifts skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use a warehouse management system skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role warehousing regulations knowledge
6 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 e-commerce systems required
- still to learn regulations for international transportation required
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- still to learn freight transport methods required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held transportation methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a warehouse manager become a logistics and distribution manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A warehouse manager already covers 28% of what a logistics and distribution manager is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 9 of which the logistics and distribution manager role treats as required.
What skills does a warehouse manager need to become a logistics and distribution manager?
25 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is anticipate the overhaul of the fleet.
How hard is the move from warehouse manager to logistics and distribution manager?
Its learning distance is 78.1 out of 100, which is the career change 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.