Supply Chain Executive - RCL Foods

RCL FOODS is recruiting for an experienced Supply Chain Executive to join our fast-paced Logistics Division. This role will be based at our impressive National Office in Westville, Durban and report to the Supply Chain Director.

As the Supply Chain Executive, you will be responsible for:

• Ensuring that Vector’s long-term supply chain strategy is scalable and flexible, and focuses on delivering superior customer experience while lowering costs which can then be reinvested to drive top-line growth.
• Driving the achievement of the supply chain strategy through optimisation of the chain’s resources and capacity and the focused pursuit of new business incorporation into the Vector network.
• Leading and formulating the use of analytics and advanced analytics to satisfy the business need and drive an effective insight-driven organisation.
• Leading Supply Chain improvement projects across the business, ensuring that timing, risks, issues, resource requirements, etc. are dynamically managed across projects.
• Leading the department and ensuring resource continuity in line with agreed business intent.
• Formulate, lead and deliver analysis and research into transport, network and warehouse optimisation as well as other relevant supply chain initiatives across the business.

Duties & Responsibilities

Strategy formulation and execution:

• Work in conjunction with the Supply Chain Director to co-create the national supply chain strategy, based on a 1 to 5 year view of requirements.
• Direct the development and maintenance of the supply chain strategic plan to ensure that it is in line with Vector goals and projections.
• Determine supply chain capacity required across both the medium and the long term and plan required asset utilisation and capex requirements accordingly.
• Work closely with cross-functional management teams to ensure the delivery of an integrated supply chain benefit and strategic target achievement.
• Be the key enabler for the delivery of the growth strategy.
• Determine supply chain capacity required across both the short and medium term and plan required asset utilization and changes.
• Develop, manage and drive secondary transport planning improvements across the business in line with strategic intent.
• Work closely with cross-functional management teams to ensure the delivery of an integrated supply chain benefit and strategic target achievement.
• Be the key enabler for the execution of the supply chain strategy
• Capacity Planning and Optimisation:
• Lead the benchmarking process for supply chain to determine the best practices and define key indicators of determining capacity optimisation.

Act as the catalyst in the supply chain, constantly scanning and evaluating the supply chain and its key indicators to identify processes, functions or activities that can be improved or performed differently to optimise and integrate the supply chain including:

• pick face capacity optimisation
• back-up capacity optimisation
• product flow optimisation
• delivery method innovation.

In conjunction with the Operations and Planning functions, drive the adoption of new work methods.

Data analytics and insights-driven organization:

• Lead and drive the use and adoption of analytics in the organization
• Drive and own the deliverables that sustain and improve advanced analytics and insights
• Maintain developed visualization models
• Work with the IT executive to develop and select correct IT architecture that support the business growth and give best value for cost
• Provide data & analytics solutions to the business that drive value and support the business in making more informed, effective and intelligent business decisions.

Ideal Network Management:

• Manage the mapping, locations and road network databases used in the management of the network.

Identify future long-term requirements of the network, including:

• determining the best transport nodes.
• calculating the cost of maintaining and operating the current network.
• analysing how cost is affected by different scenarios where facilities are closed, expanded, contracted or new facilities are acquired or constructed.
• defining optimal network nodes and flow-paths.
• determining the best network configuration to address current and projected demand patterns while maintaining desired service and cost levels.
• evaluating warehouse capacity for current and future operations to handle optimal product flows.

Supply Chain Modelling and Data Analysis:

• On a daily basis, review the data emanating from the supply chain and perform integrated analysis to identify cross-functional cause and effect.
• Review the rolling forecasts from the Planning Manager to evaluate supply chain performance, integration and alignment.
• Define the parameters and input and output criteria for supply chain modelling.
• Oversee the creation of models to inform operating strategies, facilitate decision-making, make investment recommendations and identify new business opportunities.
• Provide the executive with advanced analyses to support their decision-making.

New Technology Introduction:

• Lead multi-disciplinary teams to compile detailed scoping plans and identify possible solutions.
• Test scenarios and solutions and conduct any requisite impact assessments.
• Select the most appropriate technology.
• Test functionality using planned post-project audits.

New Business Identification and Evaluation:

• Drive multi-disciplinary teams in responding to new business opportunities.
• Work closely with the PMO to compile appropriate tender and quotation responses.
• Assess current capability or required new capacity to meet the potential client requirements including warehousing, transport and equipment capacity and ensure that the relationship will be aligned with the Vector strategy.
• Attend all new business meetings and provide strategic supply chain insight to facilitate decision-making.
• In conjunction with the Commercial Manager, determine feasibility and shoot down unfeasible new business proposals at the "what if" stage.
• Ensure new business opportunities are costed accurately and profitability remains the high priority.

Strategic Insight and Technical Expertise:

• Provide detailed analysis and associated recommendations emanating from any and all queries that arise as a result of changes or anticipated changes in the supply chain.
• Provide expertise in management team meetings to colleagues and recommend solutions based on insights and findings.
• Provide both verbal and written communications regarding project status, risks, and issues, and make recommendations on project decisions to Supply Chain management.
• Serve as subject matter expert, providing directional, technical and analytical guidance to the project teams and functional management.

Project Coordination:

• Effectively coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams’ time and allocate resources to ensure deliverables are completed.
• Assess and approve/disapprove the need for additional staff or consultants and recommend the appropriate appointments if necessary during the project’s lifecycle.
• Coordinate the development of all Supply Chain projects from beginning to end.
• Review budget proposals, and recommend subsequent budget changes where necessary.
• Track and monitor all project milestones and deliverables using appropriate tools.
• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical paths.
• Accept and assess status reports, change requests, and requirements documentation to ensure smooth project progression.
• Conduct project post mortems and create a recommendations report in order to identify successful and unsuccessful project elements.
• Coach, mentor, motivate, and supervise new project team leads, team members, and contractors, and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work.
• Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within and between various project teams.
• Provide direction to project teams including overseeing the assignment of individual responsibilities, tasks and technical functions.
• Lead and coordinate project update meetings, and document project status and issues.
• Supervise and lead the project staff to oversee the impacts and interdependencies between projects and work to ensure initiatives meet the strategic and operational objectives of the Supply Chain management team.
• Ensure that project administration such as team communications, procedural controls (e.g. documentation control, issues control), filing, organising meetings, tracking whereabouts of participants, and obtaining facilities, services and materials are undertaken.
• Work effectively with internal and external clients, third-party vendors and Senior Management in accomplishing project objectives.

Minimum Requirements

• A completed Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain or similar
• A post-graduate / MBA qualification is advantageous
• An Operations Research qualification is advantageous
• Must hold a valid Code EB driver's license
• A minimum of 8 - 10 years of experience working in various areas of the Supply Chain (Planning, Transportation and Warehousing) of which 3+ years should have been at the Senior Management level
• A minimum of 3 years experience in Project Co-ordination/Management and the execution of multiple related projects simultaneously
• A proven track record managing Supply Chain Excellence teams, SC strategy, design and similar initiatives (Strategy formulation, warehouse optimization, warehouse design, technology roll-out/implementation projects, network optimisation, transport modelling etc.)