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Considered work as a Logistics or Distribution Center Manager? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more.

I work as a logistics manager, specifically as a Distribution Center Manager, in the electronics components industry, for a Fortune 200 company. I have been in logistics and operations for 15 years, with 10 years in a managerial role.

My work consists largely of analysis, employee relations, and administrative tasks. I spend a substantial amount of my time working directly with my team. I manage a team of 150 hourly associates and 6 exempt supervisors. The next biggest portion of my time is spent analyzing the processes in my work area looking for improvement opportunities. I also spend time planning and directing improvement projects: from quick hour-long “fix-it” projects up to full week-long Kaizen events aimed at re-designing specific parts of the process.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I rate my job satisfaction as about a 7. I find that I work better with a greater sense of autonomy than I have in my current role. It motivates me to work harder to move up. What drives me most about my job is challenging myself to be better today than I was yesterday, and achieving the goals I have set for myself.

I have had the benefit of working in multiple industries in my career, from web-based direct to consumer distribution, to nuclear fuels manufacturing; from large companies to small family-owned concerns. I think this gives me an edge in my field, in that I have become very agile, and able to learn a new job quickly. The negative would be a lack of depth of experience in any one industry. I like the variety my career has offered me, and I feel I am a better contributor because of it.

I started in logistics by actually starting in manufacturing. I worked a manufacturing job to put myself through college. I found that I had a passion for the manufacturing process and for making things better where I worked. In my college coursework, I took a few logistics courses and spoke to the logistics professors in the college of business. I found myself fascinated with the processes involved in moving goods around the world. This prompted me to focus my study on Logistics and Operations Management.

In my current job, I learned the hard way that it is important to spend the time to identify all the stakeholders who rely on your results. This is worth the time invested. If people are left out of the loop who are impacted by your results, you set yourself up for problems that can be tough to resolve.

The most important thing I have learned in the working world is that rarely do things go fully according to plan. Flexibility and the skills to quickly think through a problem and come up with a creative solution are invaluable.

The most interesting thing that has happened to me in this job was spending a weekend trying to track down a raccoon that had gotten into the warehouse and was setting off alerts to our security company. As a manager, I have had to get used to handling these types of situations.

I have to be frank and say that the desire to care for my family is the thing that drives me to get out of bed and go to work each day, and to do my very best. By being the best manager I can be, I provide security for my wife and kids, and that is very important to me.

Challenges in this job are widely varied. I deal with transportation issues due to bad weather, suppliers who cannot meet delivery schedules, and problems with the facility (like the raccoon).

The toughest challenges often center around people. It is never easy when you have to make decisions that may affect another person’s ability to care for his or her family. This is one of the more stressful parts of the job as well. I view logistics management as a moderately stressful career.

Someone in my position could expect to earn $70,000 to $100,000 per year. In my current position, I feel I am somewhat underpaid, to the field and the industry.

I get 3 weeks of vacation time each year. I try to take all of my available vacation each year. It is only fair to my family, and to myself, to take a break now and then. Of course, everyone would love more time off, but by spreading my time off throughout the year I get the breaks I need to be able to work at a high level.

A bachelor’s degree is required for most logistics management jobs, even as a supervisor. As you advance, higher level degrees are often expected or even required. People skills are the most important, followed by problem-solving and the ability to handle multiple tasks at once.

If someone were to ask me what to expect in logistics, I would say, be ready to work! Often the attitude is that at the manager level it is in some ways less work. However, the truly successful managers are not afraid to roll their sleeves up and get dirty to get the work done.

I plan to be in an executive level position within the next five years. I feel the experience I am gaining now will help me effectively lead larger organizations and have a greater impact on the company as a whole.

This is a true career story as told to LogisticsJobs.org.