Head of Supply Chain

The Role: To manage the national logistics team, optimising logistics operations, delivering agreed service levels, safely and within budget. To provide leadership to the Logistics functions, providing the key interface between the customer and the internal commercial, operations & other key support functions, ensuring a balanced approach is taken to delivering high levels of customer service at appropriate targeted levels of internal cost. To provide leadership for regional Order Processing, Despatch Planning, Depot Operational and Road & Rail Transport Management teams. To provide functional leadership and direction to the business, ensuring a co-ordinated approach to national and area Logistics strategies is maintained (short, medium & longer term). To drive functional continuous improvement in terms of strong Transport HSE policy, process best practice sharing, external benchmarking, cost saving initiatives & value programmes, driving innovation in supporting IT applications where appropriate. Your Profile: Demonstrable track record of strategy planning and implementation, process best practice sharing, external benchmarking, and cost saving initiatives, network development, logistics network optimisation and continuous improvement. Applicants will be strong, credible leaders, with gravitas and excellent stakeholder engagement, supplier negotiation and performance management skills. Experience of a unionised and high transport health and safety culture will be critical to success. You will be educated to university degree, possibly to Masters level, with experience of leading and developing within a multiple location corporate environment. Candidates must have operated and managed large transport fleets (owner drivers, in-house and third party), will possess a CPC and be familiar with working and delivering in a blue chip, highly transparent and dynamic organisational culture. This must include persuasion and influencing skills at both an operational (regional/divisional) and strategic (main executive) level. Logistics strategy planning expertise as outlined above will be very evident in your recent history Experience of performance management and development of third party transport contractors is essential. Experience of managing supply chain planning teams is desirable. Experience of managing rail operations is highly advantageous.