Head of Supply Chain Management

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Head of Logistics & Supply Chain for one of my FMCG clients to provide strategic and operational leadership across procurement, supply chain, warehousing, transport, and logistics functions.

This is a senior leadership position responsible for ensuring the efficient sourcing, storage, and distribution of materials and finished products while maintaining regulatory compliance, controlling costs, and delivering exceptional customer service.

Working closely with senior leadership and cross‑functional teams, you will drive continuous improvement across the end‑to‑end supply chain, strengthen supplier relationships, improve operational resilience, and support business growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Procurement & Supplier Management

• Lead the procurement strategy for raw materials, packaging, consumables, and indirect spend.
• Develop and manage strategic supplier relationships across domestic and international markets.
• Negotiate supplier contracts, pricing agreements, service level agreements, and commercial terms.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed KPIs including quality, cost, delivery, service, and compliance.
• Identify and mitigate supply risks while ensuring continuity of supply.
• Ensure all purchased materials meet quality, regulatory, and customer requirements.

Supply Chain Planning

• Develop and implement the overall supply chain strategy to support business objectives.
• Collaborate with Operations, Production, Sales, Finance, and Quality teams to align demand planning and purchasing activities.
• Maintain optimal inventory levels across raw materials, packaging, work‑in‑progress, and finished goods.
• Improve forecasting accuracy, stock control, and working capital performance.
• Develop contingency plans to minimise disruption to supply.

Logistics & Distribution

• Lead inbound and outbound logistics operations.
• Manage third‑party logistics providers and transport partners to achieve high service levels and cost efficiency.
• Optimise transport routes, warehouse utilisation, and distribution processes.
• Monitor delivery performance and drive improvements in on‑time, in‑full (OTIF) performance.
• Ensure products are transported and handled in accordance with required quality and compliance standards.

Warehouse & Inventory Management

• Oversee warehouse operations including goods receipt, storage, stock control, and dispatch.
• Ensure effective stock rotation and inventory management practices.
• Maintain accurate inventory records and support regular stock audits.
• Minimise waste, stock losses, and obsolete inventory.
• Promote best practice in warehouse operations and material handling.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, industry regulations, and customer requirements.
• Maintain full product traceability throughout the supply chain.
• Lead supply chain risk assessments and business continuity planning.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Champion health, safety, environmental, and legal compliance across all logistics operations.

Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Develop supply chain reporting dashboards and management information.
• Analyse procurement, inventory, logistics, and operational data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support the implementation and optimisation of ERP, purchasing, warehouse, and supply chain systems.
• Lead continuous improvement and cost‑saving initiatives using Lean and operational excellence methodologies.

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide leadership, coaching, and development to the supply chain, logistics, warehouse, and transport teams.
• Set clear objectives and monitor performance through regular reviews and one‑to‑one meetings.
• Encourage collaboration across all business functions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance.

Key Requirements

• Proven experience leading end‑to‑end supply chain, procurement, logistics, and warehouse operations within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong commercial and supplier negotiation skills.
• Experience managing third‑party logistics providers.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, forecasting, and supply chain planning.
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Experience implementing process improvements and delivering cost savings.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using ERP and supply chain management systems.

Key Performance Indicators

• Procurement cost performance.
• Supplier performance and contract compliance.
• Forecast accuracy and inventory optimisation.
• Inventory turnover and stock accuracy.
• Logistics cost efficiency.
• On‑time, in‑full (OTIF) delivery performance.
• Regulatory and compliance standards.
• Delivery of continuous improvement initiatives.
• Team engagement and development.

This job description provides an overview of the responsibilities associated with the role and may be amended to reflect changing business needs.