Head of Logistics
The Head of Logistics is responsible for delivery and warehousing, from purchasing and storage to last mile, delivery times, costs and returns. The role manages the logistics team and contractors.
What a Head of Logistics does
The Head of Logistics ensures that goods reach the customer on time, in good condition and at the planned cost. In e-commerce and nutra, this is a separate function that directly affects repeat purchase rates, the share of returns and reviews. In high-risk verticals, delivery failures quickly turn into complaints, chargebacks and payment provider blocks, so the role matters to the business more than a standard warehouse position.
The role usually sits at the top of the logistics function and reports to the commercial director, COO or business owner. The team may include a warehouse manager, a delivery manager, procurement or contractor coordination staff, and sometimes an analyst. The Head of Logistics agrees the logistics budget with finance, negotiates with courier services, postal operators and 3PL warehouses, and takes part in decisions on launching new regions and SKUs together with product and marketing.
Companies in high-risk verticals often operate under constraints: regulatory requirements for labeling and storing dietary supplements, bans on delivery to certain regions, and carrier restrictions by product category. The Head of Logistics designs processes so these constraints are met at every stage, while keeping speed and cost control.
Responsibilities
- Build and manage the logistics strategy: choice of warehouses, carriers, delivery methods and regions based on current volumes and margins
- Manage the logistics budget and cost per delivery, and monitor deviations from plan
- Select, sign and oversee contracts with courier services, postal operators, 3PL and fulfillment providers
- Set SLAs with contractors for delivery times, statuses and return handling, and hold regular performance reviews
- Organize warehouse operations: receiving, storage, order picking, stock counts and inventory records
- Ensure compliance with storage and transport requirements for goods, including dietary supplements and health products
- Coordinate with purchasing and marketing on demand forecasts, seasonality and promotion launches
- Analyze returns, losses, damages and failed deliveries, and build plans to reduce them
- Lead the logistics team: hiring, goal setting, motivation, development and incident reviews
Skills
- Cost management and delivery unit economics: understanding how logistics costs affect order margin
- Negotiation with carriers and contractors, including structuring contract terms and SLAs
- Volume planning and forecasting, with experience handling seasonality and peak periods
- Understanding of warehouse processes, WMS and inventory management, and the ability to find bottlenecks
- Data analysis: building reports on delivery times, costs, returns and failure causes
- Risk management: knowledge of restrictions by product category, routes and regions
- Team leadership and cross-functional work with product, finance and support
- Communication with customer support on order status and disputed deliveries
Tools
- Google Sheets and Excel for delivery cost models and planning
- Warehouse management systems (WMS) and OMS
- CRM or helpdesk for order statuses and customer requests
- BI tools (Looker Studio, Power BI, Metabase) for logistics dashboards
- Carrier tracking systems and delivery aggregators
- Jira or a similar task tracker for implementation projects
- Accounting systems and 1C for financial cost control
How performance is measured
- Average delivery cost per order and its trend by region
- Share of orders delivered on time under SLA
- Share of returns and failed deliveries, with causes and trend
- Inventory accuracy based on stock count results
- Average order processing time from payment to handover to the carrier
- Logistics costs as a share of revenue
By vertical
E-Commerce
In e-commerce, the role focuses on delivery speed, last-mile costs and return management. The Head of Logistics works closely with marketing on free delivery thresholds and with product on order checkout timing.
Nutra
In nutra, the role adds requirements for storing and transporting health products, batch and expiry date control, and carrier restrictions by category. Logistics here affects both legal risk and customer trust, so processes are documented more strictly.
Levels
Head of / Director
Head of / Director is responsible for the entire logistics function: strategy, budget, choice of warehouses and contractors, the team, and alignment with the business owner. Decisions are made at the level of regions, delivery models and contracts with major partners, rather than individual operations.
How to get there
Most people move into the role from operations management, warehouse logistics, courier services or fulfillment companies. Experience managing a warehouse or delivery department is useful, as is work with contractors where cost and timing are visible in practice. When moving from adjacent fields, it is important to show that you can calculate delivery economics and manage a team.
What to study: order unit economics including delivery and returns, warehouse accounting principles and WMS, the basics of negotiating with carriers and drafting SLAs, and working with reports in Excel and BI. For high-risk verticals, it is important to understand restrictions by product category, storage and labeling requirements, and how logistics affects payment and legal risks.
Growth comes through responsibility for a single region, warehouse or delivery channel, and then through managing all of the company's logistics. Measurable results are the strongest signal of progress: lower delivery costs, a higher share of on-time orders, and fewer returns and losses. Moving up to Head level usually requires the ability to speak the language of finance and negotiate with senior management.
Next steps: Chief Operating Officer (COO), Supply Chain Director, Head of Procurement and Logistics, Head of Fulfillment
FAQ
How is a Head of Logistics different from a warehouse manager?
A warehouse manager is responsible for the operations of a specific site: receiving, storage, order picking and staff. The Head of Logistics is responsible for the entire logistics system: several warehouses and contractors, delivery strategy, budget and links with other company functions.
Do you need to know legal requirements for logistics in nutra?
Yes, at the level of understanding constraints and processes. The Head of Logistics should know which requirements apply to storing and transporting health products and align them with lawyers and compliance. Specific rules depend on the jurisdiction and should be confirmed with specialists.
What determines a Head of Logistics' income?
Income depends on the size of the business, the volume of logistics operations, the complexity of delivery geography and product categories, and the scope of responsibility and results in cost and timing. The type of company also plays a major role, for example whether it operates its own warehouses or works through contractors.
Which tools should you learn first?
Excel or Google Sheets for cost models, WMS and OMS for inventory management, BI tools for dashboards, and carrier tracking. Understanding processes matters more than knowing a specific service, since companies use different systems.
Can you move into this role from another field?
Yes, if you have experience managing operations, purchasing or contractors and can calculate process economics. It helps to first gain logistics experience at manager or team lead level, and then expand your scope of responsibility.
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