Head of Warehouse Operations

JOB DESCRIPTION

Head – Warehousing (Global)

Function

Logistics Operations

Location

Corporate Office, NCR, India

Reports To

Global Head, Logistics

Scope

End-to-end warehousing operations across multiple manufacturing and distribution locations in the United States

Travel

Very frequent – extensive international travel to US sites

Experience

18–20 years of core warehousing management experience

ROLE

To provide strategic and operational leadership for all warehousing operations across the organization's US locations from the corporate office in NCR.

The role owns warehouse performance end to end – safety, service levels, inventory accuracy, cost, productivity and compliance, and drives standardisation, automation and continuous improvement across the network to support manufacturing and customer commitments.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Network Leadership

• Define and execute the global warehousing strategy, aligned with manufacturing, sales and overall supply chain objectives.
• Evaluate and optimise warehouse network design, capacity, layout and footprint, including decisions on new sites, expansions, consolidations and 3PL partnerships.
• Build a multi-year roadmap for automation, WMS and digital enablement, and drive its delivery.

Operational Excellence

• Lead inbound, storage, picking, packing, dispatch and returns operations across all US sites, ensuring OTIF and service-level targets are met.
• Drive inventory accuracy, cycle counting and stock control; reduce obsolescence, shrinkage and damages.
• Institutionalise standard operating procedures, KPIs and a uniform governance and review cadence across locations.
• Deploy Lean, 5S, Six Sigma and continuous improvement programmes to improve productivity and space utilisation.

Financial & Cost Management

• Own the global warehousing budget, cost-to-serve and cost per unit handled; deliver year-on-year cost reduction without compromising service.
• Manage 3PL, lease, equipment and manpower contracts, including negotiation, performance reviews and SLA enforcement.

People & Capability

• Lead, mentor and develop site heads and warehouse managers across the US; build succession and a strong leadership bench.
• Foster a culture of accountability, safety and high performance across geographies and cultures.

Safety, Compliance & Risk

• Ensure strict compliance with OSHA and applicable US federal, state and local regulations, plus customs and bonded warehouse requirements where applicable.
• Drive a zero-harm safety culture, with robust audits, incident investigation and corrective actions.
• Establish business continuity, security and risk-mitigation plans for all facilities.

Systems & Technology

• Lead WMS/ERP implementation, upgrades and optimisation; leverage data analytics and dashboards for decision-making.
• Evaluate and introduce material-handling automation, robotics, RFID and barcode technologies.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with Manufacturing, Planning, Procurement, Logistics, Sales and Finance for S&OP, inventory targets and customer delivery.
• Provide regular performance reporting and strategic updates to senior leadership and the executive team.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics or related field; MBA / PGDM in Operations preferred.
• 18–20 years of core experience in warehousing management, with at least 8–10 years in senior leadership roles managing multi-site operations.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment is essential; exposure to US warehousing operations and regulations is strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of managing large, complex, multi-location warehouse networks with significant P&L / budget responsibility.
• Hands-on experience with WMS/ERP systems (SAP, Oracle or equivalent), automation and Lean / Six Sigma methodologies.
• Certifications such as CSCP, CPIM, CLTD, Six Sigma Black Belt or similar are an advantage.

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Strategic thinking and strong business acumen.
• Multi-site leadership and the ability to lead remote, culturally diverse teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and communication skills at all levels.
• Change management and ability to drive standardisation across locations.
• High resilience, adaptability and comfort with extensive travel and time-zone differences.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Based at the Corporate Office in NCR, India.
• Very frequent travel to US locations; valid passport is mandatory
• Flexibility to work across time zones to coordinate with US teams.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• OTIF / order fulfilment rate and customer service levels
• Inventory accuracy, shrinkage and obsolescence
• Warehousing cost as a percentage of sales / cost per unit handled
• Productivity, space utilisation and throughput
• Safety metrics – LTIR, incident rate and audit compliance
• Project delivery – automation, WMS and network optimisation initiatives
• Team engagement, attrition and leadership bench strength