Supply Chain Team Lead

Role Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join us as a Supply Chain Team Lead to work in a truly global environment, supporting our Global Head of Logistics to oversee and improve our end-to-end supply chain process for our customers handled by our Swiss trading desk. This role provides excellent long-term development potential for an individual eager to demonstrate their skills and experience within the fast-paced soft commodities sector.

Business Overview

Volcafe Ltd is one of the world's leading international green coffee trading companies, operating in over 20 countries globally. Our expertise spans green coffee procurement and preparation, sustainability, blending, quality control, risk management and export as well as importing and distribution. We supply the world's major coffee roasters and retail distributors with their green coffee requirements, with significant strategic growth ambitions for the future. We are part of ED&F Man Commodities, a world leading trader of agricultural products including coffee, sugar, molasses and animal feed.

Volcafe works across the whole green coffee supply chain to make coffee business better, together with our partners and employees. We have built and operate sustainable coffee supply chains across all our origins, addressing key economic, social and environmental issues in coffee farming communities. Our Volcafe Way farmer support programme engages with thousands of coffee farmers and provides a holistic response to the challenges they face.

This role will be working from our Volcafe office based in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Key Accountabilities

• Leading a local team of logistics specialists to manage specific client portfolios, ensuring smooth execution of daily logistics tasks.
• Owner of the supply chain flow execution (order-to-cash) for assigned portfolio of coffee clients.
• Collaborating with external partners for ocean freight, warehousing and transportation management.
• Execution of standardized logistics processes, including documentation, shipment coordination and system updates.
• Documentation handling for imports, exports and other associated activities.
• Define daily execution priorities, monitor task completion and cover team vacation and absence periods, to ensure adherence to service level agreements and KPIs.
• Use operational KPIs and dashboards to track performance, identify gaps and take corrective actions.
• Monitor compliance with internal policies, customer requirements, international trade and contract standards.
• Act as the first point of escalation for operational issues, co-ordinating with internal and external stakeholders to troubleshoot and resolve disruptions.
• Steer weekly and monthly review process with key commercial and operational teams related to shipment and customer prioritization, ensuring corrective actions to achieve on-time deliveries.
• Onboarding, coaching and continuous training of team members related to process, operational and business context knowledge of specific origins and customers, service quality and compliance requirements.
• Actively contribute to global supply chain transformation efforts by supporting pilots, adopting new workflows, and providing feedback from the ground.

Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of hands-on international logistics management and/or trade operations execution experience, preferably within in commodity trading, however FMCG, Agriculture or Chemicals industry experience is also desirable.
• Possess a good knowledge of ocean freight management and execution, warehousing services and multi-country operations.
• Experience in handling insurance claims, disputes resolutions and complaints management.
• Successful in ensuring consistent execution of standardized processes and maintaining a high quality of service based on pre-defined metrics.
• Proven capability to identify, prioritise and resolve operational issues quickly and effectively.
• Comfortable communicating with global stakeholders, including commercial trading teams, driving alignment and resolving issues.
• Ability to steer organizational efforts, using data through KPIs and dashboards to track team performance and drive improvements.
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and deadlines, alongside ensuring accuracy in managing logistics documentation and execution tasks.
• Familiarity with logistics systems such as ERPs or shipment tracking tools is essential.
• Good exposure to reporting and data tools such as PowerBI or Tableau, and digital collaboration platforms.

We recognise that talent comes in many forms, and we value potential just as much as experience. If this role excites you but you don't meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.

Our Offer

We provide a fast-paced, stimulating and truly global environment, which will stretch your abilities and channel your talents. We also offer competitive salary and benefits combined with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the global leaders in soft commodity trading.

Our Values

Respect, Integrity, Meritocracy, Client Focus, Entrepreneurship

Our values define who we are. They are the fundamental beliefs that determine our actions and guide our behaviour. They influence the way we communicate and collaborate, and define the way we engage with our clients, partners, and communities. Our values are underpinned by a set of essential behaviours, which form part of our performance management approach. Delivering on our objectives is very much about 'what' we do, but these essential behaviours also provide a guide and measure for 'how' we do things. Our performance essentials are Take Initiative, Self‐Management, Deliver Results and Collaboration.

Our Commitment

We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive and diverse work environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment and are focussed on actively building and developing diverse teams. All qualified applicants will receive equal treatment without regard to race, colour, sex, gender, age, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, marital or civil partner status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment (identity, gender expression), genetic information or any characteristic protected by local law.

We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process.