Distribution Operations Manager

The Distribution Operations Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day execution and performance of Distribution operations, ensuring safe, efficient, accurate, and customer-focused service across warehouse and customer-facing activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide daily leadership and direction for Distribution operations.
• Oversee receiving, put-away, inventory management, picking, packing, staging, shipping, RMA, and other value-added services.
• Ensure customer requirements, service commitments, and operational cutoff times are consistently achieved.
• Establish daily priorities and ensure supervisors and leads have clear direction.
• Monitor workload, capacity, staffing, and operational constraints throughout the day.
• Identify potential service failures early and drive timely corrective action.
• Maintain strong communication between warehouse operations, Customer Service, Inventory Control, and leadership.
• Support implementation and execution of customer-specific SOPs and work instructions.

People Leadership & Development:

• Lead, coach, and develop Operations Supervisors, Warehouse Leads, and operational team members.
• Establish clear expectations for ownership, accountability, communication, and performance.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and employee development discussions.
• Identify training and cross-training requirements.
• Develop bench strength and succession opportunities within Distribution.
• Promote an environment where employees are empowered to identify problems and recommend solutions.

Customer Service & Account Performance:

• Maintain a strong understanding of operational requirements for assigned customer programs.
• Partner with Customer Service teams to provide timely and accurate communication regarding operational status, exceptions, and customer requests.
• Participate in customer business reviews and operational meetings as required.
• Lead operational response to escalations and service failures.

Inventory Control & Quality:

• Maintain a strong culture of inventory accuracy and transactional discipline.
• Ensure physical material movement aligns with system transactions.
• Partner with Inventory Control on cycle counts, inventory reconciliations, audits, and root-cause investigation.

KPI & Performance Management:

• Establish and monitor operational KPIs covering areas such as receiving performance, order processing and shipping performance, inventory accuracy, productivity, labor utilization, customer service performance, quality/error rates, and safety.
• Review performance trends and identify areas requiring corrective action.

Continuous Improvement:

• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, accuracy, safety, and customer experience.
• Drive standardization of warehouse processes and work instructions.
• Champion 5S, visual management, standard work, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement practices.

Systems & Technology:

• Develop strong working knowledge of Distribution warehouse management and customer systems.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate system training and understand the relationship between physical warehouse activity and system transactions.

Safety, Security & Compliance:

• Maintain a safe, organized, and professional warehouse environment.
• Reinforce established safety requirements and immediately address unsafe conditions or practices.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in warehouse, distribution, logistics, fulfillment, or supply-chain operations.
• Previous experience leading employees in an operational environment.
• Strong understanding of warehouse processes including receiving, inventory management, order fulfillment, and shipping.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience within a third-party logistics (3PL) environment.
• Experience managing high-value, technology, semiconductor, healthcare, or other complex customer programs.
• Experience with warehouse management systems and ERP platforms such as SAP EWM or SAP S/4HANA.