Logistics Manager

[Company name], an SMB in [industry] based in [city], [X] staff, [X] staff in logistics, [X] shipments per month, is looking for a Logistics Manager to run logistics end to end with a focus on [warehousing plus shipping plus transport / B2B groupage / e-commerce dispatch / production logistics].

The role

As Logistics Manager you steer the site's entire logistics (warehousing, shipping, transport, inventory, carrier steering, compliance) for [30-150] staff, [X] shipments per month and a freight volume of [X] M€ per year. You report to [management / the COO / the commercial lead] and work in close partnership with sales, procurement, production, finance, HR and the Betriebsrat.

Key responsibilities

• Steer the logistics KPIs: OTIF, freight-cost ratio, inventory accuracy, warehouse productivity per hour, complaint rate. Monthly reporting to management with lever identification.
• Negotiate and manage the carrier contracts (tender, renewal, new appointment, carrier mix) with current partners [DHL, DB Schenker, Dachser, Kühne+Nagel, Rhenus, Hellmann or others] and build a competitive carrier portfolio.
• Operationally steer the warehouse and shipping: people, shift and process leadership with the team leads, goods receipt, putaway, picking, packing, dispatch.
• Ensure compliance: the Güterkraftverkehrsgesetz GüKG, dangerous goods under GGVSEB (incl. appointing a Gefahrgutbeauftragter above defined quantities), customs, the Lieferkettengesetz LkSG, warehouse occupational safety under DGUV.
• [If the focus is a WMS or S&OP build-up] WMS or S&OP roadmap: requirements spec, tender, implementation, training, go-live with a fallback plan and a stabilization phase.
• Inventory steering: ABC analysis, safety stocks, slow movers, forecast accuracy, stocktake strategy, cross-functional stand-ups with sales and procurement.
• Drive the operational steering cadence: a daily operations stand-up, a weekly carrier and warehouse review, monthly reporting to management, an annual supplier and carrier review.

Profile

• Required: 5-12 years of experience in logistics leadership or an end-to-end logistics steering role at a German SMB or a mid-sized organization (30-150 logistics staff); proven command of OTIF steering and freight-cost optimization; experience in carrier tenders and carrier steering; command of at least one WMS and familiarity with the German compliance regulations (GüKG, GGVSEB, LkSG, DGUV).
• Desired: specialization in S&OP build-up, WMS or ERP migration, multi-site responsibility or international supply chain; experience in a comparable industry; English language skills for international carriers and carrier contracts; prior experience in an adjacent role (warehouse management with a commercial extension, COO in the Mittelstand with a logistics share).
• Disqualifying: purely operational warehouse-management experience with no carrier steering and commercial responsibility; purely administrative procurement experience with no operational logistics link; no familiarity with the German compliance regulations; instability (several 12-month stints in a row).

What we offer

• Gross annual compensation: fixed [55-92] k€ depending on experience, site size and freight volume. No structural variable component; a possible annual bonus of 5-15 % on achieved OTIF, inventory or freight-cost targets, per company practice.
• Model: [full-time, on-site with 4-5 days on-site, based at the logistics site in [city]].
• Benefits: [company pension, company car with private use or a job ticket, JobRad, meal allowance, vacation days per Tarifvertrag or above, professional-development budget, BVL membership].
• Stack: [ERP SAP or Microsoft Dynamics or proAlpha, WMS SAP EWM or viadat or PSI Logistics or proLogistik, TMS Cargoclix or Transporeon, carrier portals, accounting integration with DATEV or Lexware].