Distribution Manager

Our well-established client is looking for a Distribution Manager who will be responsible for managing and overseeing their logistics, operational warehouse & distribution activities to maximize service level, process efficiency and productivity in line with corporate values and departmental goals. This includes regional Distribution Centre in Johannesburg (run by a 3rd party) as well as local warehouse Namibia, Botswana, QRCs (Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Port Elisabeth, Lesotho) (also run by 3rd party) as well Sales Centres.

Duties and responsibilities:

FINANCIAL:

All departments operate in full compliance with all corporate fiscal policies and procedures (authorisation levels, T&E policy, SOX guidelines etc.), Prepare annual departmental budget, Manage manpower within the agreed budget, Regular review the need, cost and stock levels for supplies and components, In charge of monitoring and controlling all contractual spending and invoices, Manage all controllable expenditures such as training, maintenance and travel, Constantly review all operations, Ensure complete, accurate and up to date filing of relevant documents.

PERSONNEL:

Support Communications & BI with the promotion’s communications of local, EMEA and Global Promotions (launch flyer, recognition and Q&As), Understand and manage day to day HR issues including, managing sickness, absenteeism and disciplinary issues, continuously review and develop the departmental organization to meet its objectives. Develop and maintain performance expectations and job summaries. Hire and train staff so that they are able to pro-actively support the departmental objectives, Monitor work performance of staff, Conduct regular staff meetings with direct reports to update them on Supply Chain and departmental performance, new product information and/or changes in processes, Develop, maintain and review performance standards and measurements for each position within the department.

OPERATIONAL:

Oversee the daily Orders, Assembly and Warehousing processes and assure procedures and SLA’s are followed to maintain timely and accurate delivery of products and distributor-orders, Responsible for managing all local warehouses within Southern Africa (3rd party operations) and its main activities in a way that SLA and contractual obligations are met and agreed service level is delivered to members:

o Distributor Order fulfilment, Assembly-activities, Warehousing & Transportation, After Sales support for distribution related topics, Maintenance & Facilities, operationally manage 3rd parties and transportation companies. Regularly evaluate performances and relations in close cooperation with Manager Transportation EMEA, monitor workflow to ensure that sufficient capacity is available to handle all DS/Resupply orders within the agreed lead times. Take proper actions if needed, ensure complete and accurate documentation is available with every shipment, ensure an optimized utilization of picking lines and warehouses by conducting regular reviews of the operations, ensure all equipment is used for what it’s made for and that maintenance is executed in time, covers generation of daily, weekly, monthly reports to provide with actionable data and insight regarding current stock levels. Position must identify obsolescence/slow moving drivers and effectively communicate solutions to business and third-party logistics providers, Inventory management and control, making sure that physical inventory and system (Oracle) inventory is matching in all Herbalife locations incl. 3rd party locations, Sales Centres and QRC’s. Matching should be based real time accuracy and continuously accuracy, maintain inventory accuracy to agree levels by ensuring all warehouse operate within Corporate/Regional guidelines. Support internal and external audits of inventory accuracy, cycle count program and or operational procedures, ensure the department is working according to the official, approved, standard EMEA Inventory Procedures set by Inventory Control EMEA and advice on possible improvements. Actively report deviations from those procedures to (Inventory) Management, achieve departmental and personal objectives as described in the “goals and annual review-form”, develop and maintain clear measurements and targets for all operational processes with regard to lead-time, quality, productivity, etc.

• Ensure EMEA KPI’s and country scans are periodically reported and analysed. Ensure continuous focus on possibilities for improvements, develop and maintain operational procedures for all Order fulfilment, Assembly and Warehousing processes. Ensure complete and up to date specifications are available for all assembly activities, ensure timely and accurate data maintenance in Oracle and other systems used.

Develop and maintain effective communication with EMEA Planning, Local Distributor Services teams and local Logistics Managers/Supervisors. Initiate corrective actions and/or escalate in case of capacity constraints, initiate and maintain regular meetings with all relevant Supply Chain parties such as Licensing, Planning, QA, Transportation, Customs etc., develop and maintain expertise on warehousing, customs requirements, packaging- and distributor shipping and pro-actively share this expertise with all relevant parties, bring in expertise from others if and when needed.

LEADERSHIP

Gain a business advantage for the operation through continuous evaluation of the operating processes; create a positive environment for improvements and successful change management, establish close and effective working relationships with local and regional management, support and continuously coach Managers, Supervisors, Team Leaders and Seniors, define tasks and responsibilities, work with country and regional management on setting challenging goals and defining strategies to achieve these goals, create and maintain the necessary flexibility in workforce through cross training and contract mix, within the in-country operations, contribute in any other area of the business where improvement in service and reduction in costs can be made.

General Requirements:

• Matric qualification essential
• Bachelor’s degree in logistics, supply chain or relevant field
• 7 years’ plus experience in Logistics/Materials Management environment, Inventory/Warehouse Management or other Supply Chain areas as well as managing outsourced end to end 3PL is essential
• 5 years proven supervisory experience, including remote management.
• Solid understanding of logistics and inventory management software (Oracle preferred and other WMS) and planning application
• Multinational companies and matrix organisation experience
• Solid experience with Microsoft Office tools (especially Excel advanced)
• Valid SA driver’s license
• Valid passport
• Fluent in the English language with additional language advantageous
• MS Excel advanced level
• Outstanding analytical, statistical problem solving and organizational abilities
• Excellent customer service
• Willingness and ability to travel