Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Order Management Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Order Management Specialist owns and executes the end-to-end order lifecycle (order entry through invoicing and fulfillment) for assigned accounts and channels. This role ensures accurate and timely order processing, maintains data integrity in ERP/OMS systems, coordinates cross-functionally with Sales, Warehouse, Logistics, and Finance, and drives order-to-cash KPIs including on-time delivery, order accuracy, days sales outstanding (DSO), and order cycle time. The ideal candidate combines strong technical ERP skills (SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Salesforce, or similar), proven order entry and EDI experience, and excellent stakeholder communication skills.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Customer Service Representative with order entry experience
Sales Operations Coordinator or Administrative Assistant supporting fulfillment
Inventory Coordinator or Logistics Assistant

Advancement To:

Senior Order Management Specialist
Order Management Team Lead / Supervisor
Order to Cash (O2C) Analyst or Manager
Supply Chain Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Sales Operations Specialist
ERP/Systems Analyst (order-to-cash modules)
Logistics or Fulfillment Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Process and enter high volumes of customer orders accurately into the company's ERP/OMS (e.g., SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce CPQ), ensuring pricing, discounts, payment terms, and special instructions are correct before order release.
Validate incoming orders from multiple channels (phone, email, eCommerce, EDI, web portals) and perform data cleansing to prevent order errors, downstream delays, and invoice disputes.
Monitor and manage order queues daily, prioritizing orders by SLA, ship date, customer priority, and product availability to meet customer expectations and on-time delivery targets.
Coordinate with Inventory Planning and Warehouse Operations to confirm product availability, resolve backorders, allocate stock, and recommend split-ship or alternate fulfillment options when needed.
Manage order changes, cancellations, returns authorizations (RMA), and credits by updating systems, notifying affected stakeholders, and ensuring changes are reflected in billing and inventory.
Own order exception handling, diagnosing root causes for discrepancies (pricing, SKU mismatches, EDI translations, credit holds) and working cross-functionally to implement corrective actions and process improvements.
Execute customer onboarding and master data maintenance tasks such as creating and updating customer records, bill-to/ship-to addresses, payment terms, tax IDs, and shipping preferences in the ERP to maintain data integrity.
Perform credit checks, apply holds, and collaborate with Credit & Collections and Sales to resolve credit issues that block order release and drive risk-mitigating controls for new and existing customers.
Process and manage electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions (850/810/856/940/945) and troubleshoot EDI failures with IT, trading partners, and third-party integrators to ensure seamless order flow.
Prepare and issue shipping documentation, packing lists, commercial invoices, and customs paperwork for domestic and international shipments while ensuring compliance with trade and export regulations.
Generate, review, and deliver customer invoices, ensuring alignment with goods shipped, returns processed, and contracted pricing; partner with Finance to resolve billing disputes and adjustments.
Track order status from confirmation through shipment and delivery; proactively communicate order status and exceptions to Sales, customer service, and customers to minimize escalations.
Reconcile order, shipment, and invoice data during month-end and support revenue recognition and month-end close activities by providing detailed transaction documentation to Finance and Accounting.
Maintain and generate regular operational reports and KPIs (order accuracy, OTIF, fill rate, order cycle time, DSO) and present insights and action plans to leadership to improve order-to-cash performance.
Implement and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for order entry, change management, and exception handling; train new hires and cross-train team members on processes and systems.
Support promotions, price changes, and contract renewals by updating pricing matrices, checking promotional eligibility, and validating contract terms prior to order acceptance.
Liaise with Sales and Product Management on product discontinuations, lead times, and special orders (kitting, configurables, sample orders) to ensure proper order routing and fulfillment.
Manage relationships with third-party logistics providers (3PLs), drop-ship suppliers, and freight forwarders for coordinated fulfillment and to resolve shipment discrepancies or claims.
Identify opportunities to automate repetitive work through macros, workflows, EDI improvements, or RPA and partner with IT/ERP teams to implement automation to reduce manual order touches and increase throughput.
Conduct periodic audits of order and customer master data, pricing, and contract compliance to maintain system accuracy and support internal and external audits.
Lead root-cause analysis for recurring order issues and collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (IT, Sales, Warehouse, Finance) to design and implement process and system fixes.
Support account transitions and sales handoffs by validating open orders, outstanding credits, and special shipping instructions to ensure a seamless customer experience.
Serve as the escalation point for complex order issues, coordinating fast resolution while documenting incident management steps and lessons learned.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist in QA testing for order management system upgrades, ERP patches, and new release validations to ensure order processing integrity.
Provide ongoing training materials, job aids, and process documentation to maintain consistent operational performance and reduce onboarding time.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in ERP and order management systems (SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, or equivalent).
Experience with CRM/order integration tools (Salesforce, CPQ systems) and order-to-cash process flows.
Practical knowledge of EDI transaction sets (850, 855, 810, 846, 856) and experience troubleshooting EDI mapping and connectivity issues.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, INDEX/MATCH, data validation, macros) for reporting and reconciliation.
Familiarity with billing and invoicing processes, credit memo processing, and accounts receivable workflows.
Experience with shipping systems, freight documentation, and international shipping regulations (HS codes, Incoterms, commercial invoice preparation).
SQL or basic query skills to extract order and transactional data for analysis (preferred).
Experience with order orchestration, inventory allocation, backorder management, and fulfillment rules.
Ability to use ticketing tools and workflow systems (Jira, ServiceNow, Zendesk) to manage order exceptions and cross-functional requests.
Hands-on experience with process automation tools (RPA, Power Automate) or ERP workflow engines to reduce manual order touches.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy under high-volume order processing conditions.
Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills, with a bias for documenting and implementing corrective actions.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills to coordinate with Sales, Customers, Logistics, and Finance.
Customer-centric mindset with the ability to manage expectations and deliver clear status updates.
Ability to prioritize, organize, and manage time effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Collaborative team player who can influence cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.
Adaptability and comfort with change during system upgrades, process redesigns, and business growth.
Strong analytical mindset and comfort working with data to drive operational improvements.
Process-oriented with continuous improvement mentality (Lean, Six Sigma familiarity is a plus).
High level of integrity and ability to handle confidential customer and financial information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree or equivalent; strong preference for Bachelor's degree.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Finance, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management / Logistics
Business Administration / Operations Management
Finance / Accounting
Information Systems (ERP focus)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2+ to 5 years of progressive order management, order entry, or order-to-cash experience in a high-volume environment.

Preferred:

3–5+ years experience with ERP systems (SAP, NetSuite, Oracle) and demonstrated EDI, billing, and fulfillment experience; prior exposure to international shipments, 3PL coordination, or subscription/recurring billing preferred.

If you want this tailored to a specific industry (manufacturing, eCommerce, SaaS, distribution) or a seniority level (junior, senior, lead), I can adjust responsibilities, skills, and salary ranges accordingly.