Key Responsibilities

A. Logistics Strategy, Network Design & Governance

- Translate Chennai Rice Industries' capacity expansion, sales growth, channel mix and geographic plans into a multi-year logistics and distribution strategy. • Design a scalable network connecting the Perundurai plant with company / third-party warehouses, depots, distributors, institutional customers and other delivery points. • Define service standards, decision rights, approval matrices, SOPs and controls for warehousing, dispatch, transportation, freight, claims, returns and vendor management. • Present a monthly logistics scorecard to the CEO, highlighting service, cost, capacity, inventory, risks and improvement priorities.

B. Integrated Planning & Plant Logistics

- Convert the sales forecast, confirmed order book and production plan into daily, weekly and monthly dispatch, vehicle placement and storage-capacity plans. • Coordinate closely with Sales, Production, Planning, Packaging, Procurement and Quality to ensure finished-goods readiness, packaging availability and dispatch alignment. • Plan inbound movement of paddy / raw rice, packaging materials and other critical inputs in partnership with Procurement, without disrupting plant operations or yard capacity. • Own gate, yard, weighbridge, dock, loading-bay and vehicle-movement discipline at Perundurai, including loading sequence and truck turnaround. • Create contingency plans for peak seasons, festivals, harvest cycles, transport shortages, weather events, market surges and other supply disruptions.

C. Warehouse & Inventory Control

- Lead receipt from packing, quality release, put-away / stacking, location control, picking, staging, loading and stock reconciliation across finished-goods warehouses. • Ensure robust batch / lot traceability, FIFO / FEFO discipline, ageing visibility and inventory accuracy across company operated and third-party locations. • Prevent and control infestation, moisture exposure, contamination, torn bags, leakage, pilferage, shortages and handling damage through disciplined storage and surveillance. • Optimise warehouse layout, stack norms, space and cube utilisation, material-handling equipment, labour deployment, cycle counts and physical verification.

D. Order Fulfilment, Dispatch & Customer Service

- Ensure every order is fulfilled with the right SKU, pack size, quantity, quality condition, documentation, destination and delivery commitment. • Define order cut-off, prioritisation, allocation, dispatch-scheduling and escalation rules across distributor, wholesale, retail, institutional and direct-order channels. • Track OTIF, fill rate, order accuracy, perfect-order performance, order cycle time and backlog, and lead corrective action with the relevant functions. • Ensure accurate dispatch documentation, invoices, e-way bills, gate passes, shipment records and proof-of-delivery capture in coordination with Finance and Sales. • Own reverse logistics and timely resolution of shortages, transit damage, rejected deliveries, returns, customer claims and undelivered consignments.

E. Transportation, Fleet & 3PL Management

- Develop the transportation model for primary and secondary distribution, balancing dedicated vehicles, contracted capacity, market vehicles, full-truck-load and part-load options. • Source, empanel and govern transporters and 3PL partners through robust due diligence, lane-wise rates, contracts, SLAs, performance reviews and contingency capacity. • Drive daily vehicle placement, load consolidation, route planning, loadability, transit adherence,



vehicle utilisation, truck turnaround and detention reduction. • Validate freight bills, proof of delivery, detention, shortage and damage claims; eliminate billing leakage and support timely, accurate settlement with Finance. • Ensure vehicle fitness, permits, insurance, driver conduct, GPS visibility, safe loading, load securing and compliance with company safety and hygiene requirements.

F. Logistics Cost, Productivity & Working Capital

- Own the logistics budget covering freight, warehousing, handling, contract labour, detention, damage, claims and other distribution expenses. • Measure and improve freight cost per tonne / bag / order / lane, logistics cost as a percentage of sales, handling cost and budget variance. • Improve route density, load factor, backhaul opportunities, vehicle utilisation, negotiated rates, warehouse throughput and labour productivity. • Work with Sales, Planning and Finance to reduce finished-goods ageing, slow / non-moving stock and avoidable working capital blockage without compromising service.

G. Food Safety, Quality, Traceability & Compliance

- Ensure storage, handling, distribution and transportation practices comply with applicable FSSAI, GMP / GHP, quality, hygiene and food-safety requirements. • Institutionalise warehouse and vehicle inspection standards covering cleanliness, dryness, odour, pest control, moisture, segregation, packaging integrity and contamination risk. • Maintain batch / lot traceability and recall readiness from plant dispatch to destination, supported by complete records, mock drills and rapid information retrieval. • Ensure closure of logistics audit observations and compliance relating to transport documentation, vehicle requirements, labour deployment, safety, statutory records and customer protocols.

H. Systems, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

- Strengthen ERP / WMS / TMS discipline from order allocation through gate entry, weighment, picking, loading, shipment, proof of delivery, freight settlement and returns. • Create daily and monthly dashboards with exception alerts for service, inventory, cost, vehicle, warehouse, quality, claims and vendor performance. • Use lane-, customer-, SKU-, pack-size-, transporter- and vehicle-level analytics to identify cost leakage, bottlenecks, service gaps and network opportunities. • Lead Lean, 5S, root-cause analysis and digital-improvement initiatives such as barcode / QR scanning, GPS tracking, digital weighbridge integration and paperless POD.

I. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

- Build and lead a capable warehouse, dispatch, transportation, documentation and logistics-MIS team with explicit accountability across shifts. • Plan manpower, shift coverage and contract-labour deployment; strengthen safety, skill, discipline, productivity and succession for critical roles. • Partner closely with Sales, Production, Planning, Procurement, Quality, Finance, IT, HR and Customer Service to resolve end-to-end fulfilment issues. • Manage operational crises with speed and transparency, keeping the CEO and relevant stakeholders informed through facts, options and clear recovery plans.

Desired Candidate Profile





Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Engineering, Science, Commerce or a related discipline, with a full-time MBA / PGDM or postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain, Operations, Logistics or Materials Management preferred. • Professional certification such as ASCM CSCP / CLTD, CILT, Lean Six Sigma or an equivalent logistics / supply-chain credential will be an advantage.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive experience in logistics, warehousing, transportation and distribution, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership / Head Logistics role. • Proven ownership of plant dispatch, finished-goods warehousing, transporter management and multi-channel distribution in a high-volume manufacturing environment. • Hands-on experience managing multiple SKUs and pack sizes, 3PL / transporter networks, contract labour, freight commercials and customer-service commitments. • Demonstrated success in improving OTIF, inventory accuracy, freight cost, truck turnaround, warehouse productivity, traceability and loss control.

Preferred Industry Exposure

- Strong preference for food processing, rice / grain / flour, edible oil, agri-products, FMCG, beverages, packaged foods or another high-volume consumer-products environment. • Experience with bagged commodities or ambient food products requiring batch control, hygiene, pest / moisture prevention, careful handling and wide-market distribution will be highly relevant. • Exposure to a promoter-led growth company and established transporter / distribution networks across Tamil Nadu and South India will be an advantage.

Functional / Technical Competencies

- Logistics network design, transport operations, fleet / 3PL governance, warehousing, inventory control, dispatch planning, route planning and reverse logistics. • Strong command of OTIF, fill rate, order accuracy, order cycle time, freight cost, load factor, truck turnaround, stock accuracy, ageing, damage and claims metrics. • Working capability in ERP, WMS, TMS, advanced Excel / business intelligence tools, GPS tracking, barcode / QR systems and digital weighbridge processes. • Practical knowledge of FSSAI / GMP / GHP expectations for food storage and transport, batch traceability, recall readiness, e-way bills and dispatch documentation. • Strong budgeting, commercial negotiation, vendor contracting, data analysis, root-cause problem solving, Lean / 5S and continuous-improvement capability.

Leadership / Behavioural Competencies

- Strategic and commercially aware, while remaining highly hands-on with daily execution at the plant, warehouse and transporter interface. • High integrity, strong control orientation and zero tolerance for inventory, freight, documentation or vendor-governance leakage. • Decisive and calm under pressure, with the ability to manage seasonality, vehicle shortages, urgent orders, service failures and supply disruptions. • Strong influencing and communication skills across the CEO, functional leaders, sales teams, transporters, warehouse teams, drivers and customers. • Customer-centric, cost-conscious and improvement-oriented, with the ability to build discipline without slowing the entrepreneurial pace of the business.

Language & Mobility

• Strong written and spoken Tamil and English are essential; working knowledge of Hindi or other Indian languages will be an advantage. • The role is based at Perundurai and requires regular travel to warehouses, transporter locations, distributors, institutional customers and market locations.

📌 Head Logistics (Perundurai)
🏢 Brightspan Advisors Chennai
📍 Perundurai