HEAD OF TRANSPORT PLANNING – PARAGON SPECIALIST

HEAD OF TRANSPORT PLANNING – PARAGON SPECIALIST

“Excellent opportunity for experienced and graduate calibre transport network planning & Paragon transport systems specialist to lead brand new transport management centre”

£Excellent + Blue Chip Benefits

South East Asia 

Our client is global market leader.  As part of an Asia Pac transformation programme to improve and drive transport network synergies, centralised planning, visibility and control, our client is seeking a Head of Transport Planning who is also a very experienced Paragon transport planning systems specialist.

As Head of Transport Planning you will lead and manage a new centralised Transport Planning Management Centre, planning our client’s very large-scale, 1500 vehicle + fleet. This will include planning inhouse full load networks, LCL networks and scheduling of a large pool of national sub-contractor transport partners. This is expected to grow further as part of an ambitious strategic plan. You and your team will support multiple sites and operations serving customers nationally. You will lead a team of Planning Managers and Planners.  

The ideal applicant will be of graduate calibre, in logistics, engineering or business and a strategic thinker with excellent change programme management experience. Your career history will be characterised by fast track career progression and demonstrable achievements in transport planning excellence.  Most importantly, you will possess in-depth and consistent experience of large-scale in house and sub contract fleet planning and management across multiple locations, gained within a multinational high velocity Retail or FMCG or third-party logistics environment.

This is high profile and senior customer facing role and you will play a key role in understanding and fulfilling customer transport network requirements.  You will be diplomatic and confident with the experience and credibility to successfully question and extract information and constructively challenge your internal and external stakeholders and your operational colleagues.

You will be logical and data driven in understanding problems and developing practical solutions.  This will include setting KPI’s, targets and goals for monitoring and evaluating operations and cost effectiveness.  You will also drive and control the effective use of resources in order to stay within budget. 

You will ensure statutory and legal compliance developing a culture focused on safety, quality, service excellence, integrity and cost consciousness.  

The Role:

• Leading the Planning Team at a new Transport Management Center.
• Using Paragon Software, you will plan and design optimised schedules creating the greatest value for our client and its customers. 
• Interpret data, understand complex demand planning and create optimal transport solutions across multiple customers, business divisions and operational locations.
• Create meaningful business intelligence reports for Transport Directors and create continual improvement solutions.
• Developing strategies and use state of the art systems to optimize fleet and create innovative transport solutions for multiple business sector. 
• Manage planning, solutions, costs and reporting. Create planning schedules that achieve contractual service and performance levels and continue to improve transport models to beat the budgets and develop innovation.
• Deliver operational strategies using Paragon transport planning software.
• Reviews and updates KPIs, targets, and goals within Paragon for monitoring and evaluating operations and cost effectiveness.
• Develop Paragon transport software Super Users and upskilling the planning team.
• Understand and drive optimal solutions within transport national planning execution.
• Deliver continuous and unrelenting drive for improvement within our client’s transport and distribution operations. Including logical roll out strategies to achieve ambitious targets.
• Communicate effectively and constructively and diplomatically challenges and addresses site operational issues or people orientated issues in an open and collaborative manner.
• Lead from the front with an open and approachable “hands on” coaching and mentoring management style, which encourages empowerment and accountability and engenders enthusiasm and respect.
• Accountable to Board level for the delivery of operational and financial results

The Ideal Candidate:

• University degree educated in logistics or business or engineering or science.  A Master’s Degree in logistics and supply chain or transport planning would be highly advantageous.
• An experienced transport management professional experienced in running large primary and secondary road transport fleets both in house and via third party 3PL and 4PL partnerships.
• A Paragon transport software specialist.  This is a prerequisite.
• At least 7-10 years transport operations management and transport network planning experience.
• Experience of transport network planning, transport control tower concepts, transport operations management and project management.
• A track record of network development including implementation of centralised planning, transport management systems, network consolidation and integration.
• Transport operations leadership, customer relationship management, and project management expertise.
• This experience may predominantly have been gained within 3PL contract logistics focused on both primary and secondary road transport or large retail or other large FMCG or Industrial multinational, multi-site, complex and high velocity transport operations.
• Highly analytical and data driven with experience of transport management, routing and planning software packages.  An advanced user of Excel.  A project management qualification would be highly advantageous.
• Fast track career progression to date with the ambitious and desire to progress to Director level within this dynamic growth environment.