Job Description:Help shape the future of how AAON moves, manages, and delivers materials across our growing manufacturing network. We are looking for an accomplished Director, Inventory & Logistics to build the strategies, systems, and capabilities that will support AAON's continued growth and operational scale. This highly visible enterprise role offers the opportunity to rethink how inventory, material flow, warehousing, transportation, and logistics come together across our operations, turning complex challenges into scalable solutions and helping build the infrastructure for what's next.
The Director, Inventory & Logistics serves as AAON's enterprise strategy and process leader for inventory management, material flow, warehousing, transportation, and logistics. This role will define the future-state operating model and develop scalable strategies, processes, standards, and capabilities that improve material flow, inventory effectiveness, warehouse capacity, logistics performance, and operational scalability across manufacturing and distribution operations.
The Director will identify systemic constraints and translate business growth and operational requirements into enterprise solutions, roadmaps, and investment priorities. This position provides functional leadership through expertise, influence, governance, analytics, and cross-functional partnership rather than direct responsibility for day-to-day site operations.
Primary Duties:- Develops and maintains the enterprise Inventory & Logistics strategy and future-state operating model for inventory management, material flow, warehousing, shipping, transportation, and distribution.
- Designs scalable processes, standards, governance, and operating frameworks for how materials and finished goods are received, stored, controlled, moved through facilities, and distributed.
- Assesses current-state operations to identify systemic constraints, capacity limitations, process gaps, and business risks and translates findings into long-term solutions and strategic priorities.
- Develops enterprise roadmaps for warehouse capacity, material flow, network design, material-handling infrastructure, automation, technology, transportation, and logistics capabilities.
- Establishes enterprise process architecture, performance measures, controls, governance, and decision rights to drive consistency and accountability across functions and operating locations.
- Leads complex, cross-functional initiatives that establish or transform inventory, warehouse, material-flow, transportation, and logistics capabilities across multiple locations.
- Develops data-driven recommendations and business cases for capacity, infrastructure, network, technology, automation, capital, transportation, and third-party logistics investments.
- Serves as the enterprise subject-matter expert and strategic advisor for inventory, warehousing, material flow, transportation, distribution, and logistics strategy.
- Influences adoption of enterprise strategies, standards, processes, and solutions across a matrixed organization through functional expertise, governance, analytics, change leadership, and cross-functional partnership.
- Partners with Supply Chain, Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Facilities, Quality, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and other functions to align enterprise priorities and scalable solutions.
Primary duties may include, but are not limited to:- Develops common performance measures, maturity assessments, playbooks, tools, and governance processes that enable consistent implementation and performance across locations.
- Evaluates opportunities to improve warehouse layouts, storage strategies, space utilization, inventory controls, material flow, throughput, transportation, distribution networks, and material-handling capabilities.
- Provides functional guidance to site and business leaders regarding complex logistics challenges, capability gaps, operating-model adoption, capacity requirements, and transformation priorities.
- Benchmarks internal and external practices to identify opportunities to improve service, productivity, safety, inventory performance, working capital, material flow, and cost effectiveness.
- Establishes functional methodologies, standards, competencies, and training requirements in partnership with operational leadership and other stakeholders.
- Leads change management and adoption for enterprise inventory, logistics, process, technology, automation, network, and infrastructure initiatives.
- Provides functional assurance and escalates significant inventory, logistics, process, capacity, control, or performance risks to appropriate business leaders.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Job RequirementsEducation and Experience Requirements:- Requires a Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Operations, or a related field;
- 12+ years of progressive experience in inventory management, warehousing, logistics, materials management, supply chain, manufacturing operations, or related disciplines, including significant experience in complex multi-site manufacturing, distribution, or logistics environments and experience developing or transforming inventory, warehouse, material-flow, transportation, or logistics strategies and operating models;
- or any combination of education and experience, which would provide an equivalent background.
- Master's degree preferred. Relevant professional certification in supply chain, inventory management, logistics, Lean, or Six Sigma preferred.
- Previous experience leading large-scale operational or logistics organizations preferred.
- Experience with enterprise resource planning, warehouse management, data, automation, and material-handling environments preferred.
- Experience within automotive, aerospace, or similarly complex manufacturing environments preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:- Expert knowledge of inventory management, warehouse strategy and design, material flow, logistics, transportation, distribution, internal controls, and lean operating principles.
- Advanced enterprise and systems-thinking skills with the ability to connect manufacturing, inventory, storage, material movement, transportation, technology, infrastructure, and business growth requirements.
- Ability to translate complex current-state operational challenges into scalable future-state strategies, processes, operating models, systems, and infrastructure requirements.
- Advanced knowledge of process design, network optimization, governance, benchmarking, continuous improvement, and organizational change management.
- Ability to establish strategic direction and influence execution across a complex, matrixed organization without direct authority over operational teams.
- Strong financial and analytical skills, including working capital management, cost-to-serve analysis, business-case development, capital prioritization, capacity planning, and performance measurement.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, presentation, and influencing skills with the ability to establish alignment across senior leaders, functional teams, and operating locations.
- Ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and balance long-term strategic objectives with practical manufacturing, warehouse, transportation, and logistics requirements.
Essential and Physical Functions:- Analyze complex operational, logistics, capacity, inventory, and financial information and translate findings into strategies, operating models, business cases, and investment recommendations.
- Evaluate tradeoffs involving service, inventory, material flow, cost, capacity, controls, technology, infrastructure, and operational continuity.
- Assess manufacturing, warehouse, distribution, and logistics environments to identify systemic constraints, business risks, capacity requirements, and opportunities for scalable improvement.
- Communicate, collaborate, and influence effectively across all organizational levels and with external business partners.
- Perform work requiring prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and working at a computer.
- Move through office, manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution environments as necessary to assess operations and collaborate with stakeholders.
- Occasionally lift or move materials or equipment weighing up to 25 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Travel as required to manufacturing sites, distribution centers, suppliers, logistics partners, and other business locations.
Work Environment:- Work is performed in office, manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution environments.
- Regularly interacts and collaborates with operational, supply chain, manufacturing, technical, and business teams across multiple locations.
- Manufacturing and warehouse environments may include exposure to elevated noise levels, moving mechanical equipment, industrial traffic, temperature variations, and other conditions typical of manufacturing and distribution operations.
- Personal protective equipment may be required when entering designated manufacturing, warehouse, or distribution areas.
- Work may require travel between operating locations, suppliers, logistics partners, and other business locations.
- Compliance with applicable safety policies and procedures is required while working in or visiting operational environments
Benefits and Compensation Summary:We take care of our people. We offer competitive compensation and robust benefits to all full-time team members, including:
- Tuition reimbursement
- Paid time-off
- Paid holidays
- Healthcare insurance & Health Savings Accounts
- Profit sharing or Annual Incentive Plan Bonus
- Premium 401(k) plan
