OPERATIONS DIRECTOR - WAREHOUSING & LOGISTICS

The company is a leading global player within the construction and building materials sector.

Our client requires an Operations Director to take full P & L responsibility for all aspects of its warehousing and multi drop logistics operation which supplies time sensitive, JIT next day delivery of construction and building products and accessories into customers within the London/South East region. This is a senior management role responsible for delivering the strategic vision and direction for the business. As the warehousing, stock and logistics management subject matter expert you will report to the MD and will be part of the executive team. As Operations Director, you will also manage sites in Leeds and Birmingham via a team but the vast majority of your time will be spent at Head Office in the Dartford area managing the largest site and operation. This role requires a graduate calibre, seasoned warehousing, stock control and transport and logistics professional from a very fast moving, time sensitive next day wholesale delivery operational environment. You will lead a team including a Warehouse & Stock Control Manager and a Transport Manager, who manages an in house mixed multi drop fleet and sub-contractors. Your experience must include excellent practical knowledge of the logistical and regulatory constraints of delivering into the Greater London area. To succeed in this role, you will be a highly visible "walk the floor" manager with a track record of cultural, process and operational improvement, change and transformation, team building, employee engagement and empowerment, within a dynamic growth environment. Aside from your technical warehousing and logistics expertise, in terms of exceptional service and OTIF performance, you will possess strong analytical and planning skills in order to play a leading role in the strategic evolution of this already highly profitable business. This is a highly metric driven environment. You will therefore be familiar with presenting detailed business cases in relation to continuous improvement projects and capital requirements for fleet and equipment. This is an excellent general management opportunity for someone who can switch between being tactical, operational and strategic and is driven by delivering outstanding results as part of a close knit senior management team which includes Commercial and Finance Directors and procurement/sourcing functions. Career prospects are excellent for a commercially astute Operations Director who really understands "cost to serve" and optimisation of profit margins whilst still ensuring a safe, responsive, client focused and quality warehousing and logistics operation.

• Graduate calibre/degree level education. CPC highly advantageous.
• Minimum of 7-10 years' senior leadership and P & L accountability within a warehousing and logistics role. A coaching, empowered, engaging and consultative style to continue to engender strong employee commitment, loyalty and pride in the operation.
• A confident leader and decision maker, able to articulate and deliver the operational vision.
• This experience must have been gained with a high safety, customer focused, fast moving ideally next day JIT delivery operation. This could be delivering single items or consolidated palletised orders.
• Practical knowledge of the logistical and regulatory constraints of delivering into the Greater/Central London and South East area.
• Excellent in-depth warehousing, stock control and transport operations experience including fleet optimisation, fleet compliance and fleet preventative maintenance via outsourced service providers.
• Experience of specifying fleet, identifying optimal vehicle utilisation and introducing fuel economy initiatives including a focus on driver behaviours.
• Excellent stock control and warehousing knowledge familiar with planning optimal stock flow and layouts within the warehouse across goods in, put away, pick, pack, vehicle loading and despatch within a 24/5 operation.
• Excellent business process re-engineering and transformational change experience, used to engaging with all levels of stakeholders, and with a thorough, detailed approach to evaluating opportunities, risks and implications whilst achieving strategic and operational objectives.
• Self-sufficient, high energy and resilient personality with exceptional communication and relationship building skills.
• Excellent Computer literacy including Excel.
• Commercially astute with in-depth P & L and financial planning skills.
• Practical knowledge of warehousing, stock control and transport KPI's and experience of embedding these within an operation to drive performance, add value and improve profitability. Experienced in presenting MI and business improvement initiatives to the Plc/Executive board.
• NEBOSH General Certificate or IOSH Managing Safely
• Ambitious with the potential, drive and determination to deliver results and progress further within this global organisation.