Head of Supply Chain

About us: Veetee is an ambient foods and rice company, a major supplier to retailers, wholesalers, and other food manufacturing businesses. We have two factories and three warehouses in Rochester, Kent, one manufacturing site in India and a Sales & Distribution team in the USA. Job Purpose: Create and agree Veetee’s supply chain strategy to support the overall business strategy and continually recommend improvements and communicate the strategy at all levels. Managing all aspects of the procurement, production, and distribution of goods and services including raw materials, packaging and other; import/export; demand and supply planning and supplier/service contracts. Responsibilities: Key: Strategic Supply Chain Leadership: Contribute to overall business strategy and planning, leveraging data insights and systems thinking to support business goals. End-to-End Supply Chain Strategy: Lead strategy development, focusing on cost efficiency, operational improvement, and business growth objectives. Team Leadership and Development: Direct, coach, and support supply chain teams, ensuring that performance and development goals are achieved through data-driven KPIs. Supplier and Vendor Management: Build and maintain supplier relationships to ensure quality, delivery reliability, and compliance, guided by data-backed evaluations. Risk Mitigation and Operational Excellence: Proactively identify risks and streamline supply chain operations, leveraging real-time data and insights for continuous improvement. ESG and Sustainability Initiatives: Champion Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives within the supply chain to drive sustainable growth. Improving customer experience : Delivering improved customer experience through strong supply chain relationships Representing the company : Acting as an ambassador for the company, reflecting the company culture and values. General: Define Veetee’s procurement model and continually review to meet changing business needs. Review and create S&OPs and ensure these are aligned to processes, are updated and that the business understand and adhere to them. Implement Lean Principles at every possible opportunity to drive and improve efficiency in all areas of operations, and to ensure that all these principles are adopted by our global logistical & supply chain operations. Complete analysis on key operational areas and work with the management team on improvement opportunities and drive these through in all operational sites within the business. Review, in conjunction with the management team, the current KPI measures and reports and identify where these can be adapted and improved to maximise improvement / process improvement opportunities and then manage these on a project-by-project basis within the UK and then into other operational sites. Reducing costs and differentiating Veetee through flexibility and responsiveness. Define the global inventory policy in agreement with general management and ensure that objectives are achieved, throughout the chain. Additional special projects market related initiatives, support on complexity reduction (driven by Supply Chain, Technical or Operations). Development and evolution of Information Systems (ERP, SCM, TMS, WMS, EDI, etc.). Supports continuous improvement projects to optimise team cross functional collaboration. Any other reasonable duties, responsibilities or requests that may be issued by management from time to time. Skills, Knowledge, and Experience: At least 5-10 years’ experience in a similar role within manufacturing/FMCG environment. Previous experience of setting up a new function; bringing together existing resources; heading up a similar function. Strong knowledge of supply chain technology, systems and solutions and tech’s role in enabling supply chain excellence. Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, CIPS, or equivalent experience. Exceptional communication skills and strong commercial acumen. Cross-functional understanding of supply chain planning, sales, NPD, logistics finance, marketing, and operations. Analytical, negotiation, and decision-making skills with a track record in contract management. Fully conversant in MS Office. Able to demonstrate what it takes to scale a supply chain and operations function successfully in a high-growth business. Exceptional numerical, analytical and organisational skills. MS Dynamics; SAP or other similar experience would be desirable. Hours to do the role, which may vary accordingly to business demand. Able to prioritise and organise in a dynamic environment. Confidence and capability to take full ownership and accountability of Supply Chain Operations. Positive attitude and adaptable. Comfortable working under pressure. Collaborative working approach. Self-starter with strong work ethic. Shift Pattern: Monday to Friday – Office Based Benefits: Health care cash plan. Company Pension and Life Insurance. Free onsite parking. Referral Programme. Store discount.