Distribution Manager

RCL Foods is seeking a well-experienced Distribution Manager to join their Baking Business Unit. The role will be based at our Tzaneen Bakery and report to the General Manager.

RCL Foods entrusts the Distribution Manager to:

- Ensure that the distribution processes are executed in accordance with 1) strict safety, 2) healthy environment,3) food safety, 4) governance and risk requirements.
- Work closely with the finance/commercial, sales and transport functions, in a connected manner, to enable the sales and distribution processes to work efficiently and effectively.
- Drive continuous improvement and effective communication.
- Ensure that employee and labour relations are healthy.

**Duties & Responsibilities**:
**Distribution Strategy**
- Work with Bakery Manager on new distribution strategies to optimise the distribution costs and capitalise on information technology and industry innovation.

**Receiving, storage, transfer and management of product**
- Maintain the effective and efficient use of distribution resources, procedures and controls to minimise losses, maximise customer service levels and maintain product integrity in all processes at the bakery and depots;
**Management loading and off-loading of product**
- ensure trucks are loaded in full and on time and depart on time
- ensure that despatch and depot teams maintain prescribed records of goods received and despatched
- ensuring that there is sufficient distribution/despatch resource in place daily

**Route planning and optimisation**
- Conduct regular route profitability reviews and operate with the most cost-effective cents per kilometre.

**Use of Enterprise System**
- Make effective use of the Syspro environment to drive financial controls.

**Communication**
- Maintain effective communication with financial/commercial, sales and operations teams.

**Debrief processes**
- To manage the daily
- debrief processes at the bakery and depots
- To ensure integrity and availability of the information to enable the sales function to maintain the highest possible customer service levels.

**Reconciliations**
- Ensuring that the despatch recon document is completed daily and balances, any variances to be investigated.

**Fleet Management**
- To work with the Transport Manager to ensure optimal service levels at the lowest cost.

**Crate management**
- To manage bread crates daily to minimise the replacement of crates and to ensure that the crate pool is sufficient to maintain order and service level fulfilment at the lowest possible cost.

**Driver and Outsourced Distributor Management**
- To manage drivers and depot supervisors to perform their duty effectively;
**Returns Management**
- To manage the process by which product returns are received;
**Continuous Improvement**
- Key metrics will be determined to drive business performance.
- Labour and cost metrics will also form part of the continuous improvement system.
- Robust score-carding will be used to map and close the distribution and human resource performance gaps and to optimise resources. Benchmarking will also be undertaken
- Visual performance management will be in place so that the performance of the distribution entity is available to all employees.
- Regular and relevant communication will be undertaken as part of the continuous improvement process and this will encompass all staff at the bakery and all the depots.

**Safety, Health and the Environment and Risk Management**
- Business Continuity Planning and Risk Management Practices will be undertaken to manage the distribution risks.

**Food Safety and Quality Management Support**
- Support the Food Safety and Quality Management Systems at the bakery and depots. Rigorous auditing and action planning will be required.

**Human Resource Management**
- To effectively maintain the appropriate human resource levels by the careful selection, retention and performance-based management of staff.
- To inspire team members and staff to work in accordance with the Standards of Leadership and Our Way by personal adoption of these leadership standards and behaviours with a deliberate and intense effort to improve the overall business performance by focusing on these standards and behaviours.

**Product Innovation Support**
- Support the demand team to develop and launch new products and support the management of the projects through various stakeholder gates.

**Project Management**
- Effectively utilise resources to deliver distribution strategy by using sound project management practises and tools.

**Financial/Commercial Management, Reporting and Governance**
- Maintain an effective budgeting and cost control process.

**Contract Management**
- Contracts will be managed through the proper use of written and approved contracts with well defined service level agreements for fixed periods.
- Regular reviews will be undertaken to ensure that services are professionally rendered at an optimised cost and in accordance with the service level agree