Director of Distribution Operations

The Director of Distribution Center Operations is the senior operational leader for our Tennessee Distribution Center and is accountable for the facility’s safety, service, quality, productivity, cost, and employee experience.

This leader will establish strong operating discipline, build an effective leadership team, and ensure consistent execution across receiving, inventory, fulfillment, shipping, transportation coordination, maintenance, and facility operations.

The successful candidate will be a visible, hands-on leader who can improve performance, strengthen processes and systems, develop frontline leaders, and build a culture of accountability, communication, safety, and continuous improvement. The role requires both strong daily execution and the ability to lead the facility’s longer-term operational transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Operations Leadership

• Provide day-to-day leadership and full operating accountability for the Tennessee Distribution Center.
• Establish daily, weekly, and monthly operating plans aligned with volume forecasts, customer commitments, labor requirements, and facility capacity.
• Deliver performance against safety, service, quality, productivity, cost, inventory accuracy, and equipment-reliability targets.
• Lead operations across receiving, replenishment, picking, packing, value-added services, shipping, and dock activities.
• Maintain clear visibility into order backlogs, aging, throughput constraints, staffing gaps, equipment issues, and customer-service risks.
• Establish effective daily management routines, including shift handoffs, floor walks, performance reviews, escalation procedures, and corrective actions.
• Improve workflows, labor deployment, material movement, and space utilization to increase throughput and reduce waste.
• Ensure the facility, equipment, systems, and workforce are prepared for seasonal peaks and changing business demands.
• Partner closely with IT, engineering, maintenance, transportation, customer service, finance, HR, and other distribution locations.
• Maintain full compliance with OSHA requirements, company safety standards, employment practices, and other applicable regulations.
• Collaborate with Finance on operating budgets, forecasts, capital plans, and resource allocation.

People and Leadership Development

• Build, coach, and retain a capable and accountable leadership team across all shifts and operating functions.
• Set clear expectations for managers and supervisors and hold leaders accountable for performance, communication, employee development, and consistent policy application.
• Maintain a strong and visible leadership presence throughout the facility.
• Strengthen onboarding, job training, cross-training, coaching, and performance-management practices.
• Develop succession plans and advancement opportunities for frontline employees, supervisors, and managers.
• Build a culture in which employees are treated with respect, can raise concerns, receive timely information, and understand how their work affects customers, clients, authors, and the broader company.
• Partner with HR and Talent Development on recruiting, retention, workforce planning, employee relations, and leadership development.
• Champion employee safety, wellness, inclusion, and continuous learning.

Continuous Improvement and Transformation

• Lead operational improvement initiatives involving processes, systems, automation, equipment, facility layout, and workforce capabilities.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable continuous-improvement methods to identify root causes, eliminate waste, standardize processes, and deliver measurable results.
• Use operational data and direct floor observation to identify problems, prioritize improvements, and track results.
• Build repeatable processes, documented standard operating procedures, and effective operational controls.
• Lead the implementation of new systems, equipment, technology, and operating practices while protecting customer service.
• Work effectively with outside experts, equipment providers, vendors, and internal partners to implement sustainable improvements.
• Promote collaboration and best-practice sharing across the company’s distribution network.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• At least 10 years of progressive leadership experience in distribution, fulfillment, warehousing, manufacturing, or a similarly complex operating environment.
• Significant experience leading a large, high-volume, multi-shift facility and a substantial hourly workforce.
• Demonstrated accountability for safety, service, quality, productivity, labor, operating costs, and employee performance.
• Proven success stabilizing or improving an operation experiencing service challenges, rapid growth, labor constraints, equipment issues, or significant organizational change.
• Experience developing managers, supervisors, and frontline leaders and building greater accountability across an organization.
• Experience managing operating budgets, capital investments, workforce plans, and peak-volume requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant operational leadership experience.

Operational and Technical Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of warehouse management systems, warehouse control systems, and operational performance reporting.
• Experience with automated material-handling equipment, including conveyors, scanning, print-and-apply, sortation, and related control systems.
• Understanding of order processing, inventory management, waving, fulfillment, shipping, and transportation workflows.
• Experience with labor planning, capacity modeling, productivity measurement, and seasonal or temporary staffing.
• Working knowledge of preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, spare-parts planning, and maintenance escalation.
• Deep familiarity with OSHA requirements and applicable safety, employment, and regulatory standards.

Leadership Competencies

• Visible and hands-on leadership style, with a willingness to spend significant time in the operation.
• Strong execution mindset and the ability to translate strategy into clear operating plans.
• Demonstrated ability to identify problems early, communicate them directly, and drive timely resolution.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and root-cause problem-solving skills.
• Ability to establish accountability while building trust and engagement.
• Clear and effective communication across frontline, management, and executive audiences.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and perform effectively in a fast-moving environment.
• High level of integrity, sound judgment, and discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or comparable continuous-improvement certification.
• Demonstrated experience applying standard work, visual management, 5S, Kaizen, value-stream mapping, and root-cause analysis.
• ASCM/APICS CLTD, CSCP, CPIM, or comparable supply-chain certification.
• OSHA 30-hour General Industry training.
• Experience leading a major facility, systems, automation, or operational-transformation initiative.
• Experience in book distribution, publishing, retail fulfillment, consumer products, or another high-SKU distribution environment.

Work Schedule is 1st shift:  7:30 – 4:00 PM