DC Development Manager at takealot.com

Purpose of this role :

• Supporting the Head: Strategy and Infrastructure in determining long term TFS and Takealot.com strategy regarding distribution centre, cross dock, technology development and outside business analyses in a consulting capacity.
• Building business cases for viability and development of long term budgets. Assess business impact of proposed changes based on warehouse and logistics network simulation and modeling.

Key responsibilities: (What are you directly responsible to achieve within the scope of your role)

• Partnering with senior leadership to define and drive the tactical- and long-term supply chain strategy to support Takealot Group’s business growth.
• Project managing key strategy and optimization initiatives from inception to execution through effective collaboration across teams and divisions.
• Supporting the supply chain department in delivering medium to long term budgeted productivity improvements through engineering and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Assisting Takealot.com, TFS and external TFS clients with Distribution Centre design and detailing building specifications to suit operational needs.
• Developing and maintaining blueprint designs for Distribution Centre infrastructure and processes according to business and operational requirements.
• Collaborate across the broader organization to prepare financial reviews and budgets.
• Interpret and communicate insights from analyses and feasibility modeling to guide decision-making that allow step change improvements.
• Tracking market developments and benchmarking best practices to identify opportunities and risks.
• Business case creation & simulation: Building & evaluating business cases and ROI estimates for new initiatives.
• Understand material handling solutions (conveyors, AMRs and Sorters), have the ability to do assessment, identify bottlenecks and scope optimal throughput for those solutions.
• Providing direction and purpose for and driving change management activities.
• Provide ongoing thought support to senior leadership
• Negotiating and drafting contracts.

Output: (What are you expected to deliver within the scope of your role)

• Business cases and ROI calculations of new CAPEX projects
• Warehouse simulation model to facilitate warehouse throughput mapping.
• Project Management where required, complex project coordination.

Minimum Required Qualification :

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Mechatronic) or similar related degree
• Preferred : MBA or Masters in Engineering Management
• At least 5 years’ experience in a project environment in distribution centers / warehousing or similar on a large scale with complex operations
• Minimum of 3+ years of strategy and project management in a consultative role or environment.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in supply chain or logistics.
• Change management champion
• Lead and motivate a team of employees

Skills, knowledge & abilities :

• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Understanding of Distribution Centre purpose, function, and operations at a detail level
• Respond to changing market conditions and the macro landscape (i.e. changing situations)
• Works well under pressure
• Innovative and Logical thinker
• Strong attention to detail with proven ability in analysis
• Good interpersonal skills - works well with others, able to motivate a complex team with diverse skills
• Focused, self-motivated and target driven; determined to succeed
• Self-starter able to initiate new projects
• Strong communication skills
• Strong ability in data analysis
• Excellent project management skills, both planning and document control
• Proven ability to conceptualize, scope and design both operational infrastructure and process solutions
• Contract negotiation and drafting

The Environment: 

• takealot.com employees are entrepreneurial and dynamic, smart, customer- centric, fun and have the shared ambition of takealot.com being the leading e- commerce company in Africa. 
• We have fun, work hard, take ownership, work in teams to create solutions, and are always open to direct feedback/new ideas on where we can improve. 
• We are short on ego and high on output. 
• We are doers and not only thinkers, its all in the execution after all. 
• We love what we do and what we are creating.
• We seek to employ an Extra Ordinary Mind who is Smart, has Integrity, and is Hardworking.