Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
- Conduct rigorous technical evaluations of warehouse design, layout, and operational throughput to drive initiatives such as home slots, slot optimization, profile rebalancing, and layout reconfiguration.
- Oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of engineered labor standards, time-and-motion studies, work measurement methodologies, and labor management system (LMS) integrations.
- Leverage operational modeling, workflow analysis, and technology (WMS/LMS) to optimize order-picking paths, travel times, and storage utilization.
- Utilize operational data, metrics, and business intelligence tools to generate technical insights, quantify operational bottlenecks, and drive scalable solutions.
- Identify and prioritize opportunities to eliminate waste, reduce costs, improve quality, and streamline processes across the operations value chain.
- Develop, implement, and maintain standardized processes, SOPs, guidelines, and operational best practices.
- Serve as a role model for continuous improvement by leveraging innovation, technology, and AI/ML where appropriate to improve operational performance.
Leadership & Culture
- Articulate complex technical concepts clearly through high-level presentations, written proposals, and executive updates to influence decision-making across all organizational tiers.
- Build and promote an organizational culture centered on engineering precision, operational accountability, and cross-functional collaboration, elevating distribution standards across the enterprise.
- Mentor operational managers, facility leaders, and engineering teams on labor measurement methodologies, slot optimization strategies, and system-driven problem-solving to build long-term operational capabilities.
- Create and deliver structured training programs focused on Engineering Labor Standards (ELS), labor management system (LMS) utilization, home slotting strategies, and data-driven process optimization to cultivate technical proficiency across all sites.
- Influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization to drive alignment, adoption, and sustainable change.
- Demonstrate strong leadership presence, credibility, and cultural fit while working with diverse operational and cross-functional teams.
Project Management & Reporting
- Develop, implement, and monitor project management frameworks for operational improvement initiatives.
- Lead high-impact engineering projects end-to-end, from technical evaluation and business case development through deployment, hyper care, and long-term sustainability.
- Build and maintain business intelligence reporting in partnership with analytics teams to align operational metrics with strategic objectives.
- Guide field teams through technical deployments, system adoption, and operational changes using structured change management methodologies.
- Provide updates, recommendations, and progress reporting to leadership on project status, risks, results, and next steps.
- Partner with leadership to align improvement initiatives with strategic business goals and operational priorities.
Change Management
- Lead change initiatives to ensure successful adoption of new processes, tools, technologies, and operational standards.
- Develop and execute change management plans, including communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and implementation support.
- Partner with leadership to assess business impacts, mitigate resistance, and foster adaptability across teams.
- Support distribution centers with hands-on guidance during process changes, operational reviews, and initiative implementation.
Qualifications and Educational Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Engineering, Operations Research, Systems Engineering, or a related field is preferred but not required.
- 7+ years of experience in Operational Excellence, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Engineering, or a related operational environment.
- Proven experience in warehouse evaluations, home slotting strategy, and slot optimization projects required.
- Experience developing, implementing, or supporting engineering labor standards within a distribution, warehouse, manufacturing, or logistics environment required.
- Extensive experience developing, deploying, and maintaining Engineering Labor Standards (ELS) and Labor Management Systems (LMS).
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and data interpretation skills.
- Experience leading cross-functional projects and driving measurable operational improvements.
- Experience with change management and project management practices.
- Ability to influence and facilitate change without formal authority.
- Exceptional written and oral communication, facilitation, and executive presentation skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability to travel approximately 75% based on business needs.
Preferred Skills
- Advanced Industrial Engineering experience, including labor standards, time studies, process mapping, workflow analysis, and labor productivity modeling required.
- Experience with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Labor Management Systems (LMS), or similar operational systems required.
- Experience in food distribution, cold chain, warehouse operations, logistics, or supply chain environments preferred.
- Experience with business intelligence, operational reporting, data visualization, and analytics tools such as Power BI.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent Continuous Improvement certification preferred.
- Ability to leverage innovation, including AI/ML, to improve productivity, reporting, and operational decision-making.
- Strong ability to build relationships, collaborate cross-functionally, and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Hands-on, collaborative leadership style with a strong focus on culture, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Benefits You Will Enjoy
- Comprehensive benefits packages include Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug Plan, Disability Plan, and Life Insurance Plan.
- 401(k) Savings Plan.
- Paid Holidays.
- Personal Time Off.
- Employee Discounts.