Distribution Operations Manager

Expeditors•Milpitas, CA

About The Position

The Distribution Operations Manager leads the day-to-day execution and performance of Distribution operations, ensuring safe, efficient, accurate, customer-focused service across warehouse and customer-facing activities. The position leads operational supervisors, warehouse leads and personnel, and customer service functions, with accountability for service performance, inventory accuracy, labor utilization, process compliance, employee development, and continuous improvement. The manager coordinates across Distribution leadership, customers, Customer Service, Inventory Control, warehouse operations, and other departments. This hands-on leadership role balances daily operational execution with longer-term improvement and business growth. The position is listed for the SFO District in Milpitas, California, or Reno, Nevada.

Requirements

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, with the ability to manage multiple customers, priorities, and issues simultaneously.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to investigate problems, determine root causes, and implement corrective actions.
Strong customer-service mindset and ability to manage escalations professionally.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 applications.
Comfort working directly in warehouse operations, not exclusively in an office.
Strong understanding of software development principles.
Experience with automation platforms such as Power Automate.
Experience with Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 technologies.
Familiarity with data structures, APIs, integrations, and system architecture.
Basic understanding of AI, machine learning, large language models, and prompt engineering.
Ability to troubleshoot technical issues independently.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities and ability to understand complex operational processes.
Experience translating business requirements into technical solutions.
Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
Demonstrated ownership, operational discipline, customer focus, leadership, adaptability, problem-solving, continuous-improvement orientation, and collaboration.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Provide daily leadership and direction for Distribution operations, including receiving, put-away, inventory management, picking, packing, staging, shipping, RMA, and value-added services.
Ensure customer requirements, service commitments, and cutoff times are met; establish daily priorities and monitor workload, capacity, staffing, and operational constraints.
Identify potential service failures and drive corrective action; maintain communication among warehouse operations, Customer Service, Inventory Control, and leadership.
Implement customer-specific SOPs and work instructions.
Lead, coach, and develop Operations Supervisors, Warehouse Leads, and operational team members; set expectations, hold regular development discussions, identify training and cross-training needs, and develop succession opportunities.
Partner with leadership on staffing needs and ensure effective use of permanent and temporary labor.
Maintain understanding of assigned customer programs and partner with Customer Service on operational updates, exceptions, and customer requests.
Participate in customer business reviews and operational meetings; lead responses to escalations and service failures and support onboarding and implementation of new customers and services.
Promote inventory accuracy and transactional discipline; coordinate with Inventory Control on cycle counts, reconciliations, audits, and root-cause investigations.
Monitor inventory discrepancies, establish corrective and preventive actions, reinforce special handling and security requirements, and maintain accurate documentation and records.
Establish and monitor operational KPIs for receiving, order processing and shipping, inventory accuracy, productivity, labor utilization, customer service, quality, and safety.
Review performance trends, use data to inform staffing, capacity, and process decisions, develop action plans when targets are missed, and communicate performance and risks to leadership.
Identify and lead improvements to productivity, accuracy, safety, and customer experience; standardize processes and champion 5S, visual management, standard work, and root-cause analysis.
Improve workflow efficiency, reduce unnecessary manual processes, and support warehouse layout, capacity, racking, equipment, process-flow, and technology improvements.
Build working knowledge of warehouse management and customer systems; ensure employees are trained in systems and transactions, and participate in system testing, implementations, upgrades, and operational readiness.
Support reporting and operational visibility improvements, customer system integrations, and warehouse technology initiatives.
Maintain a safe, organized, and professional warehouse; address unsafe conditions, ensure inventory security controls, maintain audit readiness, reinforce housekeeping and 5S, and coordinate on facility and compliance requirements.

Benefits

Paid vacation: first-year prorated based on month of hire, then eligible for 15 days.
10 holidays.
2 flexible days.
Paid sick time accrued at 1 hour per 30 hours paid.
401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
Medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage.
Health Savings Account (HSA).
Life and disability insurance.
Paid parental leave, subject to additional eligibility criteria.
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DC FSA).
Commuter benefit.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Learning and Development Program.
Educational assistance and reimbursement.
Eligible for bonus.