Interview Questions with James Stubbs, Manager, Global Network Planning at CHEP USA

SCM Interview Questions

• Tell us about a little about your background and education. 

My educational background is in economics and business management. Economics has benefitted me in the many supply chain roles I’ve held, as it focuses on organizing a problem into a solvable model and then manipulating real-world data to reach a solution.

• What made you decide to pursue a career in Supply Chain Management? 

My college network of friends introduced me to CHEP. The more I researched the company and the industry, the more interested I became. The company presented many opportunities in a variety of areas within the supply chain, including: Logistics, Planning, Purchasing, Network Design, and other aspects of SCM.

• How did you get your start in Supply Chain Management? 

My first role in SCM was in the Tactical Planning department at CHEP, focusing on customer sourcing strategies and inventory management for the Southeastern United States. I enjoyed working with our customers on their business objectives, and thrived on the challenge of positioning inventory to match seasonal peaks in demand.

• What are your responsibilities as a supply chain professional? 

My job is to find ways to better use our physical network to allow us to drive out costs. My team is responsible for identifying new opportunities within our current business portfolio, but we also analyze how we can improve network design to support the addition of a new customer or a change in how we do business with existing customers.

• What is the most rewarding aspect of working in Supply Chain Management? 

At the end of the day, what I do has a direct impact on the cost of goods sold in the US and beyond. If I’m able to identify opportunities to reduce Supply Chain costs, the savings can be shared with our customers and eventually consumers.

• What skills do you think a successful Supply Chain professional need to be successful? 

Supply Chain Design requires the ability to internalize many moving parts in the economy, customers’ industries, and your own supply chain and then putting the pieces together to find opportunities. The exact skillset will change depending on your role, but one constant is that you have to have an eye on execution. Customers require a high level of service no matter what cost-saving initiative you might undertake.

• What advice would you give to those individuals considering a career in supply chain management? 

It’s a great industry to join. Products will always have to make it to shelves, and there will always be opportunities to improve how that happens.

Category: Supply Chain Management