VP - Product, Supply Chain & Operational Technology | London, UK

VP - Product, Supply Chain & Operational Technology

Location : This is a hybrid role, offering a combination of being able to work remotely and from our European offices - there will be some travel involved across our global business.

The Opportunity

The Vice President of Product, Supply Chain & Operational Technology is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving transformation, operational excellence, innovation and best practise across our global product and supply chain functions.

This executive will work in close partnership with business owners and stakeholders to ensure technology initiatives deliver committed outcomes of time, cost and quality with measurable business value, enhance customer experience, and support long-term growth objectives.

The role will oversee a coordinated, phased global rollout and deployment of upgraded enterprise warehouse management systems and distribution centre moves and migrtaions, in alignment with a simultaneous ERP program transition & consolidation from SAP ECC 6x to SAP4Hana.

What You Will Be Doing

Collaborative Partnership: Serve as a trusted advisor and collaborative partner to business ownership, fostering alignment between technology, operations, and commercial goals. Champion a culture of cross-functional teamwork and transparent communication to ensure business needs are prioritized and met.

Strategic Planning & Execution: Develop and execute a multi-year roadmap for product, supply chain and operational technology transformation, ensuring all initiatives support RS Group's global growth strategy and operational efficiency goals.

System Integrator & Technology Partner Management: Lead and manage relationships with system integrators responsible for upgrading enterprise warehouse management systems (WMS). Oversee all phases of the global rollout, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet quality standards of scale, support, security & safety.

Lead and manage relationships with system integrators responsible for upgrading and maintaining warehouse operational technology and systems (OT). Oversee all phases of the project delivery & rollout, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet quality standards, quality standards of scale, support, security & safety.

Coordinated Global Deployment: Design and implement a phased approach to WMS upgrades across multiple regions, balancing local requirements with global standardization. Ensure seamless integration and minimal disruption to business operations throughout the deployment process.

Product Pipeline and New Product Introduction: End to end project delivery & systems ownership across all regions ensuring integration, performance and efficiency of the product pipeline is maximised and cost effective. Ensure that opportunities to improve process and use intelligent automation to support business outcomes are delivered and supportable.

ERP Program Alignment: Work closely with ERP program leadership to synchronize WMS upgrades with the organization's transition from ECC to S4. Ensure technology platforms are harmonized, data integrity is maintained, and process changes are well-communicated and adopted.

Change Management: Champion organizational change management strategies to drive adoption of new technologies, processes, and ways of working. Support training, communication, and stakeholder engagement efforts to facilitate successful transformation.

Performance Measurement: Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of technology initiatives on supply chain efficiency, product availability, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance. Accountable for overall programme and department budget management, tracking and actuals.

Risk Management: Ensure that security by design, data privacy by design and AI by design are at the forefront of both design thinking and operational delivery ensuring a cycle of testing and mitigation is in place for critical and exposed operational systems. Identify and mitigate risks associated with large-scale system upgrades and enterprise transformations.

Develop contingency plans and proactively address challenges to ensure project success.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Build and lead a high-performing transformation organisation across internal teams and partners.
• Set standards for ways of working: transparency, accountability, risk management, documentation, and knowledge transfer.
• Develop succession and capability-building within IT and the business (product owners, super users, process owners).
• Drives a 'one organisation' approach, balancing differing needs and creating alignments and synergies.
• Delegates and empowers others to fulfil objectives, selecting the right person for the task, providing authority and resource.
• Makes timely decisions amidst uncertainty, utilising data to assess risks and consider financial implications.
• Anticipates, meets and overcomes resistance, contingency planning as appropriate.
• Stays calm and level-headed under pressure, managing their emotions and leveraging awareness of stress triggers.
• Self-reflects and extracts learning and applies these moving forwards to achieve better outcomes.
• Accountable as a Portfolio owner to work collaboratively with the P&SC Leadership team as the Information Services and Technology Owner and Leadership representative.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Supply Chain Management, Engineering or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in product and supply chain technology roles within large, global industrial distribution or manufacturing businesses.
• Proven track record of successfully managing large-scale system integrator partnerships and enterprise technology deployments.
• Deep expertise in warehouse management systems (WMS), ERP platforms (ECC and S4), and supply chain process optimization.
• Track record of scale to over 1 Million Products and SKUs
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience with global, multi-site technology rollouts and change management initiatives.
• Experience in Cyber Security, ITIL and working with a hybrid Waterfall and Agile delivery model.
• Previous experience, knowledge or ownership of Operational Technology, such as handhelds, scanners, warehouse control systems and pack, pack and dispatch automation.
• Experience Cyber Security, legal and regulatory compliance. Working in various cloud models and an understanding of trading operating models and cross border international supply chain considerations

The following are also important for the role, but is not essential:

• Strong knowledge of SAP modules relevant to distribution (SD, MM, WM/EWM exposure, FI/CO, pricing, rebates, credit, intercompany, trade compliance).
• Experience with data governance programs and MDM tooling.
• Exposure to cloud infrastructure, security frameworks, network topologies and enterprise integration patterns (API-led, middleware).

We Are RS

RS is a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, enabling them to operate efficiently and sustainably.

We operate in 33 markets, stock over 875,000 industrial and specialist products and list an additional five million relevant for our industrial customers, sourced from over 2,500 suppliers. This extensive range supports our customers across the industrial lifecycle of designing, building and maintaining equipment and operations.

We enhance their experience through a tailored service model, leveraging our efficient physical, digital and process infrastructure sustainably. We combine a technically led and digitally enabled approach with an exceptional team of experts; ultimately, it's our people that make the difference.

Our purpose, making amazing happen for a better world, reflects our focus on delivering results for people, planet and profit.

Rewards

Our Reward Strategy Philosophy is designed to offer market competitive base salaries and provide all of our people the opportunity to participate in a short-term incentive, enabling them to share in the success of the Company.

Our total reward package is more than just the cash; our recognition and benefit offering provide the opportunity for us to recognise, reward and enable the wellbeing of our people at all stages of their journey with RS. Our rewards and benefits vary by country, but include:

• Financial - pension/retirement; life assurance; salary finance (payroll deduction loan scheme)
• Wellbeing - medical plans; health screening; critical illness; disability insurance; holiday / paid time off; employee assistance programme; discounted gym/health club membership
• Lifestyle - transportation assistance schemes (e.g., cycle to work, travel loans, car leasing); onsite catering/lunch vouchers; retail discounts
• Spotlight - our global recognition programme provides a platform to highlight and recognise people role modelling our values

Ready to Make Amazing Happen?

Join c. 9,000 colleagues and help us shape the future of our industry. Whoever you are, wherever you are - it all starts here.

Apply now and make RS a part of your journey.

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