REGIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES BUSINESS PARTNER – MANUFACTURING DIVISION (FULLTIME 5 DAYS OR PART TIME 4 DAYS AVAILABLE)

“Excellent opportunity for Generalist HR professional to join manufacturing division of global plc.”

C£35-40000 + Car Allowance + Benefits

Location: West Midlands 

Commutable from Walsall, Wolverhampton, Telford, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Shrewsbury, Bromsgrove, Lichfield,  Birmingham, Kidderminster, Stafford, Stone, Tamworth, Stoke on Trent, Droitwich, Redditch, Worcester, Coventry, Sutton Coldfield, Coleshill 

Our client, a division of a global plc, is a market leader in the specifications sales led manufacture and supply of mechanical security and service access solutions to the industrial and commercial sector.  They are seeking to appoint a Regional Human Resources Business Partner who will be based from our client’s head office in the West Midlands.  You will also be required to travel to a manufacturing facility in Warwickshire on a once or twice weekly basis for meetings and with occasional once per month visits to two other facilities in the Home Counties.  You will report to the Group HR Director and also the Managing Director of the division, as an integral part of the divisional leadership team.

This is a fantastic career development opportunity for a confident, self-motivated and ambitious HR generalist keen to take on a regional role within a growing division.

The HR Business Partner is required to deliver a comprehensive, high quality, proactive and value adding HR service to the division and its three manufacturing and production facilities.  The HR Business Partner will provide professional HR support to the site management teams, advising on a range of HR issues including employee relations, statutory/mandatory training plans, talent management, succession planning, supporting employee development, driving and supporting effective communications, employee engagement, performance management, dealing with disciplinary and grievance cases, managing sickness absence.  The HR Business Partner will also be part of a national HR team, working on a range of cross functional projects, and will be responsible for implementing and operationalising Group HR policies and initiatives throughout the division.  

The Role:

• Deliver a comprehensive HR service to the division and its three manufacturing/production facilities, ensuring the effective application and full compliance with people policies, practices and procedures.
• Directly support the divisional leadership with HR advice and coaching, being seen as a “trusted advisor”, able to objectively assess, influence and constructively challenge when necessary.
• Successful management of employee relations e.g. managing absence, disciplinary matters – conduct and capability, compliance, grievances. 
• Drive effective performance management through the coaching of line managers on dealing with performance management issues.
• Responsible for providing the business with regular management information reports to support improvement of measures e.g. sickness, overtime. 
• Delivery of appropriate contractual documents relating to terminations, appointments and employment variations through liaison with the HO HR function.
• Advising and supporting line managers on selection and recruitment decisions including the completion of the necessary recruitment requests, creation of job descriptions/person specification, management of vacancy advertising, selection process, and interview panel participation. 
• Ensure that there is fairness and consistency in reward and benefits across the site in recruitment and promotions.
• Participating in training activities, encouraging and supporting staff in their training and development needs
• Undertaking safety and healthy duties commensurate with the job and working with Safety, Health and Environmental function to ensure site compliance.
• Support divisional succession and talent planning to compliment Group picture.
• Responsibility for the administration of employee surveys and feedback processes 
• Support the collation, analysis, and implementation of the annual training plan to ensure delivery against statutory and business requirements.
• Proactive in supporting safe working through Safety, Health and Environmental initiatives.

The Ideal Candidate:

• University degree educated in a relevant business or HR related subject (ideally but candidates with degrees in other subjects and relevant HR experience will also be considered)
• Qualified to/currently working towards CIPD level 5 as a minimum.
• HR Generalist experience gained within an industrial manufacturing unit or FMCG or engineering or possibly logistics environment
• Computer Literate in MS Office packages and use of Databases 
• Excellent interpersonal skills.  Accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent Written & Verbal communication skills, including Report writing.
• Able to create a positive site team culture and demonstrate leadership and influence within the business.
• Able to think ahead and take action to ensure team skills and capabilities meet future business needs; understand the aspiration and potential of the teams and identify and develop potential.
• Strong capability to influence others, sell your own ideas by linking them to other people’s values, goals or ideas; willingly and confidently communicate issues and ideas to gain senior management support; sell the benefits behind decisions and changes.
• Able to build a positive team culture; build relationships with other teams across the business to share ideas, break down silos and maximise performance; must put the ‘company good’ before any individual ‘local gain’; must implement ideas to improve team dynamics and team spirit.
• Have a relentless desire and hunger to improve and innovate. Encourage the wider business to improve performance.
• Able to demonstrate confidence with a wide range of colleagues, stakeholders and shareholders; maintain confidence and stay calm during difficult situations; make decisions that will be unpopular whilst explaining the rationale for these.
• Flexibility with ability to adapt team approach in line with a more strategic perspective; take a proactive approach, to think ahead and across the business.
• Able to step back from a complex situation in order to gain a better understanding; understand the impact of problems and solutions on yourself and others; anticipate obstacles by solving the problem and to implement solutions.
• Will possess a full driving licence.

Our client offers excellent training and support and the opportunity to really make your mark in a fast paced, high performing and dynamic market leading environment.  Career prospects are excellent.
 

TEAM LEADER - Testing and Certification Services 

“Career development and leadership opportunity for commercially focused Test & Certification specialist with best in class experience gained in mechanical or electrical test engineering or other disciplines, Eg biochemical, metallurgical, forensics etc to UK and International Standards”

Salary:  c£28500 + Excellent Large Company Benefits 

Location:  Wolverhampton 

Commutable from Birmingham, Kidderminster, Stafford, Stone, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Bromsgrove, Lichfield, Tamworth, Stoke on Trent, Telford, Shrewsbury, Droitwich, Redditch, Worcester, Coventry, Warwick, Sutton Coldfield, Coleshill, Stockport, Crewe

Our client is a well-established and respected manufacturer of fixtures, fittings and components both mechanical and electronic in the home and building infrastructure products sector. Highly acquisitive and experiencing excellent growth, the company is based in a brand-new office, distribution centre and test centre complex in the West Midlands close to the M6/M54 but has operational facilities and subsidiaries nationally and globally.   

They are now seeking to strengthen their Test Centre team with the appointment of a Team Leader to supervise daily testing services operations.  Our client provides testing and certification services on an in-house basis to internal group companies and also to external customers including other manufacturers of mechanical, electrical and electronic components and products, in line with industry and national and international standards and certifications.  The role also encompasses involvement in product certification schemes to ensure continuity of compliance and to maximise value from product certifications.

Testing equipment is pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical/electronic and would cover tensile testing as well as a wide range of other tests.  

You will supervise day to day activities of a small team of test engineers ensuring that internal and external customer needs are met, providing an exemplary service, managing product certification schemes to ensure continuity of compliance and maximum value from product certifications.

 THE ROLE

• Schedule the daily and weekly tasks for the testing team to meet external and internal customer requirements. 
• Promote and maintain professional standards of service. 
• Establish and manage the progression of the development objectives for the test engineering team. 
• Provide professional and timely communication of test scheduling and manage the timely and accurate generation of test reports. 
• Ensure routine inspections, calibration, safety and maintenance processes are effectively performed. 
• Provide support to the Testing & Certification Manager ensuring ongoing compliance and accreditation to all relevant testing and laboratory management standards.
• You will work with Test Engineers, Field Service Engineers, Design Engineers, Sales Team, Product Manager and Quality Engineers. 
• Ensure compliance with all health, safety and environmental requirements and safe systems of work and maintain and update safety, health and environmental provisions as required. 
• Prepare Monthly KPI’s including Activity Report, Testing Services Schedule, Testing Services booking Log and Record of component performance issues. 

KEY SKILLS and BACKGROUND

• A background in mechanical engineering or manufacturing and ideally, but not essentially, with experience of mechanical testing. You might be involved in prototype/new product development or other disciplines Eg. Biochemical, forensics, metallurgical etc. 
• Proven capability to manage a fluctuating & variable workload to firm deadlines. 
• Competent to manage a small team, including task allocation and development. 
• Good motivation, supervision and coaching skills in order to get the most from a disciplined team.
• Ability to promote professional conduct at all times. 
• Good communication skills with all stakeholders including customers, accreditation bodies, suppliers and colleagues.
• Capability to interpret and perform test specifications within disciplined processes and procedures and with an innovative/questioning manner. 
• Competent with IT systems including MS Word, Excel & Powerpoint. 
   

SAP PROCUREMENT COORDINATOR – PROCURE TO PAY/P2P 

C£32-35000 + Excellent Benefits

Location:  North West

Commutable from Ellesmere Port, Mold, Wrexham, Birkenhead, Wallasey, Chester, Warrington, Runcorn, Widnes, Liverpool, Crewe, Knutsford, Macclesfield, South Manchester, Wigan, Newton le Willows, Leigh, Heywood, Skelmersdale.

Our client is a global player within the specialist energy, electricity and power generation sector.  
As part of a strategic transformation of the procurement function moving to a shared service and category management model across its global operating units, our client seeks to strengthen its team with the appointment of an ambitious, graduate calibre procurement professional with experience of SAP Procure to Pay/P2P.  This is a high-profile role located and you will be interacting and engaging with Category/Procurement, Finance and other key cross functional executives across the UK and mainland Europe in relation to P2P.

As SAP P2P/Procure to Pay Procurement Coordinator, operating as part of a P2P team, you will report to the European Procurement Operations Leader and will ensure the accurate and effective initiation of the SAP procure to pay/P2P process in line with contractual arrangements with suppliers.  The objective will be to ensure compliance, education and engagement in relation to procurement policies and to enable efficient transactional processing.  Specifically, you will work with European sites and their Procurement Business Partners providing operational support in relation to Procure to Pay/P2P initiation for all categories of spend.  A detailed working knowledge of SAP procurement modules will be critical to success in this role, as well as a working understanding of key supplier contracts.  Accuracy, attention to detail and efficiency of process completion are important attributes for this role.  

In your role as SAP Procurement Coordinator Procure to Pay/P2P, you will:

• Initiate the SAP Procure to Pay/P2P process, specifically the accurate conversion of purchase requisitions to purchase orders. This may include low value, low risk sourcing.
• Provide procurement operational support to procurement colleagues at European sites.
• Work closely with Category Managers and Senior Buyers in European operations in relation to supplier performance management as well as business partners and requisitioners directly.
• Ensure efficient process completion. Assist with the roll out and ongoing account management for Card Payments and/or Automation projects to reduce the number of P2P transactions required.
• Influence and challenge internal customers on procedural issues and ensure contracted supplier use. 
• Development of category data and reporting to Senior Buyers and Category Managers. 
• Contribute to improvements in requisition quality, timescales and process efficiency.
• Actively contribute to the ongoing development of functional capabilities to ensure value delivery is sustainable in the long term and functional effectiveness and efficiencies are improved on a continual basis.

The Ideal Applicant:

• Graduate calibre – minimum A level or equivalent and above. In addition, part or fully qualified in CIPS or similar Procurement qualification advantageous or willing to study.
• At least 3-5 years consistent, fast track career development in procurement and specifically SAP procurement to pay/P2P. 
• Knowledgeable in terms of the SAP Procurement Modules.
• In depth SAP procure to pay/P2P process experience.
• Strong analytical, numerical and reporting skills.
• Well developed communication skills gained within a multinational matrix organisational structure.
• Confident stakeholder engagement skills familiar with liaising with senior executives.
• Current or recent experience with a multinational organisation in similar role utilising SAP and supplier accreditation systems.
• Candidates with procure to pay experience gained within procurement or accounts payable functions seeking long term career in procurement.

In return our client offers a very competitive salary and benefits package and the opportunity to develop your career within a market leader.
 

TEST LABORATORY MANAGER - TESTING & CERTIFICATION 

 “Career development and leadership opportunity for commercially focused Test & Certification specialist with best in class experience gained in mechanical and electrical test engineering or other disciplines, including chemical, metallurgical, forensics etc to UK and International Industry Standards”

Salary:  c£Very Competitive + Excellent Large Company Benefits 

Location:  Wolverhampton 

Commutable from Birmingham, Kidderminster, Stafford, Stone, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Bromsgrove, Lichfield, Tamworth, Stoke on Trent, Telford, Shrewsbury, Droitwich, Redditch, Worcester, Coventry, Warwick, Sutton Coldfield, Coleshill, Stockport, Crewe

Our client is a well-established and respected manufacturer of fixtures, fittings and components both mechanical and electronic in the home and building infrastructure products sector. Highly acquisitive and experiencing excellent growth, the company is based in a brand-new office, distribution centre and test centre complex in the West Midlands close to the M6/M54 but has operational facilities and subsidiaries nationally and globally.   

They are now seeking to strengthen their Test Centre team with the appointment of a Manager to head up their brand-new Test & Certification facility.  Our client offers testing and certification services both on an in-house basis to internal group companies and also to external customers including other manufacturers of mechanical, electrical and electronic components and products, in line with industry and national and international standards and certifications.  The role also encompasses management of product certification schemes to ensure continuity of compliance and maximise value from product certifications

Testing equipment is pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical/electronic and could cover tensile testing as well as a wide range of other tests.  

The Role:

You will manage our client’s brand-new Test Engineering Centre, ensuring that internal and external customer needs are met, providing an exemplary service, managing product certification scheme to ensure continuity of compliance and maximum value from product certifications.

• Promote and maintain compliance with procedural requirements and best practice for safety, health and environmental factors associated with testing operations, ensuring suitable provision is made for the identification of hazards and management of risks
• Develop & maintain the necessary systems and competencies within the testing team to manage daily operations, testing scheduling, and quote and report generation 
• Promote and maintain professional standards of service.
• Manage the testing capacity to suitably cater for customer indicative, UKAS accredited, competitor analysis, development and audit test requirements.
• Develop & maintain the necessary systems and competencies within the testing team to manage daily operations, testing scheduling, and quote and report generation 
• Preparation of audit test samples for our client’s certified product testing.
• Maintain a test quotation and booking service with transparent lead times and manage the provision of testing to agreed service levels.
• Maintenance and development of UKAS accredited ISO 17025 Laboratory management system, manuals, procedures and accreditation requirements.
• Identification and implementation of testing service improvements including scope of service and efficiency
• Promotion of our client’s testing services within the industry to maximise value.
• Development and maintenance of our client’s product certifications including CE marking, Kitemark and Certify product schemes, and product specific testing evidence.
• Monitor and evaluate developments within industry testing and product standards, identifying threats and opportunities and liaising with key stakeholders.
• Represent our client’s testing services at the Test House Studies Group.
• Manage and develop the Test Engineers and Team Leader to ensure flexibility and quality of service.
• Maintain good relationships internally with key members of executive team as well as customers and external bodies.

The Ideal Applicant:

• Degree/HNC/HND educated in Mechanical or Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensics or similar.
• Experience of Electrical/Electronic Engineering advantageous. Experience could be gained in mechanical, electronic, chemicals, biological, metals sectors or forensics. 
• Currently working within a similar specialist testing team or alternatively as part of a quality or product development function within a manufacturing environment but keen to develop career further into testing and certification.
• Experienced leading and motivating a team of engineers including apprentice engineers.
• Experience of BSI standards essential.
• Customer facing experience essential – this could be external customers or internal customers within different product or manufacturing divisions of the same organisation.
• •Experience of planning resource allocation and creating and presenting reports.
• Structured problem-solving techniques, including analysis and corrective and preventative action identification
• Ability to technically appraise company and competitor products.

In return our client offers a very competitive salary plus pension, 25 days holiday and the option to choose from a wide variety of other benefits offered by our client.
 

CLINICAL TRIALS PROJECT MANAGERS 

“Business English & Chinese Speaker with project management track record in clinical trials research, clinical trials or pharmaceutical manufacturer”

Salary & Benefits:  RMB/CNY Excellent Salary to Attract the Best + Bonus + Benefits
 
China

Our client is the division of a NYSE quoted multinational. A global leader in outsourced pharmaceutical solutions, the company works with major international pharmaceutical/drug manufacturers to provide exceptionally high on-time service levels to stringent regulatory and QA standards. 

Due to dynamic growth, our client is now seeking to appoint two-three experienced Clinical Trials Project Managers. 

The Opportunities:

You will manage and co-ordinate all technical and service aspects of clinical trials projects on behalf of major pharmaceutical companies.  This will range from initial discussions with clients, development of the project specifications, documentation aspects of setting up the project and management of all project related activities through to project/study completion.

You will need to have robust Project Management experience, ideally in Clinical Research, Clinical Trials or the Pharmaceutical sector.  Your focus will be on the projects undertaken for specific clients which may include pharmaceutical manufacturers or CRO’s (Clinical Research Organisations). 

As a Clinical Trials Project Manager, you need to demonstrate past experience of: scheduling workloads; meeting key delivery dates; managing costs and risks; understanding the scope of the project and ensuring change control and change management principles are included, ensure the quality is measured and Key Performance Indicators met or exceeded. 

Key Accountabilities:

• The Clinical Trials Project Managers will serve as the primary operational interface internally with cross functional departments and externally with clients, with responsibility for the oversight of timelines, milestones, and financials during the project lifecycle
• The focus will be to manage client expectations effectively and to ensure client projects proceed on time, within budget and with quality, therefore maintaining and enhancing client satisfaction.
• Manages the project timeline regularly, sharing this information with internal stakeholders and the client as appropriate.
• Communicates regularly with internal and external team members regarding study status and provides timely notification to all appropriate parties with deviations from timelines and/or deliverables.
• Actively identifies, manages, and mitigates any project risks, ensuring appropriate input from all stakeholders, maintaining accurate documentation, and communicating to internal and external parties as appropriate.
• Identifies inefficiencies with current processes and recommends improvements.
• Supports communication flow in matrix organization to ensure collaboration across project teams for efficient achievement of project goals.
• Supports Business Development and Sales efforts.
• Collaborates with Business Development colleagues (and other relationship stakeholders) to highlight areas of client opportunity or relationship concerns.
• Leads and facilitates customer teleconferences, visits and audits as required, and provides timely provision of customer reports and updates.
• Provides accurate and timely financial forecasting and reporting.
• Ensures customer needs are properly translated into quotation, and has responsibility to monitor and amend the quote and budget as required.
• Manages the delivery of all technical and service aspects of projects and studies for clients.

The Ideal Candidates:

• Excellent Business English & Fluent Chinese.
• Educated to Degree level in a science-based subject including biomedical science, medicine or pharmacology.
• Experience in a Clinical Trials Project Management or Clinical Research Associate role in pharmaceutical or clinical research industry.
• A thorough understanding of clinical trials Project Management principles, concepts and approaches - a project management qualification would be advantageous.
• Experience/understanding of the clinical research environment and GCP principles is preferred.
• Ability and experience of direct project activities and ensuring customer satisfaction while understanding and adhering to the project budget.
• Excellent Communication & Influencing.
• Excellent in Planning & Organising.
• Able to portray a professional appearance and presentation to customers.
• Able to communicate and deal effectively with all levels of the organisation.
• A team-oriented person with a “can do” attitude.
• Problem resolution skills; ability to analyse and solve a range of simple and complex problems.
• Experience of working with a matrix environment.
• Financial acumen.

An excellent opportunity to progress your career into Project Management based on the experience you have within clinical research or clinical trials supply.  This role may suit an ambitious Clinical Trials Project Manager or a Clinical Trials Administrator, Clinical Research Associate, Clinical Project Co-ordinator, Clinical Trials Data Co-ordinator, Packaging Technologist, Pharma Supply Chain Specialist, Drug Safety Officer or Regulatory Affairs Officer.
To apply, without delay and in confidence please email your CV for the attention of Roheela Khan to applications@martinveasey.com quoting reference J13610.
INTERVIEWS WILL BE HELD IN SHANGHAI 

HEAD OF CLIENT SERVICES  & PROJECT MANAGEMENT– CLINICAL TRIALS 
  
"Experienced Clinical Trials Project Manager/Client Services Manager required to lead both clinical trials project teams and key account growth through excellent relationship management" 
  
Salary: Very Competitive + Blue Chip Benefits 
  
Suzhou, Jiangsu China 
  
Our client is a global leader in outsourced pharmaceutical clinical trials project management working with major international drug manufacturers to provide exceptionally high on-time service levels to stringent regulatory and QA standards. 
  
The Role: 
  
As Head of Client Services & Project Management you will manage the clinical trials logistics operations and clinical trials project management team. You will also play a critical role in assisting our client’s Chinese operation to achieve customer acquisition and revenue growth objectives. Specifically, you will work closely with Business Development colleagues to generate additional growth and interest by leveraging opportunities from existing pharmaceutical clinical trials clients, generating local opportunities in China, qualifying prospects and opportunities. 

As Head of Client Services & Project Management you will supervise and coordinate the Chinese facility’s clinical trails logistics operations and clinical trials project management ensuring the timely delivery of client clinical trials projects; control of all processes related to logistics operations in line with Good Manufacturing, Storage and Distribution Practices at internal and external level as well as implementation of processes to support productivity enhancements. You will also generate metrics, control and optimization of processes, evaluation of service capacities and response time to reduce operating process deviations. You will lead a team of clinical trials project managers. Therefore, you will be a strong leader of people familiar with managing change in a dynamic environment. A key part of the role will be to instill a proactive rather than reactive approach to clinical trials project management. You will be highly engaging, motivational, visionary and supportive as the team and the Chinese operation goes through a major change in approach. 
  
You will also proactively manage client relationships ensuring appropriate communication, business engagement, implementation and service delivery to enable retention, growth and long term mutual business partnerships.   To succeed in this role, you must have a clinical trials project, process and quality management background combined with a strong network of contacts and clients within the pharmaceutical clinical trials sector in China/Latin America. 
  
You will be highly consultative, with excellent listening and client services/key account management experience within the clinical trials project management arena. You will have a track record of nurturing clients and a high focus on face to face relationship management. The focus will be on an excellent customer experience. You will work closely with local and global colleagues in client services, business development and logistics/supply chain operations to optimize and synergise opportunities emanating from the Chinese marketplace. 
  
  
The Ideal Person 
  

• You must currently reside in China. However, you must be fluent in both English and Chinese. 
• You must be educated to degree level in a science, biomedical, pharmaceutical, medical, health related or similar subject. 
• You will have an in depth understanding of the pharmaceutical clinical trials market sector. We are not seeking candidates from any other sectors as you will need to present evidence of your clinical trials network of client contacts. 
• Experience in clinical trials project and client services delivery management. A formal qualification or certification in Project Management, combined with clinical trials sector experience would be highly desirable. 
• Strong people management and leadership experience. Ideally at least 5-7 years of supporting and then at least 2 years leading a clinical trials project management team. Proven experience working with direct management of teams.   
• A change manager familiar with developing a highly responsive and proactive rather than reactive clinical trials project management team focused on excellent customer service and customer experience. 
• Knowledge of rules related to pharmaceutical GMP, GDP, biosafety, local regulation and SOP. 
• A confident personality, familiar and very comfortable working face to face with large pharmaceutical clients in relation to clinical trials projects. 
• A significant network of pharmaceutical clients within the clinical trials project management arena. 
• Highly motivated to achieve key account growth through leveraging existing relationships, identifying and qualifying opportunities, working closely with business development and marketing colleagues to achieve country revenue and growth targets. 
• Requires demonstration of good professional judgment when working with clients, excellent organizational, planning, verbal, written and numerical skills with the ability to analyze and define solutions and manage multiple tasks to meet strict deadlines. 
• Requires strong and effective communication with the ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of pharmaceutical client managers and directors in relation to clinical trials projects. 
• Requires strong customer management skills; proactively anticipates, understands, and responds to the needs of clients to meet or exceed their expectations. 
• Requires experience with detail execution, managing multiple tasks and meeting strict deadlines. 
• Experience in pharmaceutical clinical trials quality, logistic and storage activities. 
• Strong capability in preparing reports using Excel; knowledge of Windows, and Microsoft Word as well as the understanding and competent use of SOPs required by pharmaceutical clinical trials quality standards. 
• Requires strong interpersonal and communication skills to include excellent relationship building.
   

CONTRACT MANAGERS – THIRD PARTY LOGISTICS RETAIL/FMCG OPERATIONS

“Accelerated career development opportunities for degree educated warehousing professionals to drive operational growth on existing FMCG retail and grocery retail logistics accounts.”

£Competitive + Car/Car Allowance + Bonus + Benefits

Actual Job Location: Vietnam

Our client is one the world’s most successful third party logistics service providers with an impressive portfolio of blue chip multinational accounts across a range of industries.  In order to bolster growth on existing FMCG retail consumer goods, fashion and grocery accounts they are now seeking two university degree educated warehousing/distribution centre management professionals as Contract Managers for a variety of dedicated and shared user third party logistics and warehousing contracts.  Experience of transport operations would be advantageous but the key focus will be on warehousing, case and pick and pack operations.  Experience of retail logistics operations is a pre-requisite for these roles.

The Roles:
As an experienced grocery/retail/FMCG distribution centre operations manager, either from a third party/contract logistics service provider or from inhouse retail logistics, you will work closely with clients and will take the operational lead for automated and semi-automated DC’s.  You will be responsible for operational development and performance optimisation against stringent service level agreements and challenging KPI’s covering both warehousing and transport logistics operations.  You will engage and develop key account focused, client relationships.  You will already be adept at leading, coaching and developing your DC leadership teams to create a best in class and high performing operation.  Therefore, to date you will already have recent/current experience of leading a at least 100 operational colleagues through a first line management team.

Skills, Experience, Qualifications:
As these roles are part of our client’s talent and succession plan for the region, they are specifically seeking university degree educated candidates.  Candidates who have benefitted from an in-depth management development programme with extensive operational management exposure, either within a 3PL or a large food/non-food retailer would be of particular interest.

Your experience to date, minimum 4-8 years post-graduation, will have included either extensive 3PL contract account management directly interfacing with clients or in house cross functional stakeholder engagement across corporate and store operations.  Also, either in house or within a 3PL you have built upon your operational project management and continuous improvement skills to reduce cost and increase efficiencies.  This could include operational turnaround, employee engagement and development, new site openings, through to large scale physical and systems redesigns.  However, the bulk of your experience must be operations management and leadership of a DC as opposed to pure projects and planning.

You will highly numerate and analytical with a strong commercial acumen, already used to budgetary management responsibility or even full P & L.  Exposure to implementing cost saving initiatives and leading teams through numerous periods of change and growth, to become high performing will be essential to success in this role.  You will be developing a reputation for your highly visible “walk the floor” leadership style.

You will be very ambitious, with a track record of successful performance improvement and results delivery, as you will further build your expertise in these exciting Contract General Management roles, to eventually take on senior executive roles in a rapidly developing international market.

 The ideal applicants will be university degree educated perhaps in logistics or business or engineering, sciences. You will be a high energy, resilient person, with a warm personality and a real passion for developing people and driving a logistics business to succeed.  Your talent and development reviews to date will already have earmarked you as a high potential talent.    

From an operational perspective, you must be adept at running a retail warehousing case and pick pack and despatch operations.  Experience of a multi drop primary and secondary transport function would be very advantageous.  Your financial management and planning skills will be excellent. Your attention to detail, self-control and drive will be of the highest levels.  You will be comfortable persuading, influencing and presenting at both shop floor and director level internally and externally to the client.   

Previous experience of working abroad or extended periods of travel or of living and working in South East Asia or other developing markets will be highly advantageous as you will need to be able to quickly adapt to a different cultural style and your personal people management and leadership approach will be one that respects loyalty and engenders trust whilst remaining highly results driven and focused on success.  In return our client offers a competitive salary (low tax) and very low cost of living and benefits such as car, bonus, pension, healthcare and fantastic career development.  These are permanent opportunities requiring relocation to Vietnam.  Relocation assistance will be provided including initial short-term rental support.