Head of European Outbound Logistics

Company description:

Who are we?Volvo Cars is a company on a mission; to bring traditional car manufacturing into a connected, sustainable and smart future.

Job description: Let's introduce ourselves

The Supply Chain function drives Volvo Cars' end-to-end business by planning and delivering a high-performing, strategic supply chain that aligns with the company's goals of profitability, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.

Outbound Logistics EMEA and Intercontinental encompasses both global and regional responsibilities. Our mission is to manage logistics operations between all regions (IC) and within Europe-from import ports and European production plants to dealerships.We design and operate a sustainable and resilient distribution network, focusing on cost efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction through responsible sourcing. We drive transformation projects to enhance future excellence in both systems and processes.

What you'll do

The Head of European Outbound Logistics is accountable for leading the end-to-end outbound logistics organisation across Europe, ensuring that finished vehicles or products are delivered to customers, markets, retailers, and onward distribution points with the right balance of service performance, cost efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and quality. The role reports to the Global Head of Supply Chain and acts as the regional owner for outbound logistics execution, capability development, and transformation across the European network.

You are to define and execute the European outbound logistics strategy in alignment with the global supply chain strategy, commercial priorities, manufacturing plans, and customer promise. You will own regional outbound logistics performance across service, quality, cost, lead time, capacity, sustainability, and resilience.

You will lead operational governance with transport providers, compounds, ports, terminals, hubs, and other logistics partners, ensuring clear accountability, corrective actions, and continuous improvement. You will also build a high-performing organisation with clear roles, succession planning, capability development, and strong leadership routines across the four organisational pillars.

You will secure capacity and readiness for volume changes, launches, seasonal peaks, market shifts, and disruption scenarios. You are to drive structural cost improvements through network optimisation, carrier strategy, productivity, tender support, improved utilisation, and reduction of premium or avoidable transport costs.

You are to ensure robust escalation management for service failures, capacity constraints, quality deviations, system issues, and major network disruptions. You will lead the digital and data agenda for European outbound logistics, improving visibility, decision quality, automation, and performance management. You will also embed sustainability into transport decisions, including modal shift opportunities, emissions reduction, capacity efficiency, and supplier performance expectations.

You will represent European outbound logistics in global supply chain forums, executive reviews, cross-functional governance, and transformation programmes.

What you'll bring

You would bring significant senior leadership experience in outbound logistics, transport operations, distribution, supply chain, or finished goods logistics, preferably in a pan-European or global environment.

This role requires previous experience and a track record in both closely communicating (i.e. Mandarin language proficiency) and working with Stakeholders in China. You are fluent in English communication skills; additional European languages are an advantage. Volvo Cars working experience is also of meritorious.

You bring proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing through managers, specialists, and operational leads. You bring strong understanding of road transport operations, intercontinental logistics flows, carrier management, logistics engineering, and transport management systems. You have demonstrated ability to lead transformation, network optimisation, digitalisation, cost improvement, and operational performance recovery. You also bring strong commercial understanding, including logistics cost drivers, tendering, supplier governance, contract performance, and budget ownership.

You are highly analytical capability with the ability to translate data into decisions, priorities, and executive-level recommendations. You have excellent stakeholder management skills across senior leadership, markets, manufacturing, procurement, finance, IT, and external partners.

You would bring key leadership skills by providing visible, calm, and fact-based leadership in a complex regional logistics environment. You balance strategic transformation with strong operational discipline and daily execution control. Create clarity across functions, geographies, and partners by setting priorities, decision rights, and performance expectations. Develop leaders and specialists who can manage complexity, challenge performance, and drive improvement with confidence. Act as a trusted regional counterpart to global supply chain leadership, translating business needs into practical logistics solutions.

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