Head of Supply Chain | Permanent | Full-Time | Dublin | €90,000–€100,000 + 15% Bonus
Key Points
- Salary: €90,000–€100,000 depending on experience
- Bonus: Up to 15%, linked to company performance and personal KPIs
- Location: Dublin
- Reporting to: CEO
- Sector: Healthcare / Pharmaceutical / Regulated Consumer Products
- Work Environment: Predominantly office-based with one day working from home, subject to operational requirements
- Team: Existing Supply Chain Assistant, with plans to build and develop the function
- Growth: Significant expansion potential across Ireland and the UK
- Ideal Background: FMCG, pharmaceutical, healthcare, medical devices or another regulated product environment
- Key Expertise: 3PL management, demand planning, S&OP, inventory, contract negotiation and supply chain strategy
Job & Company Overview
Are you an experienced supply chain leader who wants the opportunity to build a function rather than simply inherit one?
We are recruiting a Head of Supply Chain for a rapidly growing business operating across the healthcare, pharmaceutical and regulated consumer products sectors.
Reporting directly to the CEO, you’ll take end-to-end responsibility for supply chain strategy and performance across two complementary businesses: an established healthcare distribution operation with a long history in the Irish market and a growing proprietary healthcare brand with significant expansion ambitions, particularly within the UK.
This is a strategic leadership appointment, but it requires someone who remains close to operations.
You’ll own relationships with outsourced logistics providers and a business-critical contract manufacturer, lead demand planning and S&OP, strengthen inventory performance, negotiate major supply chain contracts and develop the systems, reporting and processes required to support future growth.
You’ll also have the opportunity to shape the department itself.
There is currently a Supply Chain Assistant within the function, with plans to expand the team as the businesses grow. This may ultimately include dedicated support across both divisions and the integration of customer service into the wider supply chain function.
For the right person, this represents an opportunity to create the structure, processes and team required for the company’s next phase rather than simply maintaining what already exists.
What You’ll Be Taking Ownership Of
At a Glance
As Head of Supply Chain, you will:
- Develop and execute the end-to-end supply chain strategy
- Build a scalable supply chain function capable of supporting continued growth
- Lead client-side management of third-party logistics providers
- Own the relationship with a business-critical contract manufacturer
- Lead demand planning, forecasting and S&OP
- Improve inventory availability and working capital performance
- Reduce stock-outs, excess stock and obsolete inventory
- Negotiate logistics, warehousing, fulfilment and freight contracts
- Maintain supply chain quality and regulatory compliance
- Develop ERP, EDI and supply chain systems integration
- Establish executive-level KPIs and reporting
- Identify practical opportunities for AI and automation
- Recruit, develop and lead the growing supply chain team
- Support further expansion across Ireland, the UK and international markets
Building the Supply Chain Function
A major attraction of this position is the opportunity to influence what the supply chain department becomes.
The businesses are growing, and the existing structure needs to develop alongside them.
You’ll assess current resources, processes and responsibilities and determine what the future supply chain function needs to look like to support increased scale.
That will include developing the existing team, helping define future positions and establishing clear ownership, accountability and processes across the department.
The business is also considering bringing customer service more closely into the supply chain function, creating an opportunity for the successful candidate to develop a more integrated approach to customer experience, inventory availability and operational delivery.
This requires someone who enjoys developing people and building capability, not simply managing processes.
3PL & Logistics Management
Strong client-side 3PL management experience is essential.
The businesses use outsourced logistics providers for warehousing, fulfilment, delivery and freight. You’ll own these commercial and operational relationships on behalf of the company.
You’ll:
- Establish clear SLAs and KPIs
- Conduct regular operational and commercial reviews
- Monitor warehouse, fulfilment and delivery performance
- Challenge underperformance
- Lead tenders where required
- Renegotiate contracts and cost structures
- Identify measurable savings
- Protect customer service and product quality
We’re looking for someone who has managed 3PL providers as the client, rather than someone whose experience has been predominantly working within a transport or logistics provider.
You need to understand logistics operations sufficiently well to challenge suppliers, interrogate costs and hold external partners accountable for performance.
Demand Planning, S&OP & Inventory
This is the other major technical requirement of the position.
You’ll lead demand planning and S&OP processes across the businesses, working closely with Commercial, Sales, Finance and other stakeholders to develop reliable forecasts.
You’ll use those forecasts to improve inventory availability while reducing:
- Stock-outs
- Excess inventory
- Obsolete stock
- Unnecessary working capital exposure
The company needs someone who understands that good inventory performance isn’t simply about carrying more stock.
You’ll need the analytical ability to examine demand, challenge assumptions and establish disciplined planning processes that balance customer availability with responsible inventory investment.
Supporting UK & International Growth
The organisation has significant ambitions for further growth, particularly within the UK.
One of the businesses is developing its own healthcare product portfolio and sees considerable potential to expand this part of the organisation beyond Ireland.
You’ll ensure the supply chain is capable of supporting that ambition.
This means thinking beyond today’s requirements and considering how logistics partners, inventory strategies, systems, processes and team structures need to develop as volumes and geographic reach increase.
Previous experience supporting a rapidly growing organisation, entering new markets or scaling supply chain operations internationally would therefore be particularly valuable.
Contract Manufacturing
You’ll own the relationship with a contract manufacturing organisation responsible for manufacturing one of the company’s brands.
This supplier is considered business-critical, making continuity of supply, quality, communication and commercial performance particularly important.
You’ll maintain a productive strategic relationship while establishing appropriate governance and accountability around performance.
Commercial & Contract Management
You’ll have responsibility for significant supply chain expenditure.
This includes negotiating:
- Warehousing agreements
- Storage costs
- Pick-and-pack arrangements
- Fulfilment contracts
- Freight agreements
- Other logistics and supply chain services
You’ll identify opportunities to improve commercial terms and reduce cost while ensuring savings never compromise service, supply resilience or product quality.
Strong negotiation skills and commercial judgement are therefore essential.
Quality & Compliance
Operating within healthcare and regulated product environments requires a disciplined approach to compliance.
You’ll oversee supply chain quality and compliance responsibilities, including requirements relating to HPRA, B Corp and Repak, together with future developments relevant to the businesses.
You’ll work closely with the company’s Quality Specialist and other stakeholders to ensure supply chain processes, suppliers and documentation continue to meet required standards.
Systems, Data & Technology
The organisation wants its future supply chain to make better use of data and technology.
You’ll act as the business lead for improvements involving:
- ERP
- EDI
- 3PL integration
- Reporting systems
- Supply chain dashboards
- Automated workflows
You’ll also identify practical opportunities to use AI and automation within forecasting, inventory optimisation, exception reporting and KPI reporting.
You don’t need to be an IT specialist. What matters is understanding how technology can improve visibility, reduce manual work and support better supply chain decisions.
Leadership & Culture
Experience gets you into the conversation. Leadership style and cultural fit will be equally important in determining who succeeds.
The organisation currently employs approximately 38 people and operates in a busy, positive and collaborative environment.
We’re looking for a people-centred leader who can establish accountability without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
You’ll be expected to coach and develop your team, communicate openly, work effectively across departments and build strong relationships with senior leadership, colleagues, suppliers and external partners.
The strongest candidate will combine authority and commercial confidence with an approachable management style.
Requirements
Essential Experience
To be considered, you should have:
- 10+ years’ progressive experience across supply chain, planning, logistics, procurement or operations
- At least 5 years at senior management or supply chain leadership level
- Proven client-side management of outsourced 3PL warehouse, fulfilment and freight providers
- Strong demand planning, forecasting and S&OP experience
- Demonstrable experience improving inventory reliability and forecast accuracy
- Strong commercial contract negotiation experience
- Experience managing significant logistics and supply chain expenditure
- Experience leading and developing a team
- Strong ERP, WMS, EDI or supply chain systems experience
- Experience producing senior-level supply chain KPIs and reporting
- Excellent analytical and numerical skills
- Strong presentation, communication and stakeholder management capabilities
These requirements reflect the strategic and operational scope of the appointment outlined by the client.
Industry Background
The strongest candidates are likely to come from:
- FMCG
- Pharmaceuticals
- Healthcare
- Consumer health
- Medical devices
- Regulated consumer products
Experience involving pharmacy, healthcare distribution, retail, e-commerce or distributor channels would also be highly relevant.
A candidate coming purely from transport operations without meaningful demand planning/S&OP and client-side 3PL management experience is unlikely to have the breadth required.
Qualifications & Additional Experience
Particularly valuable experience includes:
- APICS / ASCM CPIM or CSCP
- Lean Six Sigma
- Continuous Improvement
- Project Management
- Power BI
- Advanced Excel
- Business Intelligence or data analytics
- ERP implementation or integration
- Automation or predictive analytics
- International supply chain expansion
Who This Role Would Suit
We would particularly welcome applications from experienced:
- Heads of Supply Chain
- Senior Supply Chain Managers
- Supply Chain Directors operating within smaller organisations
- Supply Chain & Operations Managers
- Senior Supply Chain Leaders within FMCG, pharmaceutical or healthcare businesses
Your existing title is less important than the scope of your experience.
You should be comfortable moving between board-level strategy and operational detail – presenting a growth plan to senior leadership one day and challenging a 3PL over inventory or service performance the next.
Important Information
Salary
€90,000–€100,000 per annum DOE
Plus:
- Up to 15% annual performance bonus, linked to company and personal KPIs
Hours
- Monday to Thursday: 9:00am–5:30pm
- Friday: 9:00am–4:30pm
- Friday finish at 3:00pm during July and August
Work Environment
- Dublin
- Predominantly office-based
- One day working from home, subject to operational requirements
- Attendance at 3PL, supplier or operational sites when required
Benefits
- Up to 15% annual bonus
- 5% employer pension contribution
- Monthly healthcare allowance
- 23 days annual leave plus Good Friday
- Additional service day after three years
- Further additional service day after five years
- Professional development budget can be agreed
Apply Now
If you have the client-side 3PL management, demand planning, S&OP and senior supply chain leadership experience to build a scalable supply chain function within a rapidly growing healthcare and pharmaceutical business, we look forward to receiving your application.
At Hall Recruitment, we’re dedicated to building diverse and authentic workplaces. We also know that excellent candidates rarely match 100% of a job description. If you meet around 70% of the criteria for this role, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
