Operational Excellence Leader

Nackard Bottling Company•Flagstaff, AZ

7h•Onsite

About The Position

The Operational Excellence Leader is responsible for driving operational excellence across the company's distribution network, consisting of two warehouses with live inventory and one satellite warehouse in Northern Arizona. This position leads company-wide continuous improvement initiatives that enhance warehouse operations, delivery, inventory management, customer service, safety, and financial performance through Lean principles, Six Sigma methodologies, and data-driven decision making. The Operational Excellence Leader partners closely with Warehouse Operations, Delivery, Supply Chain, and Information Technology to standardize processes, improve operational efficiency, eliminate waste, and build a culture of continuous improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in one of the following: Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Engineering, and/or another related discipline
3–5 years of operations OPEX experience
Minimum of 3 years leading warehouse, logistics, distribution, or supply chain operation projects.
Experience managing continuous improvement initiatives across multiple facilities.
Demonstrated success implementing Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
Experience supporting transportation and delivery operations.
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
Microsoft Power BI

Nice To Haves

Beverage, food service, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or wholesale distribution experience preferred.
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (preferred)
Project Management Professional (PMP)

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the company's Operational Excellence strategy.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, Standard Work, Value Stream Mapping, and Root Cause Analysis.
Identify operational inefficiencies and implement sustainable improvements.
Standardize operating procedures across all warehouse and delivery operations.
Facilitate continuous improvement workshops and Kaizen events.
Establish governance for process improvements and operational best practices.
Promote a culture focused on safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
Provide operational excellence leadership across all warehouse functions including: Receiving, put-away, replenishment, inventory control, picking, loading, and returns Processing.
Drive improvements in inventory accuracy, warehouse productivity, labor utilization, equipment utilization, slotting optimization, order accuracy, shrink reduction and warehouse safety.
Partner with Delivery leadership to improve delivery performance through: Route optimization, driver productivity, fleet utilization, vehicle loading efficiency, delivery cost reduction, DOT compliance support, delivery safety initiatives, and delivery process standardization.
Develop performance improvement initiatives that reduce cost while maintaining exceptional customer service.
Develop and maintain operational performance metrics including: Warehouse KPIs, Transportation KPIs, and Continuous Improvement KPIs.
Analyze operational performance using data and analytics.
Develop dashboards and scorecards for executive leadership.
Conduct root cause analysis on operational issues.
Recommend process improvements based on operational trends.
Support labor planning and capacity forecasting through analytical modeling.
Lead cross-functional improvement projects.
Support implementation of new technologies and operational systems.
Drive adoption of standardized best practices.
Coach leaders through organizational change.
Develop communication and implementation plans for operational initiatives.
Serve as the company's Operational Excellence subject matter expert.
Mentor managers and supervisors in Lean leadership principles.
Deliver continuous improvement training across operations.
Foster collaboration across Warehouse, Delivery, and Supply Chain.
Champion a culture focused on continuous improvement, operational discipline, and accountability.