Senior Warehouse Operations Manager

About CookUnity:

Food has lost its soul to modern convenience. And with it, it has lost the power to nourish, inspire, and connect us. So in 2018, CookUnity was founded as the first-of-its-kind platform that connects the world with the source of truly great food: chefs. Today, CookUnity delivers 50 million meals a year from the industry’s best chefs to homes all over the country. Fresh. Ready-to-eat. And crafted with the passion that nourishes body and soul.

Unwilling to stop there, CookUnity is expanding beyond delivery to become an ever-innovating marketplace focused on our singular mission: empower Chefs to nourish the world.

If that mission has you hungry in more ways than one, you’ve found the right job posting.

The Role

As the Sr Warehouse Operations Manager for CookUnity Chicago, you will lead all aspects of warehouse operations at our most dynamic and high-volume facilities. You’ll be responsible for both day-to-day operational excellence and the strategic development of systems and processes that drive scalability, efficiency, and food safety.

This role demands a strong leader who can own and optimize core functions such as receiving, inventory control, ingredient distribution, and order staging. You'll also serve as a critical cross-functional partner to teams across Culinary, Fulfillment, Procurement, and Technology to ensure materials and ingredients flow smoothly into production and finished goods move efficiently into last-mile distribution.

This is a high-impact role for someone passionate about building systems, developing people, and driving continuous improvement across warehouse and supply chain operations.

Responsibilities

• • Oversee all warehouse operations at our Chicago, IL facility, including receiving, storage, inventory management, ingredient picking, and distribution to chef and Operations teams.
  • Manage a team of salaried and hourly associates and leaders (25+ direct and indirect reports)
  • Serve as the WMS and ERP system lead for the Chicago site, ensuring alignment between software tools and operational workflows.
  • Develop and execute warehouse layouts, racking strategies, and inventory zoning to maximize space and improve material flow.
  • Lead a team of Managers, Supervisors, Leads, and Associates, fostering a culture of accountability, safety, and high performance.
  • Own KPIs such as inventory accuracy, order cycle time, spoilage, and labor utilization; develop and implement strategies to improve these metrics.
  • Partner with Culinary and Fulfillment to align on ingredient readiness, finished goods hand-off, and quality standards.
  • Manage warehouse labor planning and the site’s operational budget; ensure labor productivity is continuously optimized.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean or Six Sigma methodologies targeting material handling, storage optimization, and data accuracy.
  • Ensure compliance with food safety protocols (e.g., HACCP), sanitation practices, and warehouse safety standards.
  • Provide warehouse input into S&OP and site capacity planning processes.
  • Travel occasionally (5–10%) to support company-wide initiatives and collaborate with peers at other CookUnity sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or related field; or equivalent operational experience in fast-paced warehouse settings.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in warehouse, inventory, or supply chain operations, including at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated success managing warehouse teams in food production, manufacturing, or high-volume fulfillment environments.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, warehouse safety protocols, and food handling requirements.
• Experience with ERP, WMS, and MRP platforms (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Infor) and the ability to lead system optimization or rollouts.
• Proven ability to manage site budgets, labor plans, and operational metrics.
• Skilled in continuous improvement practices and structured problem-solving.
• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred due to the makeup of our team.
• Ability to thrive in a hands-on leadership role within a dynamic, scaling environment.

Benefits

• 🩺 Health Insurance coverage
• ⛱ PTO policy and paid sick days
• 📈 We grow, you grow: Stock Options Plan granted on Day 1.
• 🌟 Eligible for bi-annual performance bonus
• 🐣 Family leave fully paid
• 🕯 Compassionate Leave: 3-5 days each time the need arises
• 🥘 A generous amount of CookUnity credits to enjoy our amazing mea