Head of Dispatch – Food Production

Role Overview

At Toters, we are on a mission to be the heartbeat of local economies, driving growth by connecting people with anything they need, fast. We believe in turning big ideas into real-world impact, empowering local businesses and making everyday life easier for our customers.

Kit&Co is a vertical business within Toters focused on preparing high-quality ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food products. As the business grows, we are looking for an experienced and hands-on Head of Dispatch to lead the dispatch operation and ensure that finished products are accurately, safely, and efficiently prepared for delivery.

As the Head of Dispatch, you will own the day-to-day dispatch operation from the handover of finished products from production through picking, checking, packing, loading, and departure. You will work closely with Production, Quality, Inventory, and Delivery teams to ensure orders are dispatched accurately and on time while maintaining product quality, traceability, and food safety standards.

This role requires strong operational leadership, attention to detail, and the ability to manage a fast-paced, time-sensitive food production environment.

Key Responsibilities

Dispatch Operations

• Lead and manage the daily dispatch operation from finished-goods handover through loading and departure.
• Ensure all orders are picked, checked, packed, and dispatched accurately and according to schedule.
• Set dispatch priorities based on delivery routes, production readiness, delivery schedules, product shelf life, and operational priorities.
• Ensure the correct quantity, SKU, batch, and destination are verified before dispatch.
• Minimize dispatch delays, picking errors, loading errors, product damage, and order discrepancies.
• Ensure the dispatch area is organized and operating efficiently throughout the day.

Coordination with Production

• Coordinate closely with Production to ensure finished products are available and ready for dispatch according to the required schedule.
• Monitor production completion against dispatch requirements and proactively highlight shortages, delays, or discrepancies.
• Coordinate the handover of finished products from Production to the dispatch area, ensuring quantities and product information are accurate.
• Align dispatch priorities with production plans and delivery requirements.
• Escalate operational issues that may impact order fulfillment or delivery timelines and coordinate corrective actions.

Inventory, Accuracy & Traceability

• Ensure dispatched quantities match approved orders and system records.
• Monitor discrepancies between production, inventory, and dispatched quantities and investigate root causes.
• Ensure proper FIFO/FEFO practices are consistently followed, particularly for chilled and frozen products.
• Ensure all products are correctly labelled with SKU, batch number, production date, expiry date, and destination where applicable.
• Maintain accurate traceability of products throughout the dispatch process.
• Coordinate with Inventory and relevant teams to resolve stock discrepancies and system inaccuracies.

Food Safety & Quality

• Ensure required temperature checks are completed before loading and dispatch.
• Verify that chilled and frozen products remain within the required temperature ranges throughout the dispatch process.
• Ensure products are handled, staged, and loaded in a manner that protects product quality and food safety.
• Ensure dispatch and loading areas are maintained according to required hygiene and food safety standards, in coordination with the Quality/Food Safety team.
• Coordinate with Quality Control regarding rejected, damaged, expired, or otherwise non-conforming products.
• Ensure any food safety, quality, or temperature deviations are immediately escalated and appropriately documented.

Team Management

• Lead and supervise dispatchers, pickers, loaders, and other relevant dispatch staff.
• Manage daily manpower allocation and ensure the team is adequately staffed to meet operational requirements.
• Monitor attendance, productivity, discipline, and overall team performance.
• Train and coach team members on dispatch procedures, order accuracy, product handling, food safety, and other relevant standards.
• Ensure all team members understand their responsibilities and operational targets.

Loading & Delivery Coordination

• Organize loading according to delivery sequence, route, product type, and required departure times.
• Ensure vehicles are loaded accurately, efficiently, and in a manner that protects product integrity.
• Coordinate with drivers and delivery teams regarding departure times, loading status, special requirements, and operational changes.
• Monitor loading times and identify opportunities to improve loading efficiency.
• Minimize loading errors, delays, product damage, and unnecessary temperature exposure.

Reporting & KPIs

• Prepare and maintain daily dispatch reports and operational records.
• Track and analyze key dispatch KPIs, including:
  • Dispatch accuracy
  • On-time dispatch %
  • Order discrepancies
  • Loading time
  • Product damages
  • Returns
  • Temperature compliance
  • Dispatch productivity
• Identify recurring issues, investigate root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Provide regular operational updates and insights to management.
• Maintain accurate dispatch records and ensure timely reporting of incidents and discrepancies.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business Administration, Operations, or a related field is preferred.
• Proven experience managing dispatch, warehouse, logistics, or food production operations, with previous team leadership experience.
• Previous experience in F&B, food production, FMCG, or another fast-paced operational environment is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of dispatch, order fulfillment, inventory accuracy, loading operations, and delivery coordination.
• Good understanding of FIFO/FEFO, batch traceability, product handling, and cold-chain requirements.
• Strong people-management skills, with the ability to lead and organize operational teams effectively.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a time-sensitive environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a hands-on approach to resolving operational issues.
• Comfortable working with ERP, WMS, or other operational systems.
• Strong Excel and reporting skills, with the ability to monitor and analyze operational KPIs.
• High attention to detail and a strong focus on accuracy, food safety, and operational discipline.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with Production, Quality, Inventory, and Delivery teams.

Why Join Us?

At Toters, we move fast, take ownership, and solve problems hands-on. As part of Kit&Co, you'll have the opportunity to play a key role in building and managing the operational engine of a growing food business while working closely with production and delivery teams.

Are you hungry too? Join us.