Overview

The Senior Manager, Distribution Platform Management is responsible for the lifecycle, operational readiness, adoption, and continuous improvement of distribution technology platforms that extend the core Warehouse Management System (WMS).

This role provides centralized ownership for critical distribution capabilities such as labor management, billing, parcel, yard management, slotting, co-pack/kitting, warehouse execution and automation platforms, and other supporting technologies required to operate a distribution center successfully.

Working across Operations, IT, Product Management, Architecture, Delivery, vendors, and client teams, the Senior Manager ensures these platforms are appropriately incorporated into solution design, implemented as part of customer deployments, effectively transitioned into production, and continuously optimized after go-live.

The role serves as the primary leader for the non-core-WMS distribution technology ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Platform Portfolio & Lifecycle Management

• Own the lifecycle of assigned distribution technology platforms, including LMS, Billing, Parcel, Yard, Slotting, Nulogy/co-pack, WES/automation solutions, and future extension platforms.
• Maintain platform roadmaps, lifecycle plans, enhancement backlogs, health assessments, and adoption plans.
• Establish clear ownership, standards, documentation, and operating processes for each supported platform.
• Monitor platform utilization, performance, risks, technical debt, and business value.
• Partner with Product Strategy & Governance to align platform priorities with the broader Distribution Solutions roadmap.

Solution Strategy & Operational Readiness

• Serve as the extension-platform subject matter leader during RFPs, solution design, pricing, and client onboarding.
• Ensure required non-WMS capabilities are identified early in the solution lifecycle rather than discovered during implementation or go-live.
• Partner with Solution Strategy to develop appropriate solution scope, assumptions, effort estimates, and commercial requirements.
• Establish operational-readiness criteria for extension platforms and ensure dependencies are incorporated into implementation plans.
• Participate in design and readiness reviews for solutions requiring supporting distribution platforms.

Change Control & Continuous Improvement

• Lead governance and execution of post-go-live enhancement and change requests for assigned platforms.
• Evaluate requests for business value, operational impact, reuse potential, cost, risk, and alignment to platform strategy.
• Partner with Product Strategy & Governance on prioritization and enterprise roadmap implications.
• Drive continuous improvement opportunities that improve productivity, cost, quality, service, and customer experience.
• Identify opportunities to expand adoption of existing capabilities before introducing new technology.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Own strategic relationships with assigned technology vendors and partners.
• Maintain visibility to vendor product roadmaps, releases, licensing, support models, and emerging capabilities.
• Lead technology evaluations and provide recommendations regarding platform adoption, expansion, replacement, or retirement.
• Establish vendor performance expectations and participate in commercial and contract discussions as appropriate.
• Coordinate with Technical Strategy & Architecture to ensure vendor solutions meet enterprise architecture, integration, data, and security standards.

Cross-Functional Delivery

• Partner with Distribution Delivery Services to ensure extension-platform activities are incorporated into project scope, schedules, resource plans, testing, cutover, and go-live readiness.
• Coordinate dependencies across WMS, integration, infrastructure, vendors, Operations, and client teams.
• Support stabilization and transition of newly deployed capabilities into the appropriate support organization.
• Establish repeatable implementation approaches and reusable assets for commonly deployed extension platforms.
• Capture lessons learned and feed improvements back into platform standards and delivery playbooks.

Leadership & Governance

• Build and lead a high-performing team of platform SMEs, analysts, product/service leads, and other resources as the capability matures.
• Manage the organization's operating budget, vendor spend, forecasts, resource capacity, and staffing plan.
• Establish KPIs and consistent reporting for platform health, adoption, enhancement demand, delivery performance, vendor performance, and realized business value.
• Maintain portfolio risks, issues, dependencies, and executive escalations.
• Participate as a peer member of the Distribution Solutions leadership team and contribute to overall technology strategy and investment planning.

Key Interfaces

This role works closely with:

Product Strategy & Governance - portfolio priorities, RFP strategy, pricing, Golden vs. Custom decisions, roadmap and release governance.

Technical Strategy & Architecture - data, integration, architecture, automation, AI, and technical standards.

Distribution Delivery Services - implementation execution, project planning, testing, cutover, go-live, and stabilization.

DSIT / Engineering / Operations / Sales / Clients - business requirements, operational readiness, adoption, continuous improvement, and value realization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, Information Technology, Business, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 10+ years of progressive experience across distribution operations, warehouse technology, solution design, operational excellence, consulting, or technology delivery.
• 7+ years of leadership experience with responsibility for teams, programs, platforms, or enterprise initiatives.
• Strong understanding of distribution-center operations and supporting technology ecosystems.
• Experience with WMS and adjacent warehouse technologies such as LMS, WES/WCS, automation, parcel, yard, billing, slotting, or co-pack solutions.
• Demonstrated experience translating operational requirements into scalable technology solutions.
• Experience with client-facing solution design, implementation, vendor management, and continuous improvement.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including business cases, pricing, budgets, vendor spend, and value realization.
• Ability to operate horizontally across Product, Architecture, Delivery, Operations, Sales, vendors, and executive leadership.
• Strong executive communication, influence, and decision-making skills.

We are excited to share that the base salary range for this position is $128,827.14-171,769.52. This position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, targeted at 5%. NFI takes into consideration applicants' qualifications, experience, education, and geographic location when determining a starting rate of pay.

Employees are also eligible for a robust benefit program, which includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Paid Parental Leave, among other benefit plan options.

Profit Center

PC-1030