National General Manager - Distribution Centres

Recruiter: OttoBauthentic

Job Ref: 821145

Date posted: Thursday, September 10, 2026

Location: Durban, South Africa

SUMMARY: POSITION INFO: The Role: The National General Manager – Distribution Centres is accountable for the strategic and operational leadership of the Group's Distribution Centre network, ensuring reliable, cost-effective, safe and scalable supply to corporate and franchise stores. The role leads end-to-end performance across Receiving, Production, Warehouse, Inventory, Logistics, Transport, Food Safety and Quality, while building the capability, infrastructure and leadership required to support continued Group growth. Develop and execute the national Distribution Centre strategy, network design and capacity plan aligned to store growth, new brands, product expansion and future demand. Lead and hold DC General Managers and national DC functional leaders accountable for operational, financial, service, people and compliance performance. Establish national DC operating models, governance frameworks, SOPs, performance standards and management routines to ensure consistent execution across sites. Oversee end-to-end DC performance across Receiving, Production, Warehousing, Inventory, Picking, Dispatch, Logistics and Transport, resolving cross-functional bottlenecks that impact store service. Drive On-Time-In-Full (OTIF) delivery, route and fleet efficiency, third-party logistics performance and cold-chain integrity from Distribution Centre to store. Govern inventory accuracy, stock takes, days of cover, stock availability, shrinkage, damage, expiry and wastage while protecting working capital and stock integrity. Ensure Production capacity, output, yield, product specification, quality and waste performance support store requirements and business growth. Maintain strong Food Safety, HACCP, FSSC 22000, Health & Safety, environmental and quality compliance, including audit readiness and corrective-action closure. Develop annual DC operational plans and budgets; manage cost per case/drop, transport cost, labour productivity, operating expenditure and sustainable cost improvement. Identify capacity constraints and recommend new or expanded DC facilities, infrastructure, capital expenditure, automation and technology investments where required. Modernise WMS, operational technology, analytics, automation and process design to improve productivity, visibility, scalability and decision-making across the DC network. Build leadership capability and succession pipelines, manage key supplier/3PL relationships and proactively address national supply, operational and business-continuity risks. Qualifications & Experience Required: Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management or a related field. Relevant postgraduate qualification / MBA advantageous. Minimum 8–10 years of progressive experience in Distribution Centre, logistics or supply chain leadership. Minimum 5 years in a senior leadership role such as General Manager, Head of Distribution, Head of DC Operations or equivalent. Proven experience managing high-volume, multi-disciplinary Distribution Centre operations, preferably within food, perishables, FMCG, retail or QSR distribution. Demonstrated experience leading large operational workforces through multiple management levels and developing senior leadership capability. Strong financial and commercial experience, including operating budgets, cost control, productivity management and capital expenditure evaluation. Demonstrated success in DC capacity planning, scalable operating models, business growth, automation, WMS implementation or major operational transformation. Experience managing suppliers and third-party logistics relationships at scale. Technical Experience Required: National Distribution Centre strategy, network design and capacity planning. End-to-end DC operations across Receiving, Production, Warehouse, Inventory, Picking, Dispatch and Logistics. Inventory governance, working-capital management, stock accuracy, shrinkage, expiry and wastage control. Transport, fleet utilisation, route optimisation, third-party logistics management and OTIF performance. Food Safety, HACCP/FSSC 22000, cold-chain, quality, Health & Safety and regulatory compliance. Production capacity, yield, output, product specification and waste optimisation. Budgeting, cost-to-serve, labour productivity, cost per case/drop, financial analysis and capital expenditure evaluation. Warehouse Management Systems, supply-chain technology, automation, analytics and operational dashboards. Lean/continuous improvement, process redesign, root-cause analysis, risk management and business-continuity planning. Additional Requirements: Valid Driver's License Regular national travel between Distribution Centres, suppliers, logistics partners and strategic operational locations. Flexibility to work extended hours and remain available during peak trading periods, major projects and significant operational incidents. APICS / CPIM / CSCP, Lean / Six Sigma, HACCP / FSSC 22000 Lead Auditor, Project Management or Change Management qualifications advantageous Key Performance Areas: National DC Strategy, Network Design & Capacity Readiness. End-to-End Distribution Centre Operational Performance & Standardisation. On-Time-In-Full (OTIF), Store Service Levels & Transport Efficiency. Inventory Accuracy, Stock Availability, Working Capital, Shrinkage & Wastage Control. Production Output, Yield, Capacity Utilisation, Product Specification & Waste Performance. DC Budget Performance, Cost per Case/Drop, Labour Productivity & Sustainable Cost Savings. Food Safety, HACCP/FSSC, Health & Safety, Quality, Audit & Corrective-Action Performance. Leadership Capability, Employee Engagement, Turnover, Training & Succession Readiness. WMS, Automation, Technology, Analytics & Continuous Improvement Delivery. DC Capacity Utilisation, New Store / New Brand Supply Readiness & Future DC Project Readiness.