Primary Function: The
Director of Supply Chain will lead the end-to-end supply chain for Bradford White's U.S.-based water heater business unit in Middleville, MI. This strategic, hands-on leadership role is responsible for ensuring the timely, cost-effective, and reliable flow of raw materials, subassemblies, and finished goods across our manufacturing and distribution network.
This position will drive operational excellence, strengthen supplier partnerships, optimize inventory and working capital, support new product development, and evolve Bradford White's distribution network to meet the needs of our customers. This position operates in a dynamic environment shaped by seasonal demand cycles, commodity price fluctuations, regulatory shifts, and rapid technological advancement in water heating systems.
The ideal candidate brings deep manufacturing supply chain expertise, a passion for lean operations, and a proven track record of improving cost, delivery, and performance within an appliance, HVAC, or durable goods environment.
Responsibilities:- Develop and execute a comprehensive supply chain strategy aligned with Bradford White's business and operational goals, including forecasting, demand planning, production planning, scheduling, inventory management, warehousing, logistics, and customer fulfillment.
- Lead the design and continuous evolution of Bradford White's distribution and logistics network-including transportation modes, regional warehousing, and fulfillment models-to support strong relationships with our customers.
- Optimize inventory levels across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods using lean principles (Kanban, JIT, cycle counting) while maintaining 98%+ on-time delivery to the factory and customers.
- Facilitate strong partnership and communication loops across internal teams and external partners (suppliers, wholesalers, logistics providers) to improve responsiveness, transparency, and service levels.
- Lead the S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning) process to synchronize production with demand signals and adapt rapidly to regulatory, market, or operational changes.
- Enhance systems and analytics capabilities by improving ERP/MRP (Oracle, or equivalent), advanced planning tools, and integrated reporting dashboards for visibility and accuracy.
- Develop, mentor, and lead a high-performing supply chain organization, fostering accountability, continuous improvement, cross-functional collaboration, and a strong service mindset.
- Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Sales, and Product Development to support new product launches, capacity expansions, and distribution network evolution.
- Ensure all supply chain operations comply with regulatory, safety, quality, and industry standards (UL, AHRI, DOE, etc.).
Job Requirements:- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Logistics, or related field required; MBA or APICS/CPIM/CSCP strongly preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
- Experience in appliance, HVAC, durable goods, or metal fabrication manufacturing strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success designing and optimizing multi-site distribution networks.
- Proven ability to drive measurable improvements in cost, inventory performance, supplier reliability, and logistics efficiency.
- Deep understanding of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, S&OP, ERP systems, statistical forecasting systems, and supply chain analytics.
- Proven ability to lead large-scale change management initiatives, including system implementations, network redesigns, organizational restructuring, or process transformation.
- Demonstrated excellence in cross-functional collaboration, working effectively with Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales, Product Development, and Finance to drive shared outcomes.
- Experience leading cultural or process changes within manufacturing organizations (Lean culture-building, digital transformation, S&OP maturity, strategic sourcing frameworks, etc.).
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 20-25%.
