Warehouse Manager at Stryker

• Develop, implement, manage and continuously improve strategy for the entire warehousing operation. Direct the warehouse operation, which encompasses all aspects of inbound flows, inventory warehousing, outbound flows and there related processes. Steer the warehouse operation towards and maintain Stryker operational service commitments, as well as the organisations mission and values. Deliver exceptional customer experience to both internal and external customers and stakeholders. Drive continuous improvement, optimization, simplification, efficiency, productivity and cost effectiveness.

Key Activities & Accountabilities:

• Accountable for all warehouses or storerooms Nationally
• Maintain a motivated, highly skilled and competent warehouse team.
• Continuously upskill and train your team to ensure each team members full potential is met.
• Ensure all team members are trained and capable to undertake required tasks.
• Conduct competency testing and training sessions based on identified gaps while and documenting all findings corrective actions, testings’ and trainings for audit purposes.
• Identify talent and cultivate a culture of talent development and succession planning
• Set performance targets and objectives for the team and individual contributors.
• Lead by taking responsibility for both your own engagement and assist in driving engagement in the department. This will include taking a leading role in the Q12 impact planning.
• Hold team members accountable for responsibilities and actions.
• Ensure your team has the correct training and functioning; supplies, tools and equipment to perform tasks and achieve set objectives.
• Conduct, meetings, feedback and coaching sessions for the team and individuals.
• Maintain and timeously record all team management tasks in all HR tools and systems.
• Support, advise and guide the team as needed to achieve required departmental and operational objectives.
• Ensure safety of the team by creating a safe working environment by complying to regulations this will required collaborating with RAQA and the health, safety and facilities department.
• Liaise with the supply chain team and supplier on the management of purchase orders, open orders and backorders to ensure timeous receipt. Where necessary expediting will be required and out of stock situations will need to be managed.
• Arrange cost effective and time beneficial freight forwarding and courier shipments of purchase or sales orders. (Customer, Supplier, Import, Export)
• Ensure shipments are managed according to applicable regulations and laws, quality and regulatory standards based on product type (Temperature controlled, Hazardous, Substance controlled).
• Assess shipment mode, priority, consolidation options, routing and shipment means to ensure customer, stakeholder and budget satisfaction.
• Manage freight and courier costs approving invoices while ensuring billing accuracy.
• Continuously assess and validate cost vs. services offerings by freight forwarders and courier service providers.
• Align, implement, and localize Global as well as Regional freight forwarding and courier strategies.
• Manage all customs processes, procedures, clearances, tariff determinations, permits, corrections, refunds and queries for shipments. This includes overseeing the relevant document preparation and submissions to the relevant regulatory departments. At times it will be required to engage and facilitate the process with other departments to fulfil these requirements.
• Provide updates and reports on shipment status.
• Manage and build relationship with service providers.
• Monitor service providers. Implement service level agreements and KPI to track performance.
• Ensure accurate, timeous and quality of receiving and receipting of inventory, through inspection, system scanning, capturing and processing.
• Ensure accurate, timeous and quality of picking of inventory, through inspection, system scanning, capturing and processing.
• Oversee deviations on damages, short expiry, discrepancies and ensure the appropriate action is taken to resolve.
• Verify physical locations of inventory. Correct storage, conditions, orientation and space utilization.
• Monitor product classifications and system locations to reflect the accurate inventory information. Ensure correct transfers and movements of inventory.
• Maintain good housekeeping within the warehouse area.
• Provide reports and updates for inventory on hand.
• Manage capacity and find solutions to optimize warehouse space.
• Analyse inventory to find optimal inventory levels that complement warehouse flows and that support the JIT methodology.
• Plan, direct and record inventory counts (cycle counts and full inventory counts).
• Reconcile, sign off and record all inventory counts. Report on deviations and propose corrective actions.
• Manage inventory shrink and the DAR process in conjunction with the other operations departments and finance.
• Provide inventory status reports with regards to short expiry and excess inventory with possible solutions.
• Collaborate with the operations team on kit replenishment, long term consignment and order allocations.
• Order, replenishment and outbound inventory allocations should be in accordance to FEFO/FIFO principles and needs monitoring
• Ensure inventory is picked accurately, sufficiently packed and correctly distributed to customers, stakeholders and branches.
• Monitor the local distribution and provide communication and updates to business.
• Reverse logistics and credit returns.
• Facilitate and manage the repair and demo processes in support of technical services and the medical division. (Outbound, Return and Inbound)
• Support the customer logistics strategy for the Stryker SA market in their area of responsibility. This will require an operational review of all processes, procedures, and resources to meet the performance objectives of the team.
• Lead and implement projects within the team and cross-functional teams, to further improve the department, resulting in increased customer satisfaction, increased efficiency, lower costs and optimized warehouse processes.
• Be part of regional and global, working groups, best practice sharing, initiatives or integrations which will require project management for incorporation into the warehouse processes
• Develop, implement and maintain warehouse SOP's while adding input on other operational SOP’s when required.
• Mitigate risk within the warehouse operation through management of appropriate management and controls.
• Support RAQA and Finance with audit requirements. In addition, RAQA also require support on product regulatory and quality processes.
• Support finance will require support on revenue recognition reporting.
• Manage the sourcing, purchasing and supply of required warehouse consumables, equipment, tools, supplies and other needs for the warehouse function through the correct processes and DOA.
• Cross collaborate with operations and different business functions to meet required warehouse and supply needs.
• Continuously conduct root cause analysis and investigate opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Set warehouse benchmarks, targets, KPI for continuous monitoring and present results with trends. This will also require aligning to regional and global as well as establishing a local perspective.
• Ensure the entire warehouse operation and team is compliant to SOX, FCPA, Financial, Quality and regulatory, legal, HR and compliance policies and procedures.
• Ensure system accuracy, processing and updates always.
• All records and documents should always be stored and readily available.
• Be accountable to support the Operations & Logistics Manager in achieving departmental objectives, divisional KPIs and the overall responsibility.
• Manage, account for and create action plans for all inventory and excess stock in the area ensuring that the inventory will be utilized.

Leadership:

• Direct reports include: Warehouse Team Leader, Warehouse Seniors Representatives and Warehouse Representatives
• Leadership duties: coaching, mentoring, empowering, work allocation, resource allocation, change management, quality checks, team motivation, objective setting, performance management, pay decisions and budget responsibilities.

Core Behaviors:

• Empower the team
• Coach, support and develop
• Focus on progress, productiveness and results
• Set clear direction and strategy
• Lead the change management

Work autonomy & other skills:

• Decision Making/Judgement – Selects effective approaches to solving issues, based on available information and business objectives and escalates appropriately. Relationship Builder – Builds and maintains relationships within the team and across the wider organisation
• Proactive – Have a pro-active and independent ability to manage own workload and prioritise appropriately
• Listen to understand considering other perspectives and possibilities. Assessment of all options.
• Providing meaningful rationales and information about decisions, actions/choices and requests
• Strong internal drive, self-management and motivation to make a difference and add value to an organisation
• Taking accountability for the department and the warehouse operations team
• Finding Practical Solutions for Better Work-Life Balance

Project Management or Task Skills:

• Project scoping
• Cost management
• Business case development
• Coordination and facilitation
• Provide input and area expertise to projects
• Implementation

Computer Skills:

• Advance Microsoft Office (Microsoft Project and Visio Advantageous)
• ERP (SAP, JDE, Syspro, Oracle or similar)
• CRM (Sales Force, Goldmine or similar)
• Visio & MS Project management or similar (Advantageous)

Problem solving:

• Data analysis, trends and business intelligence dashboards
• Root cause analysis
• Value stream mapping
• Find solutions to challenges that arise within the policies and procedures of the organisation

Communication:

• English proficient written and verbal
• Presentation skills required

Education:

• Grade 12
• Degree Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business or similar
• Project Management and/or Finance qualifications (Advantageous)

Experience:

• 6 Years + in medical operations, logistics, supply chain, warehousing or distribution operations
• Project management or involvement
• Process improvement or involvement
• Experience in a Managerial role