Director, Inventory and Logistics

AAON•Tulsa, OK

About The Position

The Director, Inventory & Logistics is AAON’s enterprise strategy and process leader for inventory management, material flow, warehousing, shipping, transportation, and distribution. The role defines the future-state operating model and develops scalable strategies, processes, standards, and capabilities to improve material flow, inventory effectiveness, warehouse capacity, logistics performance, and operational scalability across manufacturing and distribution operations. This highly visible enterprise role identifies systemic constraints and translates business growth and operational requirements into enterprise solutions, roadmaps, and investment priorities. It provides functional leadership through expertise, influence, governance, analytics, and cross-functional partnership rather than direct responsibility for day-to-day site operations. The Director partners with functions and operating locations to align enterprise priorities and solutions, lead complex initiatives, and encourage adoption of strategies and standards across a matrixed organization. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 12 or more years of progressive related experience, including significant experience in complex multi-site manufacturing, distribution, or logistics environments. A master’s degree and relevant professional certifications are preferred. Work takes place across office, manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution environments and requires travel as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Operations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
12+ years of progressive experience in inventory management, warehousing, logistics, materials management, supply chain, manufacturing operations, or related disciplines.
Significant experience in complex multi-site manufacturing, distribution, or logistics environments.
Experience developing or transforming inventory, warehouse, material-flow, transportation, or logistics strategies and operating models.
Expert knowledge of inventory management, warehouse strategy and design, material flow, logistics, transportation, distribution, internal controls, and lean operating principles.
Advanced enterprise and systems-thinking skills, including the ability to connect manufacturing, inventory, storage, material movement, transportation, technology, infrastructure, and business growth requirements.
Ability to translate complex operational challenges into scalable future-state strategies, processes, operating models, systems, and infrastructure requirements.
Advanced knowledge of process design, network optimization, governance, benchmarking, continuous improvement, and organizational change management.
Ability to establish strategic direction and influence execution across a complex, matrixed organization without direct authority over operational teams.
Strong financial and analytical skills, including working capital management, cost-to-serve analysis, business-case development, capital prioritization, capacity planning, and performance measurement.
Excellent communication, facilitation, presentation, and influencing skills, with the ability to establish alignment across senior leaders, functional teams, and operating locations.
Ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives and balance long-term strategic objectives with practical manufacturing, warehouse, transportation, and logistics requirements.
Ability to perform work requiring prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and working at a computer.
Ability to move through office, manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution environments as necessary.
Ability to occasionally lift or move materials or equipment weighing up to 25 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Ability to travel as required to manufacturing sites, distribution centers, suppliers, logistics partners, and other business locations.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Relevant professional certification in supply chain, inventory management, logistics, Lean, or Six Sigma.
Previous experience leading large-scale operational or logistics organizations.
Experience with enterprise resource planning, warehouse management, data, automation, and material-handling environments.
Experience within automotive, aerospace, or similarly complex manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the enterprise Inventory & Logistics strategy and future-state operating model for inventory management, material flow, warehousing, shipping, transportation, and distribution.
Design scalable processes, standards, governance, and operating frameworks for receiving, storing, controlling, moving, and distributing materials and finished goods.
Assess current-state operations to identify systemic constraints, capacity limitations, process gaps, and business risks, and translate findings into long-term solutions and strategic priorities.
Develop enterprise roadmaps for warehouse capacity, material flow, network design, material-handling infrastructure, automation, technology, transportation, and logistics capabilities.
Establish enterprise process architecture, performance measures, controls, governance, and decision rights to drive consistency and accountability across functions and locations.
Lead complex, cross-functional initiatives that establish or transform inventory, warehouse, material-flow, transportation, and logistics capabilities across multiple locations.
Develop data-driven recommendations and business cases for capacity, infrastructure, network, technology, automation, capital, transportation, and third-party logistics investments.
Serve as the enterprise subject-matter expert and strategic advisor for inventory, warehousing, material flow, transportation, distribution, and logistics strategy.
Influence adoption of enterprise strategies, standards, processes, and solutions through functional expertise, governance, analytics, change leadership, and cross-functional partnership.
Partner with Supply Chain, Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Facilities, Quality, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and other functions.
Develop common performance measures, maturity assessments, playbooks, tools, and governance processes to enable consistent implementation and performance across locations.
Evaluate opportunities to improve warehouse layouts, storage strategies, space utilization, inventory controls, material flow, throughput, transportation, distribution networks, and material-handling capabilities.
Provide functional guidance to site and business leaders on complex logistics challenges, capability gaps, operating-model adoption, capacity requirements, and transformation priorities.
Benchmark internal and external practices to identify opportunities to improve service, productivity, safety, inventory performance, working capital, material flow, and cost effectiveness.
Establish functional methodologies, standards, competencies, and training requirements in partnership with operational leadership and other stakeholders.
Lead change management and adoption for enterprise inventory, logistics, process, technology, automation, network, and infrastructure initiatives.
Provide functional assurance and escalate significant inventory, logistics, process, capacity, control, or performance risks to appropriate business leaders.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Analyze complex operational, logistics, capacity, inventory, and financial information and translate findings into strategies, operating models, business cases, and investment recommendations.
Evaluate tradeoffs involving service, inventory, material flow, cost, capacity, controls, technology, infrastructure, and operational continuity.
Assess manufacturing, warehouse, distribution, and logistics environments to identify systemic constraints, business risks, capacity requirements, and opportunities for scalable improvement.
Communicate, collaborate, and influence effectively across organizational levels and with external business partners.