Deputy Head of Transport

About the role

Adexen, recruited by a leading international industrial group operating across Nigeria, is looking for an experienced Deputy Head of Transport to support the strategic leadership and operational management of the Group's transport and logistics activities in an assigned region of Northern or Southern Nigeria. Reporting to the Head of Transport, the role oversees regional transport operations and ensures the safe, reliable and cost-effective movement of raw materials and finished products across plants, depots, terminals and customer locations.

Key responsibilities

• Support the Head of Transport in implementing the Group's transport and logistics strategy, policies, standards and procedures across the region.
• Lead and coordinate regional inbound and outbound transport operations, ensuring safety, reliability and performance.
• Oversee a large transport fleet across multiple locations and drive productivity through route planning, vehicle allocation and turnaround-time improvement.
• Monitor transport KPIs and implement corrective actions to improve fleet utilization, vehicle availability, delivery performance and cost efficiency.
• Ensure proper maintenance and availability of transport assets, and develop initiatives to reduce logistics cost per tonne.
• Ensure compliance with transport regulations, HSE standards, internal policies and service-level requirements.
• Manage relationships with transport contractors, third-party logistics providers and regulatory authorities.
• Support fleet modernization and the adoption of telematics and fleet management systems.
• Work with Production, Sales & Marketing, Procurement, Engineering and Supply Chain teams, and develop regional risk mitigation and business continuity plans.
• Lead, coach and develop regional transport management teams, and prepare regular operational and performance reports for senior management.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Transport Management or a related field; a postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Professional certification such as CILT or APICS/ASCM is desirable.
• Minimum 15 years of professional experience in transport, logistics or supply chain management.
• At least 5 years managing large-scale regional transport operations in manufacturing, cement, mining or another heavy industry.
• Proven experience managing large vehicle fleets, outsourced logistics providers and multi-site transport operations.

Required skills

• Fleet optimization, transport planning, vehicle utilization and logistics cost management.
• Understanding of transport HSE standards, regulatory compliance and operational risk management.
• Experience with telematics and digital fleet management solutions.
• Strong analytical, leadership, stakeholder management and communication skills.