Country LPG Operations & LMD Lead - Zambia

Job Location: Zambia

About the role:

This role oversees the end-to-end physical operations of Sun King’s PAYG LPG business in Zambia, covering supplier intake, bulk transport, depot management, cylinder asset lifecycle, shop replenishment, and last-mile delivery.

In parallel, the role will develop scalable Last Mile Delivery (LMD) capabilities to serve LPG operations today and accommodate additional product categories in the future. The position brings supply chain and asset management, depot infrastructure, and last-mile optimization into one integrated physical operations function.

The successful candidate will work closely with Product and Commercial teams to develop systems, processes, and features that enable the LPG supply chain to scale while maintaining a high standard of last-mile customer service.

What You Would Be Expected to Do:

1. LPG Supply Management
- Coordinate LPG sourcing and intake with Commercial teams and supplier partners.
- Oversee bulk transport from suppliers to refilling points or bulk storage facilities.
- Maintain safe and timely movement of bulk LPG across the network.
- Monitor refill turnaround times and maintain supply continuity.
- Identify supply bottlenecks and implement measures to reduce stock-out risks.
- Improve bulk transport costs and routing efficiency.
- Provide market and operational insights to Commercial and Business Unit teams to inform supplier price negotiations.
- Maintain continuous and safe LPG availability across the Sun King network.
2. Inventory Planning & Replenishment
- Manage the flow of LPG-related inventory, including cookstoves, cylinders, FMCDs, accessories, and LPG, from suppliers to depots and shops.
- Establish and monitor inventory levels across depots and shops.
- Define and implement safety stock policies.
- Minimize stock-outs while maintaining efficient working capital utilization.
- Develop replenishment planning frameworks aligned with customer demand.
- Coordinate demand forecasting with Sales teams.
- Maintain service continuity while optimizing working capital.
3. Depot Infrastructure Management
- Develop standardized layouts for cooking-related depots and shops.
- Establish depot capacity benchmarks, including cylinder storage capacity and throughput limits.
- Maintain compliance with safe storage standards.
- Establish effective segregation of empty and full cylinders, including designated quarantine zones.
- Improve depot workflows to reduce handling time.
- Establish throughput targets for each depot.
4. Asset Lifecycle Management
- Maintain cylinder tracking and visibility across markets.
- Improve monthly cylinder working capital efficiency.
- Ensure that more than 97% of assets recovered through repossession are redeployed.
- Reduce asset shrinkage and the proportion of idle assets.
- Manage the cylinder recertification pipeline.
- Improve turnaround times from empty-cylinder collection to redeployment.
- Maximize asset productivity and capital efficiency.
5. LPG Last Mile Delivery Performance
- Improve rider productivity and delivery service quality.
- Optimize delivery routing and geographic density.
- Monitor and reduce cost per delivery.
- Improve adherence to service-level requirements.
- Optimize fleet utilization.
- Improve LPG delivery performance and cost-to-serve efficiency.
6. Operational Safety & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with depot storage requirements and safety limits.
- Maintain adherence to rider safety protocols.
- Coordinate incident investigations and follow-up actions.
- Conduct depot safety audits and monitor corrective actions.
- Maintain safe bulk LPG handling processes across operations.
7. Integrated LMD Infrastructure Across Product Categories
- Develop scalable last-mile delivery infrastructure that can serve LPG and additional product categories, including inverters, mobile phones, and solar products distributed through agent stock points.
- Develop a scalable last-mile operating model that accommodates LPG and future product categories.
- Establish common routing frameworks and rider productivity standards.
- Develop fleet utilization models across product categories.
- Define cost-per-stop economics to guide distribution planning.
- Standardize field performance management practices across the network.
8. Team Development & Capacity Building
- Manage and develop multi-country LMD teams, building the capabilities required for scalable operations.
- Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) to enable consistent execution and business growth.
- Coordinate recruitment and training for depot, logistics, and LMD teams.
- Promote a culture of operational excellence, continuous improvement, and safety.
9. Financial & Performance Ownership
- Oversee operational performance indicators including: LPG availability and stock-out percentage, Bulk transport costs, Depot throughput efficiency, Cylinder working capital, Cost per delivery, and Inventory loss percentage.
- Develop and manage LMD operational budgets.
- Monitor cost-to-serve metrics and distribution unit economics.
- Identify cost optimization opportunities across transport, storage, and handling.
- Establish relevant KPIs for the in-country team and monitor progress against targets.
- Provide regular reports and evidence-based recommendations to senior management on delivery optimization strategies.

You Might Be a Strong Candidate If You:

- A bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business Administration, Finance, IT, or a related field.
- Experience in LPG, downstream oil and gas, or FMCG distribution.
- Strong knowledge of last-mile distribution networks and experience scaling operations in emerging markets.
- Demonstrated project management experience, including successful delivery of process improvement initiatives.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with minimal supervision.
- Experience monitoring and evaluating the impact of operational changes on delivery efficiency and rider productivity.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Experience managing cross-border teams and developing team capabilities across multiple markets.
- Strong data interpretation and financial skills, with the ability to use operational information to inform business choices.
- Familiarity with regulatory bodies, such as Energy Regulatory Authorities, is preferred.

What Sun King offers:

- Professional growth in a dynamic, rapidly expanding, high-social-impact industry
- An open-minded, collaborative culture with enthusiastic colleagues driven by the challenge of innovation and making a profound impact on people and the planet.
- A truly multicultural experience: you will have the chance to work with and learn from people from different geographies, nationalities, and backgrounds.
- Structured, tailored learning and development programs that help you become a better leader, manager, and professional through the Sun King Center for Leadership.
We place great importance on sustaining a diverse, inclusive work environment.

We believe that innovation and understanding comes from diversity on every spectrum. We work to make sure every Sun King team member knows that they belong, knowing that sustaining an inclusive workplace requires conscious effort and is a continuous journey, not an end-state.

Sun King recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes people based on their experience, skills, effort, and results. We explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, national origin, color, gender, marital status, family structure, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status, or disability.