| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Logistics and Warehousing |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Chief Operating Officer |
| Direct reports | Logistics Manager, Warehouse Manager, Transport Manager, Fleet Manager |
| Experience | 12+ years in logistics with 4 years running multi-site operations |
General Manager Logistics job description template
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Job title: General Manager Logistics
Department: Logistics and Warehousing
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A General Manager Logistics runs the full logistics operation for a region or business unit and owns its cost and service numbers. They lead transport, warehousing and distribution, award 3PL and transporter contracts, and carry the profit and loss for freight, storage and manpower. A good one keeps delivery promises to customers and plants while lowering cost per shipment, and builds site managers who can run their sites without daily firefighting.
Key responsibilities
- Own the annual logistics budget for the region and hold transport, warehousing and manpower spend within the agreed cost per shipment.
- Set service targets with plants, sales and customers, and review on-time dispatch and delivery against them every week.
- Award and manage contracts with transporters, 3PL warehouses and courier partners, and review each on rate, service and claims.
- Plan network capacity across warehouses and lanes so peak-season volume moves without missed dispatches or panic hiring.
- Review daily dashboards for cost, fill rate, ageing stock and vehicle utilization, and act on the exceptions.
- Lead site managers across warehouses, hubs and transport, set their targets and run monthly operations reviews.
- Drive safety and statutory compliance across sites, including vehicle fitness, permits, fire safety and labour records.
- Approve capital spend on racking, material handling equipment and technology, and track the return on each investment.
- Resolve escalations from customers, plants and partners that site managers cannot close, and fix the root cause.
- Build the manpower plan with HR, decide the mix of own and contract staff, and grow a bench of site leaders.
Requirements
- Graduate in any discipline, with an MBA in operations or supply chain preferred
- Strong grounding in transport, warehousing and distribution operations
- A certification in supply chain or logistics is an advantage
- 12+ years in logistics with 4 years running multi-site operations
KRAs and KPIs for a General Manager Logistics
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Logistics cost | Total logistics cost held at or below the budgeted percent of sales each quarter |
| On-time delivery | On-time in-full delivery to customers and plants above 97 percent every month |
| Asset utilization | Owned and hired vehicle utilization above 85 percent across the region |
| Inventory health | Warehouse inventory accuracy above 99 percent with ageing stock under the agreed limit |
| Safety | Zero fatal incidents and lost-time injuries trending down year on year |
| People | Manager positions filled and annual attrition among site leaders below 12 percent |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Warehouse management systems, Transport management systems, SAP or Oracle ERP, Advanced Excel, Power BI dashboards.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Logistics, Vice President Logistics, Chief Operating Officer
Interview questions for a General Manager Logistics
- How do you build a logistics budget for a region and defend it to the leadership team?
- Walk me through how you would redesign a distribution network to cut cost without hurting delivery times.
- A key 3PL partner is missing dispatch SLAs during peak season. How do you handle it?
- Which three numbers do you watch daily to run a multi-site logistics operation, and why?
- Tell me about a time you cut logistics cost while keeping service levels steady.
- How do you keep vehicle fitness, permits and labour compliance under control across many sites?
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What does a General Manager Logistics do?
A General Manager Logistics runs transport, warehousing and distribution for a region and owns the cost and service results. They award transporter and 3PL contracts, plan network capacity, review daily performance, lead site managers and keep safety and statutory compliance in order. The job is to move goods on time at the lowest sensible cost.
What is the difference between a General Manager Logistics and a Logistics Manager?
A Logistics Manager coordinates day-to-day movement for a site or lane: bookings, carriers, cost and escalations. A General Manager Logistics sits above several such managers, owns the regional budget and network, awards partner contracts and answers to leadership for cost and service. The GM decides strategy and capacity while the manager delivers the daily plan.
What qualifications does a General Manager Logistics need?
Most General Managers Logistics are graduates, and many hold an MBA in operations or supply chain. What matters more is a long record across transport, warehousing and distribution, proof of running multi-site operations, and comfort with budgets, contracts and data. A recognised supply chain certification helps but does not replace operating experience.