Despatch & Transport Planner — OTIF Logistics Expert

DS Smith; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Income protection

Employee Discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

DS Smith in Birmingham (Smethwick) is seeking a Despatch Planner to join our logistics team. You will own the daily production schedule and UK-wide transport plan, ensuring on-time, in-full delivery across the network.

Working closely with production, customer services and external hauliers, you will optimise routes, manage vehicle allocation and load utilisation, and identify improvements to reduce bottlenecks while delivering world-class service to customers.

Qualifications

• Background in transport planning, despatch, or logistics in manufacturing or FMCG.
• Understanding of vehicle capacities, load planning, and route optimisation.
• Proven problem-solving skills to handle early-morning peaks.
• Clear communicator, liaising with site teams and hauliers.
• Attention to paperwork, scheduling and transport compliance.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily production schedule and UK-wide transport plan.
• Own route optimisation, load utilisation and vehicle allocation.
• Coordinate between on-site teams and external transport partners.
• Identify continuous improvement to reduce bottlenecks and waste.

Skills

Transport planning

Despatch

Logistics

Load planning

Route optimisation

Problem solving

Communication

Attention to detail

Job description

DS Smith in Birmingham (Smethwick) is seeking a Despatch Planner to join our logistics team. You will own the daily production schedule and UK-wide transport plan, ensuring on-time, in-full delivery across the network.

Working closely with production, customer services and external hauliers, you will optimise routes, manage vehicle allocation and load utilisation, and identify improvements to reduce bottlenecks while delivering world-class service to customers.