Director, Distribution Operations

Purpose:  

The Director, Distribution Center Operations is a senior leadership role within the North American Supply Chain organization, accountable for the end‑to‑end performance of a high‑volume distribution center. This role has full ownership of operational execution, service levels, safety, and financial performance, ensuring 24/7 operations run efficiently, reliably, and in alignment with business objectives and long‑term growth strategy.

This position leads the continuous optimization of distribution and fulfillment operations, driving performance across the end‑to‑end supply chain. The Director partners closely with cross‑functional stakeholders to improve service outcomes, streamline workflows, and eliminate waste through disciplined execution, structured problem‑solving, and continuous improvement methodologies.

The role requires strong business acumen and operational expertise, with the ability to translate data and insights into clear actions and results. The Director is accountable for leveraging analytics, process rigor, and technology enablement to improve productivity, control costs, maintain quality, and enhance the overall customer experience.

As a people leader, the Director oversees a multi‑layered leadership organization within a 24/7 operating environment and is deeply committed to building strong, engaged, and capable teams. This role sets the tone for how people are led - promoting collaboration, teamplay, and shared ownership across functions and shifts, while demonstrating genuine care and concern for employee well‑being, safety, and development. The Director is responsible for fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and continuous learning, ensuring leaders at all levels are equipped to engage, coach, and develop their teams effectively. Success in this role requires the ability to lead through complexity and ambiguity, balance strategic priorities with day‑to‑day operational execution, and create an environment where performance and people outcomes are both priorities.

 Key Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and direction for all distribution center operations, with full accountability for safety, service, cost, quality, and operational performance in a 24/7 environment.
• Lead, develop, and inspire a multi‑layered leadership team, fostering a people‑centered, high‑performance culture grounded in accountability, teamwork, engagement, inclusion, and retention, while building strong succession pipelines.
• Demonstrate visible leadership and genuine care for employees by prioritizing well‑being, open communication, and a strong leadership presence across shifts and functions.
• Own full financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, cost management, productivity improvement initiatives, and capital investment decisions to optimize cost‑to‑serve.
• Establish and execute the strategic vision for distribution operations, aligning operational priorities with broader supply chain and enterprise objectives to support growth and scalability.
• Drive operational excellence through Lean and continuous improvement methodologies to improve productivity, quality, throughput, and operational consistency while eliminating waste.
• Oversee the design and execution of processes, staffing models, workflows, and controls to ensure accurate, timely, and efficient order fulfillment and high levels of customer service.
• Leverage data, analytics, and system capabilities (including WMS) to enable performance visibility, support decision‑making, and continuously optimize operations in partnership with Technology teams.
• Lead distribution‑related transformation initiatives and manage internal and external partnerships, including system implementations, network optimization efforts, and third‑party relationships as needed to support capacity and volume requirements.

Key Relationships: 

• Indy Manufacturing Operations
• Indy Capacity Planning
• NAM SCM stakeholders
• Commercial business teams
• Finance, HR, Tech / IT, Workplaces
• External 3PL (if and when required)

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to interpret data and translate insights into informed business and operational decisions.
• Strategic thinker with a demonstrated ability to convert long‑term vision into actionable opera