JOB DESCRIPTION:

Cluster Head - Warehouse Operations

ePharma Supply Chain | East & West Cluster (Kolkata - Guwahati - Mumbai)

Function: Pharmacy Supply Chain - Fulfilment Centre Operations

Reports to: Head - FC Operations / National Operations Head

Location: Based at Kolkata or Mumbai; ~40-50% travel across cluster

Cluster: Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai (3 FCs)

Team size: ~400 (on-roll + outsourced) across 3 sites

Experience: 10-14 years; 3-5 years in multi-site leadership

Employment Full-time, on-roll

Role Summary:

The Cluster Lead owns end-to-end warehouse operations for three Fulfilment Centres serving the East and West markets.

The role is accountable for service levels, inventory integrity, regulatory compliance, cost-to-serve, and people outcomes across the cluster. In an ePharma context, this includes safe handling of Schedule H, H1, X, and cold-chain SKUs, strict FEFO and batch/expiry discipline, and zero tolerance on counterfeit, spurious, or expired product leakage to customers.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations & Service:

- Own daily inbound, put-away, picking, packing, dispatch, and reverse logistics across Kolkata, Guwahati, and Mumbai FCs.

- Deliver on SLA, TAT, fill rate, dispatch cut-off adherence, and OB (outbound) breach metrics in line with central operating standards.

- Drive operational rhythm: daily war-rooms, weekly cluster reviews, monthly business reviews with FC Managers; close action items with clear owners and timelines.

Inventory & Compliance:

- Ensure inventory accuracy (bin and SOH), shrinkage within tolerance, and clean cycle-count and hygiene across all three sites.

- Enforce FEFO, batch traceability, near-expiry liquidation, and timely returns of expired or short-dated stock to vendors.

- Own regulatory and statutory compliance: Drugs & Cosmetics Act, state drug licences (Form 20B/21B), narcotic and psychotropic handling, GST, FSSAI for OTC/wellness, fire and labour compliance.

- Partner with the Quality and Compliance team on internal, regulatory, and partner brand audits - maintain audit-ready sites at all times.

Cold Chain & Sensitive SKUs:

- Govern cold chain integrity (2-8- C and controlled room temperature) - temperature mapping, calibration, excursion management, and CAPA closure.

- Ensure safe handling of high-value, narcotic, and refrigerated SKUs with dual control and CCTV monitoring.

Cost & Productivity:

- Own cluster P&L for warehousing: manpower, consumables, utilities, security, AMC, and shrinkage.

- Drive cost-per-order down through productivity benchmarks (UPH for pick/pack), shift optimisation, layout efficiency, and right-sized manpower planning.

- Lead automation and process improvement projects - WMS enhancements, put-to-light, scan-based picking, packing standardisation.

People & Culture:

- Lead and develop three FC Managers and their leadership teams; build a strong bench through structured 1:1s, IDPs, and succession planning.

- Set the safety-first tone: zero LTI ambition, near-miss reporting culture, and regular safety drills.

- Drive attrition, engagement, and grievance closure metrics in partnership with HR Business Partners.

Cross-Functional Partnership:

- Work closely with Category, Central Planning, Last-Mile, Customer Experience, Finance, and Tech/WMS teams to resolve systemic issues and unlock service improvements.

- Own customer-impacting RCAs originating from cluster sites; ensure closure with permanent fixes, not band-aids.

Key Performance Indicators:

- Service: Dispatch SLA adherence, OB breach %, RTO/RTV closure TAT

- Inventory: SOH accuracy, shrinkage %, near-expiry %, expired write-off value

- Cost: cost per order, manpower productivity (UPH), variable cost per shipment

- Compliance: audit score, licence renewal adherence, cold-chain excursion incidents

- People: attrition %, span of control, engagement score, safety incidents (LTI/near-miss)

Required Qualifications:

- 10-14 years in warehouse / fulfilment operations, with at least 3-5 years leading multi-site operations.

- Prior experience in pharma, healthcare, cold chain, or other regulated supply chains is strongly preferred.

- Hands-on experience with a modern WMS (SAP EWM, Manhattan, Blue Yonder, or proprietary platforms) and operational analytics tools.

- Graduate degree required; MBA / PGDM in Operations or Supply Chain preferred.

- Working knowledge of drug regulatory frameworks (D&C Act, Schedule H/H1/X), Good Distribution Practices, and state drug control interactions.

Skills & Competencies:

- Strong operational instinct - walks the floor, reads the dashboards, and knows when the two disagree.

- Comfortable with data - can interrogate FC-level dashboards and build a clear narrative for leadership.

- People leader who has scaled teams and built second lines.

- Calm under escalation; structured root-cause thinking; bias for permanent fixes over workarounds.

- Willingness to travel ~40-50% across the cluster, with deeper time investment at the weakest site in any quarter.

What Success Looks Like in Year One?

- Cluster delivers SLA and inventory accuracy at or above network benchmark for two consecutive quarters.

- Cost-per-order reduced by a defined % through productivity and layout interventions.

- Audit-ready posture at all three sites; zero major regulatory observations.

- A visible, capable leadership bench at each FC; reduced dependence on the Cluster Lead for day-to-day firefighting.