Distribution Centre Manager jobs
With the rise of mail-order and online shopping, distribution centres of major retailers are becoming a huge source of logistics employment. It’s no surprise they’re hiring: a busy high-street store’s distribution centre might have to deal not only with its store deliveries but also potentially millions of home deliveries per year. Needless to say, this will produce a high-pressure environment where confident and able managers are highly valued if customer satisfaction and stocked shelves are to be maintained.
The role will be concerned with the day-to-day management of the centre, from personnel and security to the deliveries and warehousing themselves, but will also involve the implementation of cost-saving measures and the introduction of new systems as they are fed through from head office.
The distribution manager of a mainstream centre could well be in charge of tens or hundreds of staff, making the human resources responsibilities as crucial as the technical and physical. And in the other direction, the manager will have a head office to keep just as happy by driving efficiencies and keeping rigidly to budget.
The skills required
The distribution centre manager will need to be a highly professional and motivated person, able to work on many strands simultaneously while understanding the possibilities and limitations of delegation of tasks and roles. Great communication skills and a team attitude will keep the corporate massage and aims alive and enacted while also helping to keep the staff motivated.
With many of the deliverable tasks expected of the manager being based on IT systems, some experience in the common warehousing software will be useful, as will experience in word processing, accounting and presentation software.
Distribution Centre Manager Jobs in Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a large town to the west of Middlesbrough, which is historically notable as being one end of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first commercial railway in the world, which opened in 1825. The railway wasn’t built for fun, though – Stockton was an important industrialised town that had a thriving shipbuilding industry as well as a market that attracted people from miles around. Other industries connected to shipbuilding, such as rope-making and sail-making, also prospered. Two years after the railway was opened, in 1827, another world-changing event took place in Stockton – the strikeable match was invented by local chemist John Walker.
Heavy industry declined in the post-war period, and Stockton residents were more likely to commute to Middlesbrough, Hartlepool or Darlington to work than to work close to home. However in the 1990s and 2000s there was a good deal of redevelopment, with business parks being constructed and a new industry – the call centre – making an appearance here, along with other North East towns and cities. The friendly nature of the local accents is often cited as one of the reasons for the concentration of call centres in this area.
In 2012 Stockton-on-Tees became one of Mary Portas’s twelve “Portas Pilot” town centres which are set for regeneration via some government cash and a sprinkling of expertise. The regeneration is hoped to create new jobs and give the retail sector a boost, which could be good news for anyone looking for a Distribution Centre Manager job in the town. With plenty of heavy industry in the immediate vicinity, it’s definitely worth having a local search, too.
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Cast UK’s logistics opportunities
Cast UK is a growing force in the UK logistics, procurement and supply chain recruitment sector. People approach us for many reasons, whether seeking more job fulfilment or simply relocating with the family, so it’s good to know that we always have the complete range of positions available all over the country.
Our founder members and consultants all come from the same sectors, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for in their staff and careers respectively. As we only deal with these fields, many employers come to us first to create a candidate shortlist because they know we’re tightly focused on delivering the best people to them.
Please see what’s available in your region and if you’ve seen something you’re interested in, please get in touch – whether it’s today or tomorrow, we might have a position with your name on it!
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Distribution Centre Manager for your business or find you a job as a Distribution Centre Manager then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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