Head of Supply Chain - Oxford

Head of Supply Chain jobs

The supply chain can be an extremely complex part of a company, involving everything from procurement, and manufacturing through to warehousing, logistics and distribution.

No matter what industry a company may be operating in, the head of supply chain is a key position that can play a big part in the overall success and profitability of the enterprise.

After all, they will likely be responsible for project planning, creating strategies and implementing policies to ensure that budgets are met, schedules are adhered to and products are delivered according to agreed quality standards.

Monitoring the market and analysing trends will be a big part of the role, as will making forecasts and taking steps to ensure the supply chain is properly prepared for any peaks or troughs in demand.

What’s more, the head of supply chain will also be tasked with identifying, driving and delivering consistent improvement within the company’s supply chain. This could mean finding time efficiencies, renegotiating contracts or selecting new suppliers.

The skills required

The head of supply chain is a senior role in any organisation, and as such candidates should have a proven track record in managing a team.

Communication skills are a must and you should be able to train, motivate and encourage a team to do the best work possible for the organisation.

An ability to build relationships, carry out negotiations and deal with problems is vital, while a strong customer focus, a credible and trustworthy demeanour and an ability to be proactive and decisive are desirable.

Head of Supply Chain Jobs in Oxford

The county town of Oxford and famous throughout the world for its university, Oxford is actually a thriving, self-contained city with a diversity of industries not directly related to its county status or education sector. It has been a successful city for so long that its architecture spans the millennia, and since much of the most important buildings were churches, it got the name “city of dreaming spires”.

Without doubt the university and its related activities (bars, cafes, hotels, shops, theatres etc.) is the key single employer of the city, and the university heritage also plays into its thriving tourism industry. All this contributes to the thriving nature of the city, which is busy all the year round.

But a major industry just to the south east of the city centre is car manufacturing, at the Cowley BMW plant, home of the new Mini. The plant used to be the Morris Motors plant during the First World War, and this attracted a railway and other communications to serve it. During World War Two the plant made training planes for the RAF. After the war mergers and acquisitions changed the company to BMC, then British Leyland, Austin Rover, the Rover Group and finally BMW (but locals still call the factory Morris’s).

With a thriving, ever changing population and various high-tech and heavy industries, Oxford often throws up Head of Supply Chain positions to help oil the wheels of commerce. It’s certainly an exciting place to live and work.

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Find Head of Supply Chain positions with Cast UK

Here at Cast UK, we work hard to find the best talent for every vacancy. Our team of qualified recruitment consultants have worked in these types of jobs themselves, giving them an excellent understanding of what drives the industry and what makes the ideal candidate for each role.

So if you're ready to take your next step on the career ladder, look no further than Cast UK. To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Head of Supply Chain for your business or find you a job as a Head of Supply Chain then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.

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