EVP, Operations

Acosta•Chesterfield, MO

20h

About The Position

The EVP, Operations is Acosta’s senior operational leader, responsible for enterprise merchandising and retail execution strategy, service delivery, financial performance, workforce capability, client outcomes, and continuous improvement. The role translates enterprise strategy into operating plans, governance, performance measures, resource decisions, and leadership routines, while establishing scalable standards and aligning field, client, commercial, finance, human resources, technology, analytics, and shared-services partners. The position is accountable for operational effectiveness and assigned profit-and-loss results and builds a high-performing leadership team to support growth, integration, and evolving retailer and client needs. The EVP has enterprise accountability for the National Logistics Distribution Center (NLDC), Operations Support Center (OSC), Training, Talent Acquisition, Field Execution, 360 Execution/Governance, Sales Operations, and Retail Execution Technology. The role integrates these functions into one operating system connecting workforce readiness, operational support, technology, logistics, governance, commercial priorities, and in-store execution. The role oversees operational strategy and execution across merchandising, resets, remodels, new-store openings, surveys, promotional execution, product placement, and other in-store service programs. It owns assigned budgets, forecasts, P&L results, productivity objectives, and expense controls; serves as executive sponsor for strategic client and retailer relationships; and provides executive sponsorship for the retail execution technology roadmap. The position also leads senior operational and functional leaders and ensures operations comply with applicable laws, company policies, client and retailer requirements, and delegated authority. Work is performed in corporate, virtual, client, retailer, travel, and field settings. Travel is required as needed, and schedules may vary with client, retailer, operating, and business needs. Field and store visits may involve retail traffic, noise, dust, moving equipment, active receiving areas, crowds, or varying temperatures. Regular computer use, executive meetings, presentations, and stakeholder interaction are part of the role. Required safety practices and personal protective equipment must be followed at applicable work locations. Reasonable accommodation may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Retail Management, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant executive experience.
Fifteen or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in merchandising, retail operations, field execution, consumer-packaged goods, retail services, or a related industry.
Ten or more years leading large, geographically dispersed operations and senior leaders.
Demonstrated accountability for significant budgets or profit-and-loss performance.
Demonstrated experience leading operational transformation, integration, process standardization, and change across complex organizations.
Experience serving as an executive partner to clients, retailers, or other external stakeholders.
Executive-level strategic planning, operating-model design, financial management, and enterprise decision-making capability.
Deep understanding of merchandising, retail field execution, client service delivery, labor models, productivity, and store-level operating requirements.
Ability to lead through influence in a matrixed organization and align leaders with competing priorities around shared outcomes.
Ability to interpret complex financial, operational, workforce, quality, and client data and convert findings into clear decisions and actions.
Ability to communicate persuasively with boards, executive leaders, clients, retailers, field teams, and associates.
Ability to build leadership capability, establish accountability, guide succession planning, and lead organizational change.
Working knowledge of enterprise systems, workforce technology, business intelligence, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and address sensitive or high-impact issues with appropriate urgency.
Enterprise knowledge of distribution and inventory operations, field support models, learning and onboarding, talent acquisition, field execution, sales operations, governance, workforce optimization, and retail execution technology.
Ability to design and lead end-to-end operating systems with clear decision rights, service levels, measures, controls, and escalation paths.
Strong interpersonal and highly developed writing skills; acute attention to detail.
Ability to travel as needed.
Ability to sit for extended periods (typically 6+ hours per day), use a computer including keyboard and mouse for prolonged periods, lift and carry light items (typically 20+ pounds), reach, bend, or stoop occasionally, maintain focus for long periods of desk-based work, follow clear directions, and perform repetitive motions consistently throughout the day.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Administration or a related field.
Executive leadership experience spanning multiple operational functions, such as field execution, logistics or distribution, shared services, training, talent acquisition, sales operations, governance, or operational technology.
Demonstrated success integrating functions, systems, data, and leadership routines into an enterprise operating model.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute enterprise operations strategy aligned with corporate growth, client, financial, and people priorities.
Establish a scalable operating model, decision rights, governance, and leadership routines across merchandising and retail execution operations.
Translate strategic priorities into annual and multi-year operating plans, resource requirements, performance measures, and accountable owners.
Identify operational risks, capacity constraints, and growth opportunities; recommend investments, corrective actions, and organizational changes.
Lead integration and harmonization of processes, systems, roles, and service standards across operating companies, programs, and geographies.
Provide executive leadership and clear decision rights across NLDC, OSC, Training, Talent Acquisition, Field Execution, 360 Execution/Governance, Sales Operations, and Retail Execution Technology.
Integrate demand planning, recruiting, onboarding, training, job build, logistics, field deployment, execution validation, reporting, issue resolution, and continuous improvement into one operating system.
Establish enterprise service-level agreements, handoffs, escalation paths, performance measures, and governance routines across assigned functions.
Align functional roadmaps, budgets, capacity plans, technology investments, and talent strategies with enterprise priorities and client commitments.
Oversee merchandising, resets, remodels, new-store openings, surveys, promotional execution, product placement, and other in-store service programs in the assigned portfolio.
Establish standards for quality, safety, compliance, productivity, reporting, escalation, and issue resolution; ensure field execution meets client objectives, retailer requirements, planograms, service schedules, and program specifications.
Improve product availability, speed to shelf, display and promotional compliance, data accuracy, and quality of execution.
Identify execution gaps, address root causes, share best practices, and sustain corrective actions; oversee consistent planning, deployment, validation, recovery, and performance management.
Establish 360 execution governance connecting client commitments, job design, field instructions, training, technology, reporting, quality assurance, and corrective action.
Hold functional leaders accountable for end-to-end execution outcomes rather than isolated departmental measures.
Own assigned operating budgets, forecasts, profit-and-loss results, productivity objectives, and expense controls; balance service quality, labor capacity, cost, risk, and growth in resource and investment decisions.
Establish workforce planning, labor management, deployment, and capacity practices; review financial and operating performance, identify variances, and require timely recovery plans.
Partner with Finance and commercial leaders on pricing assumptions, operating models, business cases, and margin-improvement opportunities.
Integrate recruiting demand, training capacity, field labor plans, support-center workload, distribution requirements, and technology capacity into an enterprise workforce and readiness plan.
Oversee budgets and investment priorities across logistics, support operations, training, talent acquisition, field execution, governance, sales operations, and retail execution technology.
Serve as executive sponsor for strategic client and retailer relationships; participate in executive business reviews, joint planning, commercial proposals, and resolution of significant service or execution issues.
Align operational capabilities and commitments with contracts, statements of work, client expectations, and enterprise priorities.
Partner with Sales and Business Development to assess opportunities, design executable solutions, and support responsible growth; maintain awareness of industry trends affecting clients or operations.
Lead Sales Operations capabilities for business planning, opportunity governance, forecasting, pricing and labor assumptions, pipeline visibility, executive reporting, and cross-functional accountability.
Ensure proposed client solutions are operationally executable, financially responsible, and supported by appropriate talent, training, scalable technology, and support processes.
Establish scorecards, key performance indicators, service-level measures, and review cadences for fact-based decisions; use operational, financial, workforce, safety, quality, and client data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
Sponsor process improvement, automation, technology adoption, and reporting enhancements; maintain controls, documentation, and data governance that support reliable reporting and operational decisions.
Measure the impact of operational changes and adjust plans based on results.
Provide executive sponsorship for the retail execution technology roadmap, including workforce management, routing, territory design, job build, field platforms, reporting, analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence.
Establish 360 governance for data, workflows, labor standards, platform adoption, execution reporting, and operational controls.
Build, lead, coach, and develop senior operational and functional leaders; establish accountabilities, performance expectations, succession plans, and development priorities.
Promote safety, inclusion, integrity, accountability, collaboration, recognition, and continuous improvement.
Partner with Human Resources on organizational design, workforce strategy, talent reviews, leadership development, associate engagement, and change management.
Communicate enterprise priorities and operating expectations across corporate, client-facing, and field teams; build an integrated leadership team and shared goals and incentives across assigned functions.
Ensure operations comply with applicable laws, company policies, client and retailer requirements, and delegated authority; champion workplace safety and appropriate training, reporting, prevention, and response practices.
Oversee operational readiness, business continuity, and escalation practices for significant service, workforce, technology, client, or safety events.
Partner with Legal, Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, Security, and other functions to identify and manage operational risk.
Maintain accurate and timely executive reporting on performance, material risks, and corrective actions.
Perform other related duties as assigned; duties and responsibilities may change to support business needs.