Supply Officers are employed at sea as the leaders of ships' logistic departments, and ashore in such varied domains as operational logistics, In-Service Support organisation, policy and training, acquisition and projects, as well as being Integrated Logistic Managers and financial managers.

The Supply Officer at sea is primarily responsible for coordinating all aspects of support required by the ship and the ship’s company including spare parts for maintenance, port visit planning and requirements, catering, hotel services, ship's canteen and financial management. This translates to resources for readiness and providing for the sustainability of the ship. Seagoing Supply Departments provide the bulk of logistic support to operational units.

The Supply Officer, as head of that department, analyses and advises the Command on resource implications of management decisions in the ship. In addition to logistic responsibilities, the Supply Officer contributes to whole-ship operational evolutions in a significant manner. Management of flight deck and helicopter control requirements are the responsibility of the Supply Officer, in consultation with any embarked Flight Commander. More importantly, when the ship is at a heightened state of readiness for action or emergency, the Supply Officer is employed as a roving damage control coordinator and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Protection Officer (CBRN PO).

These management functions necessitate Supply Officers to be adept at performing in an environment where changing operational imperatives often require managers to rapidly re-assess their priorities. Given the environment they work in, Supply Officers are required to have a very good understanding of operational priorities, procedures and ‘jargon’. Supply Officers are not required to be subject matter experts on all logistical issues within the responsibility of the Supply Department. However, for complex issues, they are required to provide high-level logistic support and experience to superiors and subordinates alike through the integration of information drawn from subject matter experts and generic logistic knowledge.

As human resource managers, Supply Officers are actively involved in the whole ship Divisional System. They are required to be conversant with the workings of this system, officers’ and sailors’ career management principles and other guiding human resources documentation to be in a position to offer pertinent and accurate advice to sailors for whom they are responsible. Supply Officers are also expected to act as mentors and role models for the junior Supply Officers in the ship.

Breadth, depth and complexity of knowledge and understanding involves selecting, adapting and transferring experience and knowledge to new environments and providing advice and leadership in resolution of specific problems. This is applied across a broad range of roles in a variety of contexts with some complexity in the extent and choice of options available.

While the focus of a Supply Officer's early career remains qualifying for sea service and actually serving at sea, the majority of Supply Officers are employed ashore. The role of Supply Officers ashore is to coordinate logistics support for elements deployed to operational areas nationally and internationally and sea-going Fleet units at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of activity.

The Supply Officers role ashore is defined as including:

• the provision of an interface between logistic systems and operational forces;
• the coordination of operational logistic support for non-self accounting operational ships;
• coordinating logistic support of operational force elements over the span of their usage;
• planning operational logistics at strategic and operational levels; and
• providing logistic policy formulation and training.

• Operations Support which is defined as the planning, delivery and monitoring of logistics and administrative support to operational force elements, for exercises and operations, in a single Service and joint Service context;
• Capability Support which is defined as the development, generation, management and delivery of a specific capability; and
• General positions referring to broader employment in roles that are considered to be the purview of all Naval Officers, including:
  • personnel management;
  • financial/business management;
  • project management;
  • contracting;
  • training delivery;
  • policy and doctrine formulation;
  • external liaison, shore command; and
  • public relations.