The Logistics Manager is responsible for managing the workflow of all day-to-day logistics, materials, supplies and finished products for a manufacturing facility. Person manages and oversees the logistics department and all functions listed below. Individual ensures that logistics staff liaise with corporate schedule to accommodate changes and communicate directly with carriers and railways to manage logistics. The position requires exceptional organization, coordination, communication, and dedication skills.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership:

• Supervises plant Logistics team including hiring, delegation, training, performance evaluation, disciplinary actions for shipping and receiving of on time deliveries.
• Coaches and guide staff in the use of supporting systems and in cross functional team play.
• Lead all internal materials management activities.

Budgeting, Cost Control & Operations Stewardship:

• Tracks and reports key performance indicators and metrics for production coordination and logistics functions.
• Creation and implementation of a streamlined logistics process to minimize cost and optimize resources.

Policies & Procedures:

• Ensures staff are trained in all safety procedures. Frequently audit fork truck operations and rail shunting operations.
• Ensures staff fully utilize the SAP system to manage the material flows in MRP and PP planning and logistics functions.
• Develop and/or modify appropriate policies and procedures for managing supply chain for improvements, in collaboration with other manufacturing locations.

Production Coordination

• Ensures staff work closely with production and scheduler to learn plant production cost structure to guide intelligent scheduling.
• Ensures lines of communication are open with sales, customer service and production to anticipate problems and manage change with minimal impact on flow of production.
• Manages raw materials and finished product inventories to target levels. Work with sales to work off aged inventory.
• Responsible for inventory record accuracy, cycle counts, scrap accuracy, spills, contamination, and other losses as per the policies and to match ERP system.
• Leads and manages annual inventory process, as well as auditing plant yield
• Assists corporate materials group in cost reduction initiatives as well as the sourcing and planning of packaging materials.
• Ensures procedures are followed to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the SAP system (recipes are current, material balances complete and jobs closed quickly.

Logistics Management:

• Ensures staff maintains good operating relationships with carriers to ensure timely inbound and outbound shipments.
• Manages warehouse including space and capacity, shipping and receiving operations.
• Manages day-to-day distribution operations to ensure minimum inventories are maintained in satellite warehouses.
• Ensures all staff have training in basic fork truck operations.
• Reviews carrier performance levels, follow up on non conformance issues.

Continuous Improvement:

• Maintains control charts on key production and distribution parameters. Compares with other plant sites to identify improvement opportunities.
• Analyzes work flow regularly to seek out lean manufacturing opportunities.

Communications & Working Relationships

Internal:

• Frequently with plant production manager and logistics staff in developing and managing production schedules.
• Direct reports on an ongoing basis coaching cross functional communications, working scheduling issues and to ensure anticipated progress has been made against the achievement of individual and group objectives.
• Ability to communicate across all levels of the employee-base is essential. The working language of the company is English.

External:

• Major Suppliers, Off site Warehouses and Carriers if issues arise

Frameworks, Boundaries, & Decision Making Authority

• Freedom given to direct staff and change procedures in the logistics function.
• Freedom given to direct day to day logistics operations, authorize overtime as necessary and/ or extra carrier charges as necessary to serve customers.

Qualifications, Experience, & Skills

Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree in Supply Chain Management or Business or Engineering
• Certification of CPIM or similar preferred by the Association for Supply Chain Management (APICS) is a definite asset.
• Hands-on experience with shipping, logistics, distribution, receipt management, vendor performance appraisal.
• Experience or accreditation with Six Sigma is highly desirable.

Minimum Experience:

• 5 years experience in manufacturing environment
• 3 years experience in Operations or Logistics
• Demonstrated leadership skills, 2-3 years supervisory experience preferred

Job-Specific Skills:

• Above average leadership skills
• Superior people and project management skills
• Provides vision, direction and focus to changing role of the plant materials function in a lean manufacturing environment.

Business Skills & Understanding & knowledge of Supply Chain (i.e. ERP):

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Solid understanding and ability to analyze calculations concerning the nature of the logistics function and apply mathematical formulas and reasoning.