Warehouse and Logistics Manager at Fenix International Zambia

Fenix Zambia began operations in October 2017 and opened our warehouse in March 2019. We are looking for a mission-driven, experienced professional in warehouse and logistics management to lead the continued design and execution of our operations strategy.

At Fenix, we THINK BIG and MAKE IT HAPPEN:

THINK BIG: Grounded in our mission to bring life-changing solar energy and financial services to millions of people across Zambia, you will design and implement scalable warehousing and logistics strategies, building on success and growth to date. You will use our unique data sets of sales patterns and customer location information to create and refine a portfolio of data-driven strategic warehousing and logistics solutions, tailored for this large consumer base in emerging markets.

Furthermore, you will contribute significantly to Fenix’s strategic planning process at the national level. The lessons you learn in Zambia will be applied to new markets as we scale across Africa.

MAKE THINGS HAPPEN: You will be responsible for the implementation and success of our production and logistics team. You and your team will recruit, train, manage, and retain a highly motivated team of full-time warehouse staff in order to support our commercial and customer experience teams around Zambia by ensuring they have the stock and tools they need to serve our customers. You will play a pivotal role in achieving our vision of expanding our base of high-quality customers and electrifying millions of households by 2020.

Specifically, this role includes but is not limited to:

• Warehouse organization and space maximization for efficiency and cost savings (reduce offsite storage required)
• Reassessment of production and quality processes to achieve maximum efficiency for multiple product lines and SKUs
• Production team needs for scale
• Assessment of current shrinkage & minimize through design and implementation of inventory management processes in the main Lusaka warehouse and 40 points of sale country-wide
• Streamline ordering process from China and supplier management for all items purchased locally
• Delivery strategy to the last mile

The Warehouse & Logistics Manager will be an integral part of the Fenix Operations team, collaborating with the Operations Director, in assessing, designing and implementing efficient processes related to product warehousing, assembly, quality control, and distribution. The Warehouse & Logistics Manager will also be responsible for managing the production team and coordinating imports and distribution from Lusaka warehouse to 40 points of scale (and growing)!

Please note we are only considering candidates who have legal working status in Zambia for this position at this time.

Key Responsibilities

Warehouse and inventory management:

• Lead the scale up of operations at the Fenix Zambia warehouses and production facilities
• Organize and implement 5S in our 875 SQM warehouse to maximize space and minimize offsite storage costs. Complete an assessment of space needs for scale
• Review current inventory management processes (stock counts, stock movement tracking, etc) and continually execute process improvements
• Analyze current shrinkage rates and assess process design and improvements to minimize shrinkage in the Lusaka warehouse and in the field

Production & process efficiency:

• Plan weekly and monthly production and quality testing targets and ensure execution by the team
• Assess current production and quality testing processes for gaps and inefficiencies and design and implement improvements for multiple product lines and scale
• Assess team structure, ways of working, and team needs to meet our 3-5 year goals
• Document all implemented production, health and safety, and inventory management policies

Logistics management:

• Work with the Director of Operations in building strategies for last mile distribution
• Plan country-wide deliveries to over 40 points of sale (and growing!) and execute with the team
• Review our import and delivery processes for areas of improvement and implement best-practices for goods received, stock movements, etc.

Team, culture & safety:

• Manage production and logistics team of approximately 20 employees
• Ensure the team is fully supported, engaged and has all the training & tools needed to be successful in their role
• Suggest and implement changes in working conditions and use of equipment to increase safety and efficiency of department, or work crew
• Design and conduct operations team trainings and coordinate trainings with customer experience and commercial teams for full team focus on inventory management, minimizing shrinkage, health & safety, etc.
• Create a culture of teamwork with a focus on quality, honesty, and integrity and hold the  team accountable to those standards

Other

• Work effectively with other department heads to ensure all goals are met, specifically Product team and Commercial team
• Proactive cross-departmental communication of challenges as they arise and proactive development of solutions to these challenges
• Perform other duties as tasked by the manager

Required Skills and Experience 

• University degree, Diploma or relevant qualification from a recognized institution
• 5+ years of experience in warehouse and logistics management at the Supervisor level or above, preferably in FMCG
• Experience managing large teams
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking ability
• Solution oriented and the drive to work independently with no supervision – must be proactive!
• Very strong attention to detail and ability to analyze data
• Strong Excel skills, willingness to learn systems (Fenix Database and Tableau)
• Excellent english proficiency, both written and verbal
• A passion for Fenix and our customers!

Highly Desired Skills

Experience with quality assurance and quality control systems, while not required, is highly valued.

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