Director, Operations

Job Description

We Deliver the Goods:

• Competitive pay and benefits, including Day 1 Health & Wellness Benefits, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, 401K Employer Matching, Education Assistance, Paid Time Off, and much more

• Growth opportunities performing essential work to support America's food distribution system

• Safe and inclusive working environment, including culture of rewards, recognition, and respect

Position Purpose:

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic-minded Director of Operations to lead our operational efforts and drive efficiency for the Operating Company. In this role, you can expect to be given challenging assignments throughout the company and take on some of the most complex problems. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in operations management, excellent leadership skills, and a proven track record of optimizing processes to enhance productivity and profitability. As the Director of Operations, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing best practices, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversees efficient operations of warehouse and transportation functions, including receiving, stocking, picking, packing, delivery, equipment maintenance, security, and safety.

• Oversees all scheduling and delivery of incoming product and outbound product/customer deliveries. Manage department to achieve appropriate timeliness of delivery and highest quality of product.

• Develops, implements and monitors standard operating procedure for warehousing, transportation, inventory, and security.

• Negotiate with vendors/suppliers for packaging, shrink wrap, pallets, parts, and other necessary items.

• Leadership of managers and associates to include, but not limited to: staffing, training, coaching, performance management and problem resolution. Ensures staff maintains a level of professionalism, competency and motivation through the direction of selection, development and ongoing evaluation.

• Develops, implements, and monitors warehouse and transportation employee productivity/quality action plans in accordance with the standards developed by the operations group.

• Determines warehousing and transportation personnel and equipment requirements by evaluating warehouse activities, projected volumes, and product mixes in accordance with productivity standards.

• Ensures company, OSHA, and DOT standards for warehousing, distribution, and employee safety are met.

• Implements procedures for handling customer returns, vendor returns, and obsolete inventory. Performs periodic physical inventory counts. Performs cycle counts and investigates redlines to keep perpetual inventory system accurate.

• With the corporate operations group, identifies requirements and implements training programs for the DC warehouse and transportation employees.

• Meets regularly with OpCo President to discuss planned versus actual profitability, capital expenditures, employee productivity, and other relevant issues.

• Supports Risk Management in investigating and monitoring accidents to identify root cause and take corrective actions. Works with Human Resources group to develop OpCo training and incentive programs to improve transportation and safety.

• Participates in sales effort by assisting sales personnel with presentations, as necessary, as well as working closely with customers for resolution of problems in operations or product quality.

• Ensure effective cooperation and communications with other departments.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate should possess:

• Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve goals.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a keen eye for identifying opportunities for improvement.

• Solid understanding of budgeting, financial management, and risk analysis.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.

• Proficiency in project management and process improvement methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma is desirable.

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years warehouse and transportation management experience
• 2-3 years in a leadership role for a team of >150 direct and indirect reports.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.

• Food distribution and Direct Store Delivery experience preferred.

• SAP or similar warehouse management systems experience is preferred.

• Previous experience in a leadership role within a unionized work environment