DC Development Manager

takealot.com, South Africa's leading online retailer, is looking for a highly talented DC Development Manager to join our team in <Cape Town>.

We are a young, dynamic, hyper growth company looking for smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us. We offer a market related, Total Remuneration Package which allows full flexibility according to your needs, a great work environment and a promise that you won’t be bored as long as you are prepared for a challenge and want to build something great.

This position reports to the Head : Strategy and Infrastructure

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 &amp; simulation: Building &amp; 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. 

If you meet the above you are an Extraordinary Mind so come and join us! 

Takealot Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applicants from the previously disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities, to apply.