Director of Supply Chain & Continuous Improvement

Department: Retail

Location: Administration Building, Seattle, WA

Reports To: SVP, Customer Experience, Retail & Revenue Growth

Supervises: Regional Director of Outlets
FLSA Status: Exempt
Pay Range: $150,000 - $165,000

About Evergreen Goodwill

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1923 and a leading provider of tuition-free job training, education, and job placement. The organization employs over 2,000 people and operates job-training centers, nonprofit retail stores, and donation sites across King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and Kitsap Counties. Every day, Evergreen Goodwill connects people with the jobs, services, and skills they need because Jobs Change Lives.

About the Position

The Director, Supply Chain & Continuous Improvement is a Retail leadership role responsible for strengthening outlet performance, donation flow, inventory allocation, facility throughput, safety, and continuous improvement discipline across assigned Retail operations. This position reports to the SVP, Customer Experience, Retail & Revenue Growth and directly supervises the Regional Director of Outlets.

This leader establishes practical, scalable operating standards for managed outlet locations and related warehouse/processing activities. The role is accountable for improving productivity, reducing defects, shrink, dwell time, and cost-to-serve, and sustaining consistent processes across assigned sites. The position is not responsible for transportation routing, salvage and recycling operations, or enterprise supply chain analytics, but will partner cross-functionally where those areas intersect with Retail and outlet performance.

Scope of Accountability

• Lead operational improvement for assigned Retail outlet locations and related warehouse/processing activities.
• Own outlet inventory flow and allocation strategies that improve product availability, inventory turns, and operating efficiency.
• Design and sustain continuous improvement routines that improve productivity, throughput, safety, consistency, and customer-facing quality.
• Provide leadership and accountability for the Regional Director of Outlets and assigned outlet leadership teams.
• Partner with Retail, E-Commerce, Logistics, Finance, Technology, Environmental Health & Safety, and Mission leaders to align priorities while maintaining clear ownership boundaries.

Key Responsibilities

Continuous Improvement & Operating Standards

• Design, deploy, and sustain a repeatable continuous improvement operating system across managed Retail/outlet facilities and related functions.
• Map current-state workflows, identify waste and bottlenecks, and prioritize improvements that increase throughput, quality, safety, and operating efficiency.
• Use practical tools such as value stream mapping, time studies, standard work, line balancing, layout optimization, root cause analysis, and visual management.
• Lead improvement events from diagnosis through implementation, adoption, and sustained performance.
• Translate process improvements into measurable business outcomes, including labor productivity, inventory movement, margin support, and cost-to-serve reduction.
• Build leader capability through structured routines, coaching, documentation, and accountability to defined performance targets.

Outlet & Warehouse/Processing Operations

• Provide operational oversight and performance direction for assigned outlet locations and related warehouse/processing activities that support outlet operations.
• Set and monitor outlet production standards for throughput per labor hour, donation processing, floor readiness, customer-facing quality, and inventory movement.
• Improve facility flow from intake through sorting, processing, allocation, staging, floor presentation, and replenishment support.
• Lead layout optimization, capacity planning, and flow redesign to reduce non-value-added movement and improve productivity.
• Implement daily huddles, shift handoffs, visual management boards, and operating cadences that support predictable performance and accountability.

Donation Flow & Inventory Allocation

• Optimize donation and inventory flow within the Retail/outlet operating model from intake through outlet presentation and replenishment support.
• Build allocation discipline so product is routed to the appropriate channel or outlet at the right pace and quality standard.
• Reduce dwell time, improve inventory turns, and address aged inventory through system-level process changes.
• Provide leaders with clear visibility into throughput, constraints, inventory aging, allocation quality, and outlet readiness.

Safety Culture & Injury Reduction

• Drive measurable reductions in Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) across managed facilities through system-level safety design in partnership with Environmental Health & Safety.
• Apply EGNW Environmental Health & Safety policies and procedures within managed sites and ensure operational leaders consistently follow required safety practices.
• Embed safety into process design, including ergonomic layout, mistake-proofing, workflow design, and visual controls that help prevent injury.
• Build a near-miss and hazard reporting culture grounded in trust, learning, timely follow-up, and problem-solving.
• Partner with Environmental Health & Safety on incident trend review, corrective action planning, and sustainable process improvements that reduce risk exposure.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Change Management

• Partner with Retail, E-Commerce, Logistics, Finance, Technology, Environmental Health & Safety, and Mission leaders to align process improvement priorities with operational and mission outcomes.
• Lead change through data, relationships, operational credibility, and a clear understanding of multi-site complexity.
• Represent outlet performance, continuous improvement progress, and inventory flow opportunities in leadership discussions.
• Communicate operational performance, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations in a clear and business-focused manner.
• Create documentation, routines, and transition-ready systems that support continuity, scalability, and sustainable performance.

Leadership Expectations

• Lead, coach, and develop high-performing outlet operations leaders with clear expectations, measurable goals, and regular accountability routines.
• Model EGNW values and promote a culture of dignity, respect, inclusion, safety, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Build strong alignment with Retail and Admin leadership and resolve tradeoffs that affect execution, customer experience, employee experience, and mission outcomes.
• Develop a bench of operations leaders who can sustain high standards and scale improved practices across the outlet network.
• Use sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive organizational, employee, operational, and financial information.

Required Qualifications

• 8 to 10 years of progressive operations, retail operations, warehouse/processing, production, supply chain, or comparable multi-site leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading process improvement initiatives that produce measurable results in productivity, throughput, cost, quality, safety, or inventory flow.
• Experience leading teams, developing operational leaders, and creating accountability across multiple sites or complex operating environments.
• Working knowledge of continuous improvement tools such as value stream mapping, standard work, visual management, root cause analysis, time studies, layout optimization, and daily management routines.
• Strong operational problem-solving skills, including the ability to diagnose constraints, prioritize work, implement solutions, and sustain results.
• Ability to analyze operational data, identify trends, and translate findings into clear action plans and leadership recommendations.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Commitment to safety, equity, inclusion, mission impact, and ethical leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, supply chain, industrial engineering, organizational leadership, or a related field.
• Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Toyota Production System, or comparable continuous improvement certification or formal training.
• Experience in nonprofit social enterprise, thrift retail, outlet operations, donation-based retail, distribution, warehouse, manufacturing, or multi-unit retail environments.
• Experience improving safety outcomes through process design, ergonomic improvements, visual controls, and operational leadership routines.
• Experience with inventory allocation, replenishment support, production standards, and multi-site operating cadence design.

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• Work is performed in both office and operational environments, including outlet locations, warehouse/processing areas, and administrative settings.
• Must be able to travel between assigned sites as needed to observe workflows, coach leaders, participate in improvement events, and support implementation.
• Role may require standing, walking, and observing operational processes for extended periods in active production and retail environments.
• Must be able to frequently lift, carry, push, and pull items weighing up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to safely navigate warehouse, outlet, and production environments, including bending, reaching, stooping, and moving throughout operational areas as required.
• Must follow all EGNW safety policies, procedures, and site-specific requirements.