Distribution Operations Manager

Company Description

“We’re not in the shipping business; we’re in the information business” -Peter Rose, Expeditors Founder We take care of our employees, and they take care of our customers! Become a member of a global community! The international logistics industry is an integral piece of the global trade puzzle; we make the world go round. Global supply chain management is what we do, and at the heart of Expeditors you will find professionalism, leadership, and a friendly environment, all of which foster an innovative, customer service-based approach to logistics. Expeditors is a global logistics company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. As a Fortune 500 company, we employ over 19,000 trained professionals in a worldwide network of over 350+ locations across six continents. Expeditors satisfies the increasingly sophisticated needs of international trade through customized solutions and seamless, integrated information systems. Our Mission We recruit, train, and retain the very best logistics and technical experts the world over. We love to promote from within - more than 50 percent of our employees have been at Expeditors for five years or more. Our high retention rate is influenced by a unique compensation program for positions that are more than just jobs - they're chances to grow, do what you love and build a career with us! www.expeditors.com

Job Description

The Distribution Operations Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day execution and performance of Distribution operations, ensuring safe, efficient, accurate, and customer-focused service across warehouse and customer-facing activities. This position provides leadership to operational supervisors, leads, warehouse personnel, and customer service functions while maintaining accountability for service performance, inventory accuracy, labor utilization, process compliance, employee development, and continuous improvement. The Operations Manager serves as a key link between Distribution leadership, customers, Customer Service, Inventory Control, warehouse operations, and other Expeditors departments. The successful candidate will be a hands-on leader who can balance daily execution with longer-term operational improvement and business growth. Key Responsibilities Operational Leadership

• Provide daily leadership and direction for Distribution operations.
• Oversee receiving, put-away, inventory management, picking, packing, staging, shipping, RMA, and other value-added services.
• Ensure customer requirements, service commitments, and operational cutoff times are consistently achieved.
• Establish daily priorities and ensure supervisors and leads have clear direction.
• Monitor workload, capacity, staffing, and operational constraints throughout the day.
• Identify potential service failures early and drive timely corrective action.
• Maintain strong communication between warehouse operations, Customer Service, Inventory Control, and leadership.
• Support implementation and execution of customer-specific SOPs and work instructions.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Operations Supervisors, Warehouse Leads, and operational team members.
• Establish clear expectations for ownership, accountability, communication, and performance.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and employee development discussions.
• Identify training and cross-training requirements.
• Develop bench strength and succession opportunities within Distribution.
• Promote an environment where employees are empowered to identify problems and recommend solutions.
• Partner with leadership to evaluate staffing requirements based on workload, customer volume, and business growth.
• Ensure effective utilization of permanent and temporary labor.

Customer Service & Account Performance

• Maintain a strong understanding of operational requirements for assigned customer programs.
• Partner with Customer Service teams to provide timely and accurate communication regarding operational status, exceptions, and customer requests.
• Participate in customer business reviews and operational meetings as required.
• Lead operational response to escalations and service failures.
• Ensure commitments made to customers are communicated clearly to the operational teams responsible for execution.
• Support onboarding and implementation of new Distribution customers and services.

Inventory Control & Quality

• Maintain a strong culture of inventory accuracy and transactional discipline.
• Ensure physical material movement aligns with system transactions.
• Partner with Inventory Control on cycle counts, inventory reconciliations, audits, and root-cause investigation.
• Monitor inventory discrepancies and establish corrective and preventive actions where appropriate.
• Reinforce customer-specific handling, serialization, lot control, RMA, high-value product, or other special requirements.
• Ensure documentation and operational records are maintained accurately.

KPI & Performance Management

• Establish and monitor operational KPIs covering areas such as:• Receiving performance

• Order processing and shipping performance

• Inventory accuracy

• Productivity

• Labor utilization

• Customer service performance

• Quality/error rates

• Safety

• Review performance trends and identify areas requiring corrective action.

• Use operational data to support staffing, capacity, and process decisions.

• Develop action plans when performance falls below established targets.

• Communicate operational performance, risks, and improvement activities to Distribution leadership.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, accuracy, safety, and customer experience.
• Drive standardization of warehouse processes and work instructions.
• Champion 5S, visual management, standard work, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement practices.
• Reduce unnecessary manual processes and improve workflow efficiency.
• Partner with systems and technical resources on warehouse technology improvements.
• Support warehouse layout, capacity, racking, equipment, and process-flow improvements.
• Lead or participate in corrective action and process-improvement initiatives.

Systems & Technology

• Develop strong working knowledge of Distribution warehouse management and customer systems.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate system training and understand the relationship between physical warehouse activity and system transactions.
• Participate in system testing, implementation, upgrades, and operational readiness activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting and operational visibility through technology.
• Support customer system integrations and warehouse technology initiatives when required.

Safety, Security & Compliance

• Maintain a safe, organized, and professional warehouse environment.
• Reinforce established safety requirements and immediately address unsafe conditions or practices.
• Ensure appropriate handling and security controls are maintained for customer inventory.
• Maintain operational readiness for internal, customer, regulatory, and quality audits.
• Reinforce housekeeping and 5S expectations throughout the facility.
• Partner with appropriate internal teams on security, facility, and compliance requirements.

Location: SFO District / Milpitas, CA

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in warehouse, distribution, logistics, fulfillment, or supply-chain operations.
• Previous experience leading employees in an operational environment.
• Strong understanding of warehouse processes including receiving, inventory management, order fulfillment, and shipping.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple customers, priorities, and operational issues simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to investigate problems, determine root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Strong customer-service mindset with the ability to manage escalations professionally.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 applications.
• Comfortable working directly within warehouse operations and not exclusively from an office environment.

Preferred

• Experience within a third-party logistics (3PL) environment.
• Experience managing high-value, technology, semiconductor, healthcare, or other complex customer programs.
• Experience with warehouse management systems and ERP platforms such as SAP EWM or SAP S/4HANA.
• Experience supporting inventory audits, cycle-count programs, or formal inventory-control processes.
• Experience with Lean, 5S, continuous improvement, or structured root-cause analysis.
• Experience leading supervisors and/or warehouse leads.
• Experience supporting new customer implementations, facility expansions, system implementations, or operational startups.

Leadership Competencies The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Ownership: Takes accountability for results and follows issues through resolution.
• Operational discipline: Establishes clear processes and ensures consistent execution.
• Customer focus: Understands that warehouse performance directly impacts the customer experience.
• Communication: Provides clear, timely, and direct communication across functions and levels.
• Leadership: Sets expectations, develops employees, and holds teams accountable.
• Problem solving: Uses facts and data to identify root causes rather than simply treating symptoms.
• Adaptability: Effectively manages changing volumes, priorities, staffing, and customer requirements.
• Continuous improvement: Consistently looks for safer, faster, simpler, and more accurate ways to operate.
• Collaboration: Builds strong working relationships across operational and support functions

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of software development principles.
• Experience with automation platforms such as Power Automate.
• Experience with Microsoft Copilot and M365 technologies.
• Familiarity with data structures, APIs, integrations, and system architecture.
• Basic understanding of AI, machine learning, LLMs, and prompt engineering.
• Ability to troubleshoot technical issues independently.

Business Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to understand complex operational processes.
• Experience translating business requirements into technical solutions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing automations, applications, or digital solutions.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects.
• Experience working in operations, logistics, finance, or enterprise shared services environments.
• Certifications in Microsoft Power Platform, Azure AI, Microsoft Copilot, or related technologies.

Additional Information

Expected base salary: $70,304.00 Eligible for bonus Expeditors offers excellent benefits:

• Paid Vacation (first year prorated based off month of hire then eligible for 15 days)
• Holidays (10)
• Flexible Days (2)
• Paid Sick Time (accrual rate of 1 hour of sick time per 30 hours paid)
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with employer match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental & Vision Coverage
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave (additional eligibility criteria)
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DC FSA)
• Commuter Benefit
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Learning & Development Program
• Educational Assistance and Reimbursement

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO Guidelines.