Head of Logistics Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

Head of Logistics Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post discuses the job description of the head of logistics exhaustively. It highlights the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that commonly make up the head of logistics work description in most organizations.

This article also shows the major requirements, including skills, abilities, and education that recruiters for the position typically expect applicants for the role to meet to be hired.

Please, read on to increase your knowledge of the head of logistics career:

What Does a Head of Logistics Do?

The head of logistics oversees the operations of the logistics department. They are responsible for the entire transportation supply chain, managing business relationships and choosing new suppliers.

They work with manufacturing organizations, transportation companies, and logistics companies, and air force.

The head of logistics job description entails supporting the strategic planning of the organization by developing short-to-medium range plans for the department from the long range plans of the organization or division.

It also involves developing department-specific goals, prioritizing goals, and following-up on goals, and evaluating goal achievement.

Heads of logistics are also responsible for manpower development in their area of responsibility; providing training, coaching, and developing the logistics team in the execution of the firm’s transportation and warehousing strategies.

They also offer technical and disciplinary leadership to them and collaborate with the HR department and supervisor to make personnel decisions.

They guarantee the execution of personnel plans in the department and ensure that employees are responsible for tasks that match their competence.

They are responsible for the planning and executing the budget of the logistics department in cooperation with the supervisor, and ensuring adherence to budgets.

In organizations where logistics is outsourced, the head of logistics work description involves managing Transportation Management System Provider and performance outcomes.

It also entails working together with transportation and warehousing leaders to analyze network opportunities, identifying and recommending efficient and low-cost network changes to support customer shipments.

Head of Logistics Job Description Example/Sample/ Template

The head of logistics performs various functions, which primarily involves end-to-end Logistics, encompassing distribution operations and inbound/outbound transportation planning and management in support of the operations of an organization.

They are responsible for building and leading the team that is responsible for last mile routing and delivery performance.

The specific tasks, duties, and responsibility that majorly make up the job description of the head of logistics position will vary depending on the organization they work.

However, here are primary functions commonly assigned to the head of logistics role in most organizations:

Responsible for building the strategic delivery model that will effectively cover the company’s current and projected markets
Collaborate with product team to drive system and operational improvements that will improve delivery efficiencies and result in lower cost per delivery goals in each market
Responsible for putting together and leading third-party partnerships to augment internal logistics capacity to handle surges production capacity, sales, or demand
Responsible for directing, training, and workforce management for the logistics department or organization
Leverage on category management concept and industry analytics to source and secure Transportation and Warehousing Services, ensuring capacity to meet region requirements
Guarantee that materials and semi-finished articles are supplied on time with the appropriate quality and in the accurate quantity to supported plants, or assure the prompt delivery of finished products to customers’ production/sales sites
Responsible for the analysis of complex problem cases, as well as develop actions or recommendations to assure sustainable elimination and avoidance.

Head of Logistics Job Description for Resume

You can apply the head of logistics job description sample given above in making the work or professional section of your resume if you are making one for a new job.

You can easily highlight the duties and responsibilities that you have performed working as the head of logistics with your previous employer, or that you are carrying out on your present job by adopting the above job description example.

By having a work experience section in your resume, it is easier to convince the recruiter that you possess the needed experience for the position that you are seeking.

Head of Logistics Requirements – Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

If you are seeking the job of the head of logistics with an organization, you should be prepared to meet certain requirements to be considered for the position.

Recruiters generally seek candidates who can effectively perform the obligations, objectives, and purpose of the head of logistics role.

They are able to find such candidates by giving a list of requirements that all applicants for the head of logistics position must meet, which helps to ensure that only those who have what it takes to succeed on the job are the ones to apply.

Shown below are major head of logistics requirements you may be asked to meet if you are seeking the role:

Education: To work as a head of logistics, applicants must have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, or Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related degree
Certification: Employers prefer to recruit those with professional certification such as APICS certification
Knowledge: Applicants also require extensive logistics experience; hands-on SC project management experience for cost-critical projects working with inter-departmental teams; and practical knowledge of transportation and warehousing industry
Leadership skills: The role of the head of logistics is a leadership position, so employers look out for people with demonstrated leadership and resource management experience and ability to collaborate, motivate, and coach, and supervise others
Interpersonal skills: It is important for applicants to have effective negotiating skills, ability to influence others, and conflict resolution and facilitation skills to successfully carry out their responsibilities
Strong analytical and quantitative skills: Applicants must have the ability to think critically working outside the box. It is also essential that they can work with numbers and analyze data scrutinizing it from various perspectives, as well as have the drive to take ownership of projects and see it through to completion
Computer skills: Applicants must have SAP skills and the ability to work with computer applications and software, including Microsoft applications and logistics software.

Conclusion

If you are a recruiter or HR manager needing to hire for the position of a head of logistics, you will need to publish the job description of the role to inform interested individuals of the kind of duties and responsibilities that constitute the job.

This will help them to decide if they are well suited for the job or not.

You can apply the sample head of logistics job description shown above in making the perfect description of the role for your organization and increase your chances of attracting the best candidates for the position.

This article is also helpful to individuals interested in the head of logistics career to learn about the duties and responsibilities of the role and how to have a successful career.

Did this post help increase your understanding of what heads of logistics do? Please, leave a comment in the box below. You can also discuss your job description if you work as a head of logistics in your organization.