Job description of the head of the logistics department: rights, obligations, competence and responsibility

Each person with a certain set of ambitions wants to build a successful career in the chosen field. Logistics is no exception. Even a novice dispatcher wants to someday become the boss. After all, this means not only the presence of a prestigious position, but also a significant increase in income. However, you should know in advance what items the job description of the head of the logistics department contains. After all, this is almost the main document that will have to be guided in the forthcoming work.

What is logistics?

In simple words, this is the organization of the delivery of goods with minimal costs. Curiously, the true importance of logistics is often underestimated. However, this is no less important division in the whole company than everyone else. In particular, sales.

Professional logisticians carry out a huge chain of actions:

• find transport;
• agree with the driver;
• monitor the safety of goods or raw materials;
• try to minimize costs.

Performing this entire volume is not much easier than finding a potential buyer. In addition, without well-organized logistics, an enterprise cannot count on high profits. If the warehouse is empty and there are no goods on it, then there is nothing to sell. Accordingly, one cannot count on revenue generation.

Now you know how to answer the question, what is logistics, in simple words.

What is the job description for?

The value of this document is often underestimated. For this reason, the leadership is very formal in the preparation of the job description or completely neglects this action.

Often, the head of the logistics department learns the responsibilities through verbal communication with senior management. This is fundamentally wrong. On the one hand, in this way they try to avoid bureaucratic delays. On the other hand, this is a direct path to conflict. The employee must clearly understand their responsibilities. This will avoid conflicts with the leadership.

Duties

The job description of the head of the logistics department ascribes to him the fulfillment of the following labor tasks.

• Monitoring the work of the entire unit.
• Organization of activities related to the reception and distribution of incoming goods.
• Processing of documents and other correspondence. And if necessary, their delivery to recipients.
• Drawing up instructions that are necessary to accompany the goods.
• Monitoring the safety of packaging and contents. If violations are detected, the logistics manager must draw up acts describing shortages or damaged goods.
• The job description of the head of the logistics department obliges the freight forwarders to provide the necessary working conditions. More specifically, it issues special equipment, and subsequently monitors its safety and proper operation.
• Monitors the availability of transport. It also controls the correct transportation and handling of cargo.
• Organizes reporting.
• It monitors the safety of goods, as well as accompanying documents.

The job description of the head of the logistics department may include an item on overtime work, if the situation requires it. Also, if necessary, business trips are possible.

Rights

The logistics manager has not only a set of responsibilities. This post provides for some authority. The rights of the head of the logistics department give him a whole range of additional functions.

• To give instructions to their subordinates, including forwarders, managers, drivers, dispatchers.
• To control the quality and timeliness of the work.
• To establish partnerships with representatives of other organizations, if this allows you to perform tasks related to the logistics of the enterprise.
• Represent the interests of your company on issues within the competence of the logistics manager.

A responsibility

As a manager, you have to have a fairly wide range of responsibilities. In addition, the responsibility of the head of the logistics department includes several varieties.

• Disciplinary.
• Administrative
• Material.

In addition, there are a number of cases in which the chief logistics officer is responsible.

• Failure to follow instructions.
• Failure to perform duties. This is quite reasonable. After all, a specialist is hired in order to qualitatively perform certain functions that ensure the functioning of the enterprise.
• The logistician should not use the authority granted to him for personal purposes. As in other professions, this is unacceptable.
• Reporting inaccurate information that could misinform management about the progress of logistics work.

Responsibility for the chief logistics officer also occurs in those cases if he did not take measures to identify violations that could harm employees or the enterprise.

Competence of the head of the logistics department

Any management wishes that only qualified employees occupy all positions. That is why the competency of the logistician is periodically checked. The following units can carry it out.

• The immediate supervisor can carry out control daily in the process of performing official tasks.
• The attestation commission checks periodically. The minimum quantity is once in two years. For the assessment, documents are used that allow you to check the final performance of the chief logistics officer for a certain period.

They attach great importance to the quality and timeliness of the tasks provided by the job description.

Who can become the head of the logistics department?

When applying for this position, some requirements for the education of applicants are put forward. Therefore, not every candidate will be able to take the desired position.

It is required:

• secondary education in a specialty or
• general average and experience in the field of logistics for at least three years.

Knowledge

It so happened that logistics affects almost all areas of the enterprise. That is why it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of what the head of the logistics department should know.

Of course, he needs to be well versed in the chosen field. However, the presence of knowledge in the field of marketing and accounting will also not hinder. It will be useful to know some of the legal subtleties.

In his work, the logistics manager has to deal with a variety of situations. Therefore, the more he knows, the less dependent on other specialists.

In addition, it is important to constantly improve skills. The market is constantly replenished with new technologies. Having been informed, the head-logistician will be able to introduce innovations before the competition, calculate the benefits and bring more profit to his enterprise. Attentive management should certainly notice and thank such an employee who is trying to benefit the company.

Team Relations

The logistics manager will have at least several employees under his command. And this is a team. That is why it is important to be able to establish contacts with subordinates, avoiding possible conflicts.

A good boss should be able to work with people. Do not yell at subordinates, but show professionalism. In difficult situations, take responsibility, and not transfer to those who are lower in office, as many pseudo-managers usually like to do.

A good logistician manager is able to build close-knit relationships in a team when all employees turn into a single team. Subordinates should not be afraid, but respect their leader. There is nothing good in a situation where, instead of competent advice, they get the go-ahead. This demoralizes and oppresses, not at all improving the quality of the work performed. In this situation, both lose: both the employee and the logistician, who, due to his own incompetence, is not able to organize the quality work of the department entrusted to him.