Head of Supply Chain

The Organisation

Part of Cefetra Group, Cefetra Limited is one of the major traders of grains and animal feed raw materials in the UK and Ireland.

With long-term arrangements at strategically selected import facilities with a specialised network of suppliers, objective market analysis and a trusted approach to quality and sustainability, it is ideally positioned to meet customer requirements whilst reducing risk and increasing efficiency.

With 700,000 tonnes of storage capacity supported by state-of-the-art processing technology, the business dispatches between 85,000 – 90,000 tonnes of raw materials to industry partners every week and delivers up to 600 lorry loads per day. Its products are used for animal feed and throughout the food and drink sector, supplying product to some of the largest food producers in sectors such as dairy, beef, lamb, poultry, pork, salmon, beer, bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals and pet food.

Parent organisation ‘Cefetra Group’ delivers more than 25 million tonnes of agri-feed per annum and is Europe’s largest agri-service and trading business, serving customers from its 29 offices in 19 different countries, with revenues of over €4 billion.

The Opportunity

Cefetra Limited has been rapidly growing in recent years and for a considerable period of time has shown double digit annual growth, a trend that is expected to continue. Most recent revenues have been in excess of £1 billion.

As sales and revenue grow, so does the complexity of its Supply Chain model and fulfilment solutions, and because of this we now have the requirement to appoint a new Head of Supply Chain to join the existing Executive team for the UK & Ireland business.

This is a newly created role within the senior leadership with significant opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the organisation.

Cefetra operates in a dynamic environment with a complex operating model, fluctuating cost and supplier base, and challenges associated with seasonality and harvesting.

This is a fantastic and unique opportunity in the marketplace to join a well-established yet growing  organisation in a newly created executive position, part of a global market leader with huge room to add value.

Role Responsibilities

We are currently looking for an experienced Supply Chain leader to assume responsibility for all aspects of U.K. & Irish supply chain operations and strategy. You will set the strategic direction for all operational functions in alignment with our wider business and commercial strategic objectives.

Along with the senior leadership team, this role will encompass the following;

• Supply Chain Solution Design & Development: You will be responsible for development of our overall Supply Chain Solution design and the performance.
• Operations Management: you will support local operational management teams to ensure a reliable, efficient operational management structure is in place driving performance and improvement.
• Project Management: You will be responsible for driving projects or initiatives in accordance with the transformation agenda agreed with the relevant business stakeholders.
• Senior Leadership: Critical in this role, you will operate as a member of the Senior Management team, including the engagement and motivation of all Cefetra Operations employees upholding the Cefetra values & behaviours.
• Strategic Insights, Decisions & Initiatives: You will be responsible for setting the strategic direction and goals of all operational functions across UK, using industry insights and benchmarking to do so.
• Health, Safety & Environmental Management: Ultimate responsibility for statutory adherence to all Health, Safety & Environmental regulations across the operational sites in UK.
• Performance Management & Team Development: you will translate business, commercial and operational strategic objectives into department goals. You will align of all operations personnel with wider performance goals and objectives, including the delivery of training and coaching.
• Continuous Improvement: Winning the hearts and minds of colleagues and leading by example, you will proactively initiate, support and drive all continuous improvement projects across the Operations teams in UK.
• Financial Control & Budgeting: You will have responsibility for departmental budget tracking, including monitoring headcount management and work alongside local Operational management and Finance colleagues to evaluate and draft the future budget requirements on an annual basis.
• Governance: you will ensure the function is meeting company standards pertaining to quantity and quality of work performed on an ongoing basis, performing all work-related tasks in a manner that is in compliance with all Company policies and procedures.

Candidate Requirements

Experience & Skills;

• The successful candidate will be an experienced Supply Chain leader with an understanding and track record of developing and improving global supply chains in a complex trading environment.
• As such it would be preferable if the individual had a good understanding of global multi-modal transport including road transport, inbound shipping and the challenges associated with this complexity.
• An understanding of logistic solution design, and experience of running large scale projects through structured methodologies.
• It would be advantageous if the successful candidate has experience of agriculture and international trade, although consideration will be given to candidates from sectors where complex supply chain environments are present including broader food & drink, oil & gas, chemicals etc.
• A working knowledge of supply chain planning, route scheduling and warehouse management systems.
• The individual will possess the ability to move between strategic and operational responsibilities and balance these priorities appropriately
• We will require the candidate to be business fluent in English, with additional spoken languages being advantageous.

Qualifications;

• Honour’s degree qualification in a relevant discipline (desirable)
• A relevant qualification in Supply Chain e.g. Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport or Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Chain (desirable)
• A recognised Project Management accreditation or business improvement certification in LEAN and/or Six
• Sigma or equivalent (desirable)

A full candidate brochure is available to download here.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to Jamie Brown at jamie@fwbparkbrown.com or contact him on 0131 539 7087 for a confidential discussion.