Warehouse Systems and Planning Lead

AmerisourceBergen; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading logistics company in Birmingham is seeking a Systems and Planning Lead to manage optimal warehouse operations and drive continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years in a leadership role, preferably within an automated warehouse. This position offers a salary up to £75k annually plus excellent benefits and requires a commitment to safety and efficiency in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Excellent benefits

Opportunity to shape best practices

Cutting-edge technology utilization

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of warehouse management systems and automated technologies.
• Excellent organisational and multitasking abilities.
• Understanding of global ESG trends and regulatory environments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a team for optimal 24/7 warehouse operations.
• Lead Continuous Improvement for system performance.
• Collaborate to build a culture of continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Data analysis

Multitasking

Education

3–5 years in a leadership role

Experience in automated warehouse environment

Tools

Warehouse Management Systems (Knapp, Manhattan)

Job description

Our team members are at the heart of everything we do. At Cencora, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures, and every person here is essential to us being able to deliver on that purpose. If you want to make a difference at the center of health, come join our innovative company and help us improve the lives of people and animals everywhere. Apply today!

Overview

Job Details

Job Purpose:

To ensure the efficient flows of the warehouse to maintain customer fulfilment of orders being delivered from the CLC.

As the Systems and Planning Lead for the Central Logistics Centre (CLC), you will oversee a team of specialists to ensure optimal 24/7 warehouse operations, including the Control Room and Labour Management function. You will also ensure effective operation of the warehouse management systems (Knapp and Manhattan). You will lead and manage the Continuous Improvement Manager to facilitate clear and effective communication between stakeholders to support operational goals, maintain and enhance relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance overall operational efficiency and alignment with organisational goals.

This role supports Cencora's wholesale distribution services in Europe operating through Alliance Healthcare. This is a fully onsite position at the new, next-generation Central Logistics Centre (CLC). The facility features advanced automation and robotics to manage and deliver medical, health and beauty products to customers across the UK.

Please note that this is a fully onsite position.

Principal Accountabilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead the Control Room function, ensuring the warehouse management systems (Knapp/Manhattan) effectively utilise workload information daily to optimise service and efficiency.
• Lead the Continuous Improvement (CI) function to improve system performance and operational processes to enhance productivity and meet customer requirements.
• Lead, develop and manage a team of specialists, establishing KPIs and metrics to support planning and tactical processes.
• Oversee the Labour Management function and provide reports and analysis to senior leadership regarding performance.
• Develop and implement strategic plans to align planning with CLC and broader organisational objectives.
• Promote and enforce a safe working environment, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Collaborate with people leaders to build a culture of continuous improvement across the central logistics centre and make recommendations to the Head of CLC.

People Leadership

• Optimise resource allocation, including recruitment, equipment and materials to meet operational demands efficiently.
• Lead, motivate and inspire a multi-functional team of specialists; model the Guiding Principles and work towards the Cencora Purpose.
• Foster a positive, collaborative environment and promote continuous improvement; liaise with L&D to maximise output.
• Support teams to achieve engagement survey participation levels and use results for site action plans.
• Champion and lead DE&I, encouraging open dialogue and collaboration within the site culture.
• Recruit, train and develop all direct reports, maintaining liaison with Human Resources.
• Collaborate with supply chain teams to plan promotional and project activities.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with IT/Knapp/Manhattan to address challenges and implement solutions.
• Champion and lead health and safety culture with continuous improvement through best practices.
• Provide effective leadership through regular team briefings.

KPIs

• Monitor KPIs and operational metrics to drive performance in service, compliance, productivity and cost, and implement actions to address under-performance.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and implement best practices.
• Be responsible for headcount to maintain service and productivity according to KPIs.

Budget Management

• Develop and manage the warehouse and overhead budgets.
• Monitor expenses and ensure cost-effective operations.
• Identify and implement cost-saving initiatives.

Issue Resolution

• Coordinate the relationship and workload of the external on-site systems team (Knapp), delivering daily monitoring, fault resolution, ticketing, and improvements.
• Oversee the change control budget for system enhancements and improvements.
• Develop and implement risk management strategies to mitigate disruptions and ensure timely system updates.
• Lead response for operational crises and liaise with senior stakeholders.
• Resolve supply issues with supported sites and create future plans to improve customer experience.

Training and Development

• Provide ongoing training and development opportunities for team members.
• Ensure succession plans are in place to support the CLC and UK business.
• Conduct performance management for direct reports with regular two-way communication.
• Adhere to objectives and promote consistency; challenge positively where appropriate.

Operational Efficiency

• Maintain high standards of quality and accuracy in warehouse operations, ensuring regulatory compliance and policy adherence.
• Maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders to ensure robust, efficient processes and procedures.
• Conduct regular audits for system applications to maintain compliance and address deficiencies.
• Monitor and improve planning processes through WMS to enhance delivery performance and reduce costs.
• Prepare and present reports on planning and performance to senior stakeholders.
• Facilitate forums focusing on long-term site improvement strategies.

Health and Safety and ESG

• Lead Health and Safety culture with safe processes and continuous improvement.
• Work with the H&S Manager on regular safety audits and risk assessments.
• Advance ESG initiatives to create healthier futures.
• Ensure a culture of safety, legality and compliance.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

• Strong knowledge of warehouse management systems (WMS) and automated technologies.
• 3–5 years in a leadership role managing managers, with at least 2 years in an automated warehouse environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication and problem-solving skills to lead and develop teams in a fast-paced 24/7 operation.
• Excellent organisational and multitasking abilities and budget management.
• Proficiency in data analysis and performance metrics including KPIs.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to build cross-department relationships and collaborate effectively.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of global ESG trends, frameworks, standards and regulatory environments.
• Track record in ESG procedures and GDP guidelines compliance.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience with Knapp and/or Manhattan.
• Experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and quality standards in pharmaceutical distribution.

What Cencora Offers

• Salary of up to 75k annually plus excellent benefits.
• Be one of the first to join a brand-new operation and help shape best practices from the ground up.
• Manage and oversee a highly automated warehouse using advanced systems.
• Work with cutting-edge technology at a highly automated pharmaceutical site.
• Be a senior leader of a site delivering a significant portion of Alliance Healthcare UK revenue.
• Contribute to smooth operations and exceptional customer service through proactive problem-solving and system optimization.
• Collaborate with systems, operations, and cross-functional teams to align processes and workflows.
• Take ownership, initiative and drive continuous improvement using data and trends.
• Lead root-cause analysis and improvements to optimise warehouse performance.

Some UK travel required, with overnight stays and attendance at meetings outside normal hours, including some evenings and weekends.

All people leader roles within the Central Logistics Centre will be on call for emergencies and alarm responses.

All people leader roles will participate in a weekend working rota. Flexibility may be required.

All staff are expected to understand GDP for Medicinal Products and related SOPs; training and refresher courses will be provided as per the training matrix.

You will be expected to support our business objectives by championing quality and enhancing customer experience, including providing exceptional service, contributing to quality assurance processes, collaborating to improve customer satisfaction, and proactively addressing customer needs.

Our mission is to maintain a culture of excellence and customer focus at every level of our organisation.

Manual Handling

There may be occasional manual work; inform your line manager if your ability to perform manual handling changes for safety.

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What Cencora offers

Benefit offerings outside the US may vary by country and will be aligned to local market practice. The eligibility and effective date may differ for some benefits for team members covered under collective bargaining agreements.

Full-time Affiliated Companies: Alliance Healthcare Management Services Limited

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cencora is committed to equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any protected class.

The company’s continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals. Harassment is prohibited and all recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles.

Cencora provides reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the employment process; to request accommodations, contact 888.692.2272 or email [e-mail]. Accommodations requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.