Cape Town: Head of Distribution posted by MH Solutions

The main purpose of the role:
The company is looking for a hands-on Head of Distribution to own and optimise our end-to-end lastmile operations. This role is critical to ensuring the right product reaches the right customer, on time and at the lowest sustainable cost. You’ll lead teams, manage thirdparty partners, and continuously improve routing, dispatch, and cost efficiency as the business scales.
Responsibilities:
People & Daily Execution

• Recruit, manage, and lead distribution, dispatch, driver, and merchandising teams.
• Oversee driver schedules, daily briefs, workloads, and SOP compliance.
• Ensure merchandising standards are met across all regions.
• Monitor daily delivery progress and proactively resolve delays or issues.
• Plan and support weekend deliveries, including routing and predispatch checks.

Routing & Delivery Performance

• Design and manage delivery routes based on customer tier, priority, and urgency.
• Act as superuser of routing software, ensuring accurate order and status tracking.
• Manage lastminute changes and urgent orders with minimal cost impact.
• Own and improve KPIs such as cost per delivery, kilometres per route, and driver productivity.
• Use data to identify inefficiencies and improve service quality while reducing costs.

Dispatch & Cold Chain

• Lead dispatch operations at Cape Town HQ and coordinate with regional depots and partners.
• Ensure accurate picking, packing, and dispatch of all orders.
• Maintain disciplined dispatch processes and protect coldchain integrity.

Problem Solving & Escalation

• Own realtime resolution of delivery issues, including delays, customer complaints, route disruptions, stock discrepancies, and equipment failures.
• Escalate appropriately while maintaining a solutionsfocused mindset.

Costs, ThirdParty Providers & Distribution Structure

• Manage and negotiate performance, cost, and SLAs with thirdparty providers.
• Track and optimise fleet utilisation, fuel spend, overtime, and route profitability.
• Optimise the company’s overall distribution structure across internal teams and external partners.
• Oversee tracking, maintenance, and management of 600+ freezer assets.
• Coordinate freezer procurement, repairs, and supplier relationships.
• Build scalable, efficient processes to support rapid growth.

Requirements:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in logistics, operations, or lastmile delivery.
• Excel / Google Sheets
• At least 3 years’ experience leading teams (drivers or field teams advantageous).
• Experience in FMCG, e-commerce, lastmile, or coldchain logistics preferred.
• Proven experience managing thirdparty service providers or 3PLs.
• Engineering or commercial degree preferred.