Excellent opportunity for a General Manager to work for this market leading, award winning global FMCG food manufacturer.
The General Manager Distribution and Supply Chain is a very important appointment to help achieve our client’s ambitious plans. You will be a key member of the company Senior Management Team, with a workforce of over 120 people this is a site leadership role and as such it requires an individual with the gravitas and energy to motivate the team. Our client has achieved successful growth over the past 10 years and now has a very extensive product range with over 1,000 SKU’s that are delivered to over a thousand different customers. This is achieved in-house through their own picking systems and using their own fleet of vehicles.
The role:
The individual must have the experience and vision to create a strategic 10 year plan for the Warehouse, Picking and Storage element of the business. This plan must be a cohesive and justifiable business case. The position is very autonomous and as such the position holder must have strong negotiating skills, be confident, assured and capable of presenting new ideas to all levels of the organisationboth verbally and written. As the business figure head the individual will be energetic, organisedand determined with a good broad commercial background, the operation having an overall annual budget of £12million
Key Responsibilities:
- The main warehouse situated is leased from a third party and the relationship with the landlord is not firmly established. The operation is reaching economic capacity in terms of the number of available pick bays as the range of SKU’s continues to increase. A cost effective and implementable “Masterplan” or expansion plan needs to be formulated, developed, agreed and implemented within the next three to four years.
- Fire protection and avoidance. This is a critical risk as all finished product stock (circa 4 weeks and 1400 SKU’s) is held in the facility. A full risk analysis carried out and remedial actions implemented.
- The delivery drivers are the “First Face” of our client and often they are the only company representative many of our customers see on a daily/weekly basis. However, recruitment is proving difficult despite competitive remuneration packages and a strong plan to attract, develop and retain the right talent is required.
- Both the number and types of customers are evolving and this has led to an increase in SKU’s. A short to medium term solution is required to guarantee capacity and maintain cost efficiency.
- There is a great workforce which is strongly motivated and performs well on a daily basis. However, the trust and mutual partnership between the workforce and managers is an area that would benefit from strong leadership and would be a key focus in this role.
- Hitting budget through continuous focus on identifying opportunities and implementing reductions in operational cost to minimise distribution and warehouse cost as a percentage of sales.
Qualifications and Experience:
Essential:
- Experience of leading a management team and being able to demonstrate key achievements and where you have personally added value
- Experience of managing a warehouse and picking operation
- Experience of managing a large capital project
- Knowledge of distribution and route to market
- Graduate Calibre
- Highly Numerate
Desirable:
- Comprehensive experience within a complex network operational environment
- Experience of fast-paced customer-facing environments
- Demonstrable experience working in a change environment
- Clear evidence of managing a significant budget with responsibility for accounting of profit and loss
- Working knowledge of SAP or equivalent MRP systems
- Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) in Road Haulage Operations
- Member of Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport
- Full Clean Driving Licence
The successful candidate will demonstrate a progressive career within a logistics and distribution environment, be an effective communicator and influence across all levels of the organisation including to the UK Board. You will be a strategic thinker, with a logical approach and a determination to ensure the Distribution service remains a first class operation with world class customer care.
To apply, please email your CV to rex.cridland@njr.uk.com including details of your current remuneration and notice period.