Job DescriptionPosition Details:- Work Location: This is an onsite role at our Chicago OpCo, located at 2051 Baseline Road, Montgomery, IL 60538
- Schedule: Monday - Friday, normal business hours
- Subject to change based on business needs
- Compensation: $120k-$150k base salary, depending on experience, plus bonus potential based on KPIs!!
Position SummaryWe are seeking a dynamic, strategic, and results-driven
Director of Operations to lead operational excellence and drive business performance for our Chicago Operating Company. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact across the organization by tackling complex business challenges, leading critical initiatives, and driving continuous improvement throughout the operation.
The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in operations management, proven leadership capabilities, and a track record of optimizing processes to improve productivity, efficiency, and profitability. As the Director of Operations, you will provide leadership for day-to-day operations, develop and implement best practices, and foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. This position requires a strategic thinker who can balance long-term business objectives with operational execution while delivering exceptional results for customers, employees, and stakeholders.
Responsibilities- Lead and oversee all distribution center operations, including Warehouse, Transportation, and Facility Operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective execution of receiving, stocking, order selection, packing, delivery, inventory management, equipment maintenance, security, and facility operations.
- Assess staffing and equipment needs by evaluating operational activity, forecasted volumes, productivity metrics, and product mix to optimize performance and resource utilization.
- Drive operational and financial performance by managing labor, operating expenses, productivity, and service metrics to achieve business objectives and profitability targets.
- Ensure compliance with all company policies and applicable OSHA, DOT, food safety, security, and regulatory requirements, while fostering a culture of safety and accountability.
- Maintain inventory accuracy and integrity through effective inventory control processes, including cycle counts, physical inventories, returns management, and variance resolution.
- Recruit, develop, coach, and performance manage warehouse and transportation team members and leaders, while partnering with operations leadership to identify and implement training and development initiatives.
- Collaborate with the OpCo President and other senior leaders to review operational performance, profitability, capital investments, productivity metrics, and strategic priorities.
- Partner with Risk Management and Human Resources to investigate incidents, implement corrective actions, and support initiatives that improve safety, engagement, and operational performance.
- Foster strong cross-functional collaboration and communication to support operational excellence and customer service.
- Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.
- Manage operating expenses and labor costs to achieve budget, productivity, and profitability targets while supporting service and customer commitments.
- Ensure operational execution supports customer service objectives, including on-time delivery, order accuracy, and service level performance.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost reduction through data-driven analysis and problem-solving.
- Partner with Human Resources to effectively administer company policies, employee relations matters, and collective bargaining agreements where applicable.
- Leverage warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS), and operational reporting tools to monitor performance, drive accountability, and identify improvement opportunities.
- P&L and financial accountability
- Continuous improvement and operational excellence
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications• Must have 5+ years of combined warehouse and transportation management experience.
• Must have 5+ years of prior leadership experience managing warehouse, transportation, or multi-site supply chain operations of >150 direct and indirect repor
• Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) and 5-7 years of progressive leadership experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong ability to read, analyze, and interpret business reports, professional journals, technical procedures, and government regulations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare reports, business correspondence, and operational documentation, and effectively present information to various audiences, including employees, customers, and senior leaders.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret financial and operational metrics, forecasts, percentages, and performance data to support effective decision-making.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, including the capacity to manage complex operational challenges and make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to interpret and execute instructions provided in written, verbal, diagrammatic, or schedule formats.
Preferred Qualifications• Experience in Food Distribution, Direct Store Delivery (DSD), or high-volume distribution center operations.
• Proven success leading teams in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.
• SAP or similar warehouse management systems experience is preferred.
