{"id":253,"date":"2021-12-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/director-of-logistics\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T17:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:06:00","slug":"director-of-logistics","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/director-of-logistics\/","title":{"rendered":"Director Of Logistics: Job Description & Salary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What is a director of logistics?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common responsibilities for a Director of Logistics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerequisites for a Director of Logistics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much money does a Director of Logistics make?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for new or aspiring Directors of Logistics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear what ShipBob customers who manage logistics have to say<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for a WMS for your warehouse?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Director of Logistics FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

To thrive in a competitive ecommerce marketplace, businesses need streamlined supply chains that deliver on customers\u2019 expectations \u2014 and to achieve that goal, you\u2019ll need experienced logistics professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Director of Logistics is one of the important logistics professionals for growing ecommerce companies to hire. While this position goes by several other job titles (such as \u201cLogistics Director\u201d, \u201cHead of Logistics\u201d, and \u201cDirector of Supply Chain\u201d), its basic purpose is always the same: to manage every step in the supply chain, including procurement<\/a>, production inventory<\/a>, inventory management<\/a>, fulfilment, and shipping. It\u2019s a role that\u2019s integral to developing logistics systems<\/a> <\/a>that are focused on supporting growth while keeping costs down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you\u2019ll learn what a Director of Logistics is, the common responsibilities of Logistics Directors, and tips and best practices that aspiring or existing logistics directors can use to master their logistics operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a director of logistics?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Director of Logistics is typically the head of a company\u2019s logistics department, and is responsible for managing end-to-end operations within a business\u2019 supply chain, and working internally with production, leadership, sales, and warehousing<\/a> teams to optimise a business\u2019 supply chain and align it with growth goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logistics Directors are key leaders for day-to-day operations teams, with supply chain managers (such as directors of fulfilment<\/a>), supervisors, and employees reporting to them. The Director of Logistics themselves usually reports directly to the executive management levels in an organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also nurture external relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, freight brokers, vendors, and last-mile<\/a> couriers, and work closely with these parties to consistently meet deadlines as cost-effectively as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common responsibilities for a Director of Logistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The responsibilities of a Director of Logistics will vary somewhat from company to company, depending on each business\u2019 size and particular needs. In general, though, Logistics Directors perform several of the same core functions within a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just a few of the key operations that Directors of Logistics are typically responsible for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategic planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Director of Logistics first works with leadership to develop a company\u2019s short- and long-term goals, and then plans logistics strategically to enable the company to achieve those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This strategic logistics planning usually involves setting supply chain KPIs<\/a> for productivity, speed, and order accuracy<\/a> (among other metrics), analising data collected over time, and implementing process improvements wherever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Logistics Directors are responsible for preparing logistics operations for expected challenges (such as spikes in seasonal demand), and for building a resilient supply chain<\/a> that is strong and stable enough to withstand unforeseen challenges (such as supply chain blockages or the COVID-19<\/a> pandemic).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inventory and warehouse management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Depending on how staffed a business\u2019 logistics department is, monitoring inventory and managing warehouse processes can be a large part of the Director of Logistics\u2019 role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for the supply chain to run smoothly, the Director of Logistics must ensure that inventory levels<\/a> are satisfactory and that SKUs<\/a> are organised and easily accessible. They must also monitor standard warehousing and fulfilment procedures such as receiving, picking, and packing, for speed, efficiency, and quality of throughput.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, businesses will utilise inventory management software<\/a> (IMS) and\/or a warehouse management system<\/a> (WMS) to automate and simplify these functions, or partner with a 3PL like ShipBob with inventory and warehouse management capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In these cases, Directors of Logistics are expected to master the software and work with the business\u2019 3PL to optimise operations \u2014 or, if neither is delivering results, find a new logistics solution<\/a> altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relationship management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The role of Logistics Director is highly collaborative in nature, both internally and externally. As a member of senior management, the Director of Logistics has to be able to communicate and connect with both executives and warehouse employees, and balance the demands of each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Externally, Directors of Logistics act as liaisons between their brand and the companies that make, ship, and deliver their products. This aspect of the role is absolutely critical, as well-maintained business relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and couriers create strong, mutually beneficial partnerships that often result in cost-savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budgeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As one of the only individuals with a deep understanding of all the moving pieces (and prices) in a brand\u2019s logistics network, Logistics Directors are well-positioned to create and manage logistics budgets. They develop operational budgets for all sorts of logistics costs<\/a> \u2014 including facilities, labour, supplies<\/a>, and freight<\/a> \u2014 in addition to annual budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Director of Logistics is also responsible for keeping a logistics network<\/a> on-budget. This almost always entails continuously optimising operations and finding effective ways to both reduce spend and enhance the customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staffing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Logistics are complex systems powered by lots of dedicated people. The Director of Logistics motivates and manages all the teams and individuals that keep business operations running. Some companies require Logistics Directors to recruit and train new staff themselves, while others delegate hiring to a logistics manager or operations manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerequisites for a Director of Logistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though specific requirements will vary depending on the company and particularities of the position, candidates looking to become Logistics Directors can expect to see many of the same criteria on job descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some major prerequisites that companies look for in their next Director of Logistics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n