Sales & Supply Chain Operations Assistant

Sales & Supply Chain Operations AssistantWaterloo, Central London£28,000 to £32,000 + up to 15% annual bonusFull time | 4 days per week in the office with flexibilityWe’re working with an incredibly exciting, fast growing drinks business that is entering the next stage of its development, and we’re looking for someone brilliant to join its operations team.This is not your typical Assistant position.It is a broad, hands on opportunity that will give you exposure across sales operations, customer orders, logistics, inventory, forecasting, production planning, suppliers and the wider supply chain.You’ll work closely with the Operations Manager and become an important link between sales, production, suppliers, warehouses, logistics partners and customers.For someone at the beginning of their career who wants to understand how a fast moving FMCG business actually works, there are few roles that will give you this level of exposure.The opportunityAs the business continues to grow, so does the complexity behind getting products produced, stocked, sold and delivered to the right place at the right time.You’ll help keep that entire operation moving.One day you might be coordinating customer orders and deliveries. The next you could be reviewing stock levels, updating a forecast, speaking with a supplier, arranging a production run or investigating why stock figures do not match.There will not always be a perfectly documented process waiting for you.That is part of the opportunity.The business wants someone who enjoys working things out, solving problems and helping create better ways of doing things as the company grows.What will you be doing?Sales operations and customer orders• Manage incoming customer orders across trade and direct channels• Make sure orders are processed accurately and efficiently• Keep ordering and invoicing systems accurate and up to date• Keep the sales team informed on order progress and stock availability• Coordinate with customers to ensure deliveries are booked correctly• Respond to customer queries and help resolve order or delivery issues quickly• Make sure invoices are raised accurately and on timeStock, inventory and logistics• Coordinate stock movements between production sites, warehouses and customers• Manage transfers between different warehousing locations• Maintain accurate inventory information across the operation• Monitor stock movements and investigate discrepancies• Work closely with warehouse partners to ensure stock is received, stored and dispatched correctly• Book deliveries and collections through logistics partners• Track shipments and proactively deal with delays or problems• Help make sure products move through the network as efficiently and cost effectively as possibleForecasting and supply planning• Work alongside the Operations Manager and sales team to understand future demand• Help translate sales forecasts into production and stock requirements• Maintain internal forecasts and monitor stock against expected demand• Identify potential shortages or excess stock before they become a problem• Help plan production far enough ahead to ensure the right materials and capacity are availableSuppliers and production• Support relationships with ingredient, packaging and other key suppliers• Place orders at the right time and in the right quantities• Coordinate with production partners to help schedule production runs• Monitor progress and help keep production plans on track• Support the resolution of production or quality issues• Look for opportunities to reduce waste, improve efficiency and control costsImproving the operationThis is a growing business, so you will also be encouraged to look beyond the immediate task in front of you.You’ll help spot bottlenecks, recurring issues and inefficient processes, then work with the wider team to find practical ways to improve them.We’re looking for somebody who takes ownership.If something goes wrong, your first thought should not just be “Who do I tell?”It should be “How can we fix this?”Who are we looking for?We are much less interested in finding a perfect CV than we are in finding the right person.You might already have some experience within operations, logistics, supply chain, sales support, customer service, hospitality, food and drink or FMCG.Equally, you may be relatively early in your career and looking for an opportunity where somebody will give you genuine responsibility and the chance to learn.What matters most is that you are:• Highly organised, you enjoy keeping on top of detail and deadlines• Comfortable with numbers and spreadsheets, particularly Excel• Calm under pressure, even when several things need your attention at once• Proactive, you do not need somebody constantly chasing you• A natural problem solver, you enjoy figuring things out• Friendly and confident communicating with people, both internally and externally• Commercially curious, you want to understand why things happen, not just complete a task• Hungry to learn, particularly about operations, FMCG and supply chain• A genuine team player, happy to get involved wherever neededPrevious experience with stock, logistics, customer orders, Excel, ERP systems, supply chain or FMCG would be useful, but attitude, common sense and potential are every bit as important.What’s on offer?• £28,000 to £32,000 basic salary• Up to 15% annual bonus• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays• An additional 5 days holiday during the first week of January• 10 days where you can work from anywhere during January• Employee discounts• Flexible working hours and home working options• Genuine career progression• The opportunity to shape your future role around your strengths as the business growsThis is a fantastic opportunity to join a small, ambitious team where your contribution will be visible from day one.You’ll gain exposure to far more than one narrow area of a business and build an understanding of the complete journey from forecast and production through to stock, sales, customer and delivery.If you’re organised, switched on, ambitious and looking for an opportunity where you can learn quickly and take genuine responsibility, I’d love to hear from you.Apply directly or contact Matt at Found Food & Drink for a confidential conversation.