Program Manager - Middle Mile
Location: Bengaluru (On-site, with regular warehouse and store time)
Work Week: 6 days, Monday - Saturday
Experience: 3-6 years
About the Role
We are looking for a Program Manager - Middle Mile to manage and improve the movement of medicines and healthcare products from the central warehouse to a network of stores. The role will focus on ensuring that inventory reaches the right store, at the right time, at the right temperature, and with all required documentation in place. You will own replenishment planning, transportation routes, delivery schedules, transport costs, reverse logistics, and new store onboarding. This is a program-focused role where you will build the schedules, SOPs, dashboards, and partner processes that enable the middle-mile network to operate efficiently and scale smoothly.
What You'll Own
- Replenishment Planning and TAT Design the city replenishment schedule, including dispatch waves, cut-off times, and replenishment frequency for each store based on sales velocity and storage capacity.
- Own warehouse-to-store TAT, along with on-time dispatch and on-time arrival performance. Plan routes and milk runs across the store network while balancing trip consolidation with store-level urgency.
- Build emergency and top-up replenishment processes for fast-moving and critical chronic SKUs without allowing them to become the default process.
- Work with category and store operations teams to ensure replenishment quantities align with actual store and bin capacity.
- Transport Cost Own cost per unit and cost per trip as key metrics and maintain visibility into transportation spend.
- Optimise vehicle mix and fill rates while reducing unnecessary trips. Model route, frequency, and vehicle changes before implementation and measure their impact after rollout. Track fuel, detention, waiting time, and idle capacity as controllable cost drivers.
- Network Accuracy and Reverse Logistics Manage reverse logistics for near-expiry returns, damaged stock, vendor returns, and inter-store transfers. Own tracking of crates, totes, cold boxes, and other logistics assets.
- Investigate and close inventory or movement variances through root-cause analysis rather than relying only on adjustment entries.
- Programs and New Store Onboarding Own the middle-mile playbook for new store launches, including route additions, schedule fitment, transporter capacity, and first-fill planning.
- Create SOPs, train warehouse and store teams, and audit adherence to defined processes. Run operational pilots with clear hypotheses and measurable outcomes.
- Build dashboards and reporting systems that help the team monitor and manage middle-mile performance.
What We're Looking For
- Must Have 3-6 years of experience in middle mile, transportation, warehouse operations, or supply chain, preferably in quick commerce, e-commerce, pharma distribution, or 3PL.
- Hands-on experience with route planning and transporter management, with measurable cost or operational outcomes.
- Strong program management skills, with the ability to drive changes across warehouse, stores, and external partners.
- Strong data skills, including advanced Excel/Google Sheets and SQL or hands-on experience with Generative AI.
- Working knowledge of movement documentation, including e-way bills, GST invoicing, and stock transfer compliance.
- Willingness to work at the warehouse during dispatch hours and spend regular time on the ground.
Good to Have
- Pharma or cold-chain experience and familiarity with GDP practices.
- Exposure to WMS, TMS (Transportation Management System), or route-optimisation tools.
- Experience scaling a city-wide supply chain network across multiple stores.
- Kannada or another regional language for effective communication with warehouse teams and drivers.
