Sr Manager of 3rd Party Warehouse and Logistics
2 days ago
South Holland
Job Description Position Description: Performs functions to recommend, implement, and manage continuous improvement initiatives with our 3rd party warehouses and logistics department to improve productivity, quality, efficiency and reduce costs. Primary Responsibilities: Plant Warehouse Operations • Owns all on-site warehouse operations, including receiving, storage, staging, picking, loading, and shipping., • Drives warehouse efficiency through labor productivity, overtime control, space utilization, and optimized slotting and material flow., • Has full ownership of truck yard operations, including trailer management, carrier behavior, dwell time, yard rules, congestion control, and utilization of dry and refrigerated equipment, • Designs, documents, and continuously improves warehouse processes, replacing tribal knowledge with standardized, auditable procedures., • Use KPIs to identify and drive improvements, including inventory accuracy %, OTIF, Freight/lb, Storage cost / pallet, and dock performance metrics Inventory Management • Owns inventory accuracy and book-to-book integrity, partnering with Operations, Planning, and Finance to ensure completeness and correctness., • Serves as the warehouse sign-off authority to Finance for inventory accuracy at month-end., • Leads warehouse execution for month-end close, including after-hours coverage as required to ensure timely and accurate results., • Acts as the primary warehouse and logistics contact for annual audits, supporting inventory, storage, freight, and yard-related audit requests., • Investigates and resolves inventory discrepancies, aging issues, and root causes of variance. Invoice Management / Finance Partnership • Partners with Finance on accrual accuracy by ensuring complete, timely, and accurate invoice approvals, proper GL coding, and visibility to all storage, freight, trailer, and accessorial costs., • Review and approve 3PL, freight, trailer, and accessorial invoices; challenge and resolve discrepancies / inaccuracies., • Provides Finance with clear explanations for over/under-budget performance related to warehouse, freight, and storage costs. (Controllable cost management) 3PL Network & Freight Optimization • Designs, optimizes, and manages the end-to-end 3PL network, building a cohesive efficient strategy, • Leads negotiations with 3PLs and carriers on rates, capacity, service levels, and accessorials; escalates final decisions as required., • Owns freight optimization across mode selection, lane strategy, carrier performance, and accessorial accountability, including charging carriers for service failures., • Develops and maintains carrier and 3PL scorecards to drive performance, cost control, and service reliability., • Ensures materials and finished goods move efficiently across internal sites, 3PLs, and customer destinations Cold Chain, Tempering & Blast Freezing • Owns warehouse planning and execution of tempering and blast freezing operations, in partnership with Procurement, Sales, Operations and QA., • Ensures strict adherence to temperature control, food safety, and cold-chain compliance requirements., • Supports QA with audits, testing, and investigations related to 3PL storage, tempering, and handling practices. Customer Pickup & Service Execution • Owns warehouse execution and coordination of customer pickups, partnering with Sales and Customer Service on communication and expectations., • Ensures warehouse and logistics performance supports on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery commitments., • Leads root-cause analysis and corrective actions for service failures tied to warehouse, yard, or freight execution., • Performs other duties as assigned Supervisory/Management Responsibilities: • Leads a team consisting of one clerk, two warehouse supervisors, and one freight coordinator, with indirect leadership of approximately 35 union employees., • Hires, fires, coaches, counsels, develops, and motivates staff., • Oversees administration of timecards and approval of time off requests., • Oversees employee participation and adherence to food safety and employee safety programs and policies., • Provides strong union workforce leadership through supervisors, ensuring adherence to labor agreements, safety standards, and company policies., • Participates directly in disciplinary actions as appropriate and coach supervisors in effective, consistent employee management., • Develops talent, builds bench strength, and fosters a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement., • Guides the enforcement of systems, policies, and procedures consistently and fairly., • Resolves personnel issues in accordance with company guidelines and policies. Requirements: • Bachelor’s degree related to Business, Logistics or Warehouse Management, or equivalent experience., • 3 or more years warehouse or dock experience including personnel management., • Experience working with an ERP or WMS software, strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs., • Strong communication, negotiation, and analytical skills., • Must be able to speak, read and write English proficiently., • Detail oriented with strong organizational & planning skills., • Ability to work flexible hours, including various shifts and weekends, as needed. Physical Requirements: • Ability to walk the production floor for extended periods throughout the shift., • Ability to lift to 25 lbs., bend, kneel, and climb as needed to observe and inspect operations., • Ability to ascend and descend ladders, • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, industrial environment, • Frequent exposure to fluctuating temperatures, including cold and heat, depending on the production environment., • Frequent exposure to operational noise from machinery in the production environment. Benefits for this role include: Medical, vision, dental, discretionary bonus up to 20% (50% personal performance based & 50% company performance), 401(k) with matching up to a max of 4% and 120 hours PTO in the 1st 12 months.
