Logistics Lead

DS Smith; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Twenty-five days holiday

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Income protection

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

DS Smith is seeking an experienced Logistics Lead to drive consistency, safety and efficiency across its UK network. You will partner with site teams and external providers to deliver the UK Logistics Strategy and embed best practices across transport planning, warehousing, and supplier performance.

The role involves visits to DS Smith sites, building strong internal and external relationships, and delivering lasting value through process improvements and change initiatives.

Qualifications

• Experience in logistics, transport, warehousing or related supply chain roles.
• Strong understanding of logistics operations and KPI management.
• Organised, communicative and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive change across locations.
• Willingness to travel regularly to DS Smith sites in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of the UK Logistics Strategy across operations.
• Standardise logistics processes and procedures.
• Implement consistent transport planning and order management.
• Develop and maintain SLAs for transport and warehousing.
• Collaborate with site teams to embed new ways of working and change initiatives.
• Promote safety and monitor KPIs like OTIF and service levels.
• Manage relationships with external logistics partners and performance.
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities across transport and warehousing.

Skills

Logistics operations

Transport planning

Inventory management

Stakeholder management

Continuous improvement

Change management

Travel to sites

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business / Supply Chain

Tools

Transport Management Systems

Job description

About the Role

DS Smith is looking for an experienced and motivated Logistics Lead to join our UK Logistics team. This is a highly visible role, working across our Packaging division to support the delivery of our UK Logistics Strategy through process standardisation, operational excellence, supplier performance management and continuous improvement.

Working closely with site teams, external logistics partners and key stakeholders, you will drive consistency, safety, service and efficiency across our UK network. In your first few months, you will build relationships across the business, visit UK sites, gain an in-depth understanding of our logistics operations and distribution network, and identify opportunities to enhance performance, improve ways of working and deliver lasting value.

What You’ll Be Doing

As Logistics Lead, you will:

• Support the delivery of the UK Logistics Strategy across DS Smith’s UK operations.
• Drive the review, development and standardisation of logistics processes and procedures.
• Implement consistent transport planning, transport order management and operational best practices.
• Develop and maintain Transport and Warehousing Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Partner with site teams and stakeholders to embed new ways of working and support change initiatives.
• Promote a strong safety culture by working closely with site teams and logistics providers.
• Ensure robust logistics safety processes and procedures are consistently applied across UK sites.
• Manage relationships with external logistics partners, monitoring performance against key KPIs such as OTIF, load optimisation and service levels.
• Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities across transport and warehousing operations.
• Collaborate with logistics, procurement and supplier partners to optimise network performance, service and efficiency.

What We’re Looking For

Essential

• Previous experience in a logistics, transport, warehousing or broader supply chain role.
• Strong understanding of logistics operations, transport planning, inventory management and supply chain processes.
• Excellent organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders at all levels and drive positive change across multiple locations.
• Strong relationship-building skills with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience managing supplier performance and operational KPIs.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with a passion for continuous improvement.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to DS Smith sites across the UK.

Desirable

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience with Process Mapping and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Knowledge of transport management systems and logistics performance reporting.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Pension scheme, life assurance and income protection
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Discounts
• Cycle to work scheme

Location:

Remote flexible UK Location / Hybrid working

Hours:

Monday – Friday – 09:00 - 1700

Contract:

Perm

About us

We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world-leading organisation and do your best work with us!

Fair recruitment at DS Smith

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria

As a Safety_first employer, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards across our operations. Our approach to safety means going beyond minimum legal requirements and focuses on continuously elevating how we work safely—every day, at every level. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a brief safety questionnaire as part of the selection process. This helps us ensure that everyone who joins our team shares our focus and commitment to design, operate and maintain injury-free workplaces for our employees and everyone who enters our facilities.