National Stock Controller

Supply Chain South Africa, Johannesburg August 18 2026 Full time Permanent

Job benefits

Competitive salary and bonus scheme Continuous personnel development (e-learnings & projects) Free day to volunteer

Your responsibilities and tasks

1. Strategy, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and implement the Warehousing, Inventory Management and Freight Strategy for GEA Africa.
• Define and implement regional standards, policies and procedures for stock control and logistics.
• Align local practices with global GEA standards and best practices.
• Develop KPI dashboards and performance reporting for inventory and logistics functions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve service levels while reducing operating costs.
• Benchmark warehousing and logistics practices against industry leaders and global GEA entities.

2. Inventory & Working Capital Management

• Full accountability for inventory accuracy across all GEA Africa warehouses and stock holding locations.
• Drive inventory optimization initiatives to balance stock availability and working capital requirements.
• Develop and monitor inventory targets including:
  • Stock Value
  • Inventory Turns
  • Slow Moving Stock
  • Obsolete/Dead Stock
  • Service Level Performance
• Lead actions to reduce excess and obsolete inventory.
• Ensure inventory planning supports customer service and operational requirements.
• Conduct regular inventory reviews and implement corrective actions.
• Provide monthly executive reporting on stock value, risks and opportunities.

3. Warehousing Management

• Responsible for all warehouses within South Africa and oversight of warehouse operations in East and West Africa.
• Ensure all warehouse transactions are processed accurately and timeously.
• Ensure stock systems remain 100% live and accurate.
• Drive cycle count compliance and stock take accuracy.
• Lead annual and interim stock counts.
• Ensure warehouse security, housekeeping and compliance standards are maintained.
• Implement visual management and best practice warehouse processes.
• Ensure optimal warehouse layouts, storage utilisation and stock accessibility.

4. Freight & Logistics Management

• Full accountability for all domestic and international freight operations.
• Manage:
  • International Courier
  • Domestic Courier
  • Road Freight
  • Airfreight
  • Sea Freight
  • Cross Trade Shipments
• Ensure compliance with all import and export regulations.
• Manage freight forwarders, customs brokers and logistics service providers.
• Develop logistics solutions that balance service levels and cost optimization.
• Drive freight savings initiatives and transport efficiency projects.
• Monitor freight performance, transit times and supplier service levels.
• Act as escalation point for customs and shipment-related challenges.

5. ERP, Data Governance & T360 Program

This section is currently missing and should be added.

T360 / SAP Transformation Responsibilities

• Act as Business Process Owner and Key User for Warehousing, Inventory Management and Freight.
• Lead data cleansing and master data validation activities.
• Ensure readiness of inventory, warehouse and freight data for migration.
• Support process design workshops and fit-gap analysis.
• Participate in testing cycles including:
  • Unit Testing
  • Integration Testing
  • User Acceptance Testing
• Develop training material and support end-user training.
• Coordinate inventory cutover activities.
• Ensure successful transition from Microsoft AX/Axapta to SAP S/4HANA (T360).
• Support post go-live stabilization and continuous improvement activities.

6. Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with internal controls and audit requirements.
• Ensure compliance with customs, import and export legislation.
• Maintain accurate inventory and freight documentation.
• Investigate inventory variances and implement corrective actions.
• Conduct root cause analyses on stock losses and freight incidents.
• Support internal and external audits.

7. Leadership & People Management

• Lead and develop the Warehouse and Freight teams.
• Establish clear KPIs and performance objectives.
• Drive capability development and succession planning.
• Ensure effective collaboration between:
  • Procurement
  • Service
  • Projects
  • Finance
  • Sales
  • Branch Operations
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and customer focus.

Your profile and qualifications

Education:

• Degree or Diploma in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Warehousing or related field.
• SAP / ERP certification advantageous.
• Project Management qualification advantageous

Background / Work Experience:

• Minimum 6 years experience in Warehousing, Inventory Management and Logistics.
• Minimum 2 years experience in a leadership role.
• Strong freight forwarding and customs compliance experience.
• Experience managing inventory in a multi-site environment.
• Experience in ERP implementation or major system transformation projects.
• Experience working across multiple African countries would be advantageous.

Skills & Competencies:

• Inventory Optimization
• Working Capital Management
• Freight & Forwarding
• Customs & Trade Compliance
• Warehouse Operations
• SAP / ERP Systems
• Data Governance
• KPI Development & Reporting
• Project Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Financial Acumen
• Leadership & Team Development About GEA

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GEA is one of the largest suppliers for the food and beverage processing industry and a wide range of other process industries. Approximately 18,000 employees in more than 60 countries contribute significantly to GEA’s success – come and join them! We offer interesting and challenging tasks, a positive working environment in international teams and opportunities for personal development and growth in a global company.

Why join GEA

GEA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will therefore receive consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, race, color, religion, world view, national origin, genetics, disability, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected characteristic required by applicable law. Applicants with disabilities are welcome and will be given special consideration if they are equally qualified.