Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics is the one area where the civilian market is often more forgiving than what you have already done. Very few commercial supply chains are as unforgiving as sustaining a deployed force with a long lead time, no local resupply and a consequence for failure measured in something other than money. If you have run stores, movements, transport or maintenance support, the transfer is close to direct.
Entry-level package
$75,000 – $100,000
Senior package
$130,000 – $180,000
Typical first role
Logistics Coordinator
What the role actually involves
Why your service experience transfers
Saying it so an employer understands
The left column is how it reads on a service record. The right column is what a hiring manager is searching for. The work is the same; only the words change.
| How you would say it | What employers call it |
|---|---|
| Managed stores, holdings and accounts | Inventory management and stock control |
| Coordinated movements and transport tasks | Freight scheduling and distribution planning |
| Forecast and requisitioned supplies | Demand planning and replenishment |
| Managed a Q store or warehouse | Warehouse operations and team supervision |
| Conducted stocktakes and audits | Cycle counting, stock accuracy and inventory audit |
| Sustained a deployed force or remote detachment | End-to-end supply chain management under constraint |
| Managed maintenance and repair pipelines | Spare parts planning and asset servicing |
What you actually need
Not everything listed as desirable is a barrier. Before you spend money on a qualification, be certain it is the thing standing between you and the role.
Usually required
- Usually none at coordinator level — demonstrated logistics experience carries it
- TLI Certificate IV or Diploma in Logistics where an employer wants a credential
Strengthens your case
- Experience with SAP, Oracle, Pronto or a comparable ERP
- CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) for procurement-focused roles
- Dangerous goods handling
- Lean or Six Sigma for process-improvement roles
Licences & tickets
- Forklift (LF) licence
- HR or MC truck licence for transport-focused roles
- Dangerous goods licence where relevant
- White Card
Evidence you may be able to use for recognition of prior learning
RPL can cut the cost and length of a qualification substantially. Gather these before you enrol in anything.
- Stores accounting or inventory records you were accountable for
- Movement orders and transport tasking documents
- Stocktake and audit results
- In-service logistics, supply or transport trade courses
- Evidence of the dollar value or volume of holdings managed
A realistic progression
Timeframes assume you start from a standing civilian start. Existing qualifications or industry contacts shorten every step.
0–12 months
Coordinator or controller role. Priority one is fluency in the employer's ERP or WMS.
1–3 years
Senior coordinator or supervisor with responsibility for a site, a category or a freight lane.
3–5 years
Supply Chain or Logistics Manager. Commercial and contract skills become the differentiator.
5 years +
Head of Supply Chain, or a specialist procurement track that often pays better than general management.
Where you start
- Logistics Coordinator
- Inventory Controller
- Warehouse Supervisor
- Procurement Officer
$75,000 – $100,000
Where it leads
- Supply Chain Manager
- Logistics Manager
- Procurement Manager
- Head of Supply Chain
$130,000 – $180,000
Salary figures are indicative total packages for Australian roles and vary considerably by industry, location and employer. Last reviewed 8 Sept 2026.
Common questions
Is military logistics experience taken seriously by civilian employers?
By the ones who understand it, very much so — and defence-industry, mining and heavy-transport employers understand it immediately. Elsewhere you may need to spell out the scale: the dollar value of holdings, the number of line items, the geographic spread and the consequence of a stockout. Numbers do the persuading.
What is the biggest gap I will actually have?
Commercial procurement. Service teaches you to acquire against a requirement through an established system; civilian supply chain expects you to negotiate price, manage supplier relationships and defend a cost position. It is learnable on the job, but be honest about it in interviews rather than being caught out.
Does an ERP system I have never used disqualify me?
Almost never. Employers expect a learning curve on their specific system. What they screen for is whether you have worked in a disciplined inventory environment at all — someone who has maintained stock accuracy under audit will pick up SAP far faster than someone who has not.
Is this actually the right pathway for you?
A page can tell you what a job pays. It cannot tell you whether it suits the life you want, what your service record already proves, or which of the four gaps is genuinely standing in your way. The career assessment takes about twenty minutes and a real person reads every one.
Related pathways
Operations Management
The closest civilian equivalent to running a sub-unit, a watch or a shift. Direct accountability from day one, and pay that reflects it.
Read the pathwayProject ManagementProject & Program Management
If you have planned an activity, resourced it, briefed it and reported on it, you have already run projects. The gap is vocabulary, not capability.
Read the pathwayConstructionConstruction & Site Management
Early starts, physical sites, and a team that has to get something built. Combat engineers and trades transfer with the least translation of any pathway.
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