Director, Customer Experience & Commercial Strategies

KeHE Distributors, LLC•Naperville, IL

About The Position

At KeHE, we’re obsessed with creating solutions, unboxing potential, and serving others – and it all starts with you. As an employee-owned distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products, we’re committed to making a positive impact and scaling our success together. With a culture that fosters development and opportunity, you’ll be embarking on a career that’s moving forward. When you join KeHE, you’re becoming part of a team that is a force for good. The Director of Customer Experience & Commercial Strategies is a high-impact, cross-functional leader responsible for aligning Commercial strategy with Operations, Supply Chain, IT, and Customer Experience. This role oversees a portfolio of commercial and operational programs that improve sales execution, fulfillment performance, customer onboarding, and enterprise planning. This leader drives initiatives that connect customer needs with operational capabilities, ensuring programs are executable, scalable, and grounded in strong change management. The Director partners closely with leaders across the organization to enhance commercial performance, optimize network capabilities, and elevate customer experience across the food distribution network. As with all positions at KeHE Distributors, we expect that all actions will be consistent with KeHE’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

Requirements

Deep understanding of food distribution, commercial operations, fulfillment, and supply chain planning.
Proficiency with OMS, S&OP, EP&F, network optimization, and enterprise planning systems.
Proven success leading complex cross-functional programs across multiple distribution centers.
Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, capital planning, and ROI analysis.
Proficiency with project management tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, etc.).
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and executive presentation skills.
Strong stakeholder management and negotiation capabilities.
Ability to lead teams of project managers, SMEs, and cross-functional contributors.
Comfortable navigating ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.
Periodic multi-state travel required.
Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field
Minimum of 10+ years in commercial operations, supply chain, or program management roles, preferably in food distribution or CPG.
Minimum of 5 years of managerial experience and leading cross-functional programs, including commercial systems, supply chain processes, or capital/operational projects.
Experience working with OMS, WMS, TMS, planning systems, and automation technologies is a strong plus.
Experience with OMS, S&OP, EP&F, network optimization, and enterprise planning systems.
Must sit, stand, or walk for extended periods of time.
May spend long periods of time at desk or computer terminal.
May use calculators, keyboards, telephone, and other office equipment during workday.
Stooping, bending, twisting, and reaching may be required in completion of job duties.
Work is fast paced; occasional evening and weekend work may be required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
PMP certification is strongly preferred.
Experience working with OMS, WMS, TMS, planning systems, and automation technologies is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Translate Commercial priorities into executable programs for Sales, customers, and internal partners.
Lead initiatives that improve sales execution, account management, customer onboarding, retail execution, and customer-specific operational requirements.
Serve as the Commercial owner for cross-functional strategic initiatives.
Ensure alignment between customer requirements, sales programs, and distribution center capabilities.
Act as a key liaison between Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, and IT to ensure commercial strategies are operationally feasible and aligned with network strategy.
Support enterprise-wide initiatives including new DC builds, retrofits, network redesign, SKU placement optimization, and service model changes.
Lead the development, execution, and governance of major commercial and operational programs.
Oversee a team of project managers, senior managers, and SMEs supporting cross-functional workstreams.
Direct major initiatives such as OMS optimization, customer onboarding workflows, network optimization, and enterprise planning enhancements.
Ensure all initiatives include clear milestones, risk mitigation, timelines, and measurable business outcomes.
Apply the organization’s change management playbook across all programs.
Ensure project plans include communication strategies, training and readiness plans, deployment sequencing, hyper-care/stabilization support, and PDCA-based results tracking.
Drive adoption of new tools, processes, and behaviors across Sales, Operations, and Supply Chain.
Develop KPIs, dashboards, and reporting to measure commercial performance, service levels, and program outcomes.
Provide executive-level updates, business cases, and performance insights.
Identify and resolve structural gaps impacting commercial or operational readiness.
Manage external vendors, consultants, and technology partners.
Other duties and projects as assigned.