General Manager: Warehouse and Distribution

SUMMARY:
The role drives customer satisfaction, market share growth, and operational excellence.

POSITION INFO:

GENERAL MANAGER: WAREHOUSE & DISTRIBUTION
Sales & Distribution
Job Purpose

To provide strategic and operational leadership of national warehouse and distribution operations, ensuring best-in-class service, regulatory compliance, safety, and cost efficiency across all facilities and transport networks. The role drives customer satisfaction, market share growth, and operational excellence while safeguarding assets, reducing risks, and enabling sustainable supply chain practices

Key Accountabilities and Outputs
Strategic Leadership
Develop and execute the national warehouse & distribution strategy aligned with BevCo's sales, supply chain, and financial objectives.
Translate strategic intent into operational plans, capacity models, and investment cases.
Lead network optimisation projects (DCs, depots, overflow capacity).
Drive continuous improvement, benchmarking against FMCG/BevCo best practice.

Warehouse Operations Management
Lead operations across all DCs and depots, ensuring efficient workflows, stock accuracy, and OTIF delivery.
Implement and enforce SOPs for receiving, storing, picking, dispatch, and returns.
Ensure facilities meet food safety, health & safety (OHS Act), and quality compliance standards.
Drive automation, digital warehouse management (WMS), and layout optimisation.

Distribution & Transport Management
Oversee the national fleet (owned & contracted) to ensure cost-effective, safe, and compliant transport.
Optimise vehicle uptime, routing, and utilisation via TMS and analytics.
Ensure compliance with AARTO, RTMS, NHVR, and cross-border export regulations.
Collaborate with Export teams on customs, excise, and international trade compliance.

Inventory & Asset Management
Maintain inventory integrity through cycle counts, audits, and system controls (SAP/WMS).
Minimise losses, obsolescence, and write-offs, ensuring financial accountability.
Manage asset utilisation (forklifts, trucks, MHE, racking) and approve warehouse/fleet capex.

3PL & Contractor Management
Lead relationships and SLAs with 3PLs, transporters, and contract warehouses.
Negotiate contracts to secure value, compliance, and capacity flexibility.
Monitor service performance, enforce penalties/incentives, and build long-term strategic partnerships.

Financial Management
Own the W&D budget (ZAR 500m+), delivering productivity and cost savings while maintaining service standards.
Develop accurate forecasts, track variances, and implement corrective actions.
Ensure compliance with procurement governance and B-BBEE supplier development targets.

Risk, Compliance & Security
Ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements (OHS, NHVR, AARTO, Customs).
Embed food safety, SHEQ, and risk management protocols in warehouse and fleet operations.
Work with internal audit, forensics, and 3PL security to mitigate theft, shrinkage, and fraud risks.

Sustainability & ESG
Lead initiatives to reduce carbon footprint (fuel efficiency, renewable energy for DCs, reverse logistics).
Champion recycling and PET/glass recovery partnerships.
Ensure fleet and facility practices align with corporate ESG commitments.

Digital Transformation & Innovation
Champion technology adoption (IoT fleet tracking, predictive analytics, automation, robotics).
Implement control tower dashboards for real-time visibility of W&D performance.
Drive system enhancements across SAP, WMS, and TMS platforms.

Stakeholder & Customer Engagement
Collaborate across Planning, Manufacturing, Sales, Exports, and Finance to balance supply, cost, and service trade-offs.
Act as the voice of logistics in the S&OP cycle.
Build trusted relationships with key customers (GT, MT, Exports) to ensure service excellence.

People Leadership
Build, coach, and retain a high-performing W&D leadership team.
Develop capability pipelines, succession plans, and transformation targets.
Drive a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field (NQF 7 essential).
10+ years' leadership experience in multi-site warehouse & distribution management (preferably FMCG/beverages).
Proven track record in 3PL/fleet management, regulatory compliance, and large-scale budget ownership.
Strong digital literacy: SAP, WMS, TMS, advanced Excel; exposure to automation & analytics tools.

Key Competencies
Strategic thinking & execution under pressure.
Financial & commercial acumen.
Advanced problem-solving, decision-making, and project management.
Strong influencing, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
Change leadership & continuous improvement orientation.

Behavioural Competencies
Planning and Organising
Manages time effectively, ensuring effective completion of tasks under stressful deadlines.
Able to prioritise activities and resources, ensuring that results are achieved effectively.
Able to evaluate progress and make appropriate adjustments to initial plans, ensuring a successful outcome.

Strategic Thinking
Identifies and fills gaps in information required to understand strategic issues.
Formulates a "pig picture" understanding.
Ability to organises information and data to identify or explain trends, problems, and causes; compares and combines information to identify underlying issues.
Generates and considers options for actions