Operations Excellence Manager

Americold•Fort Smith, AR

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

This role provides engineering and project support to Americold facilities, focusing on driving labor productivity and inventory control improvements. The manager will leverage engineered labor standards, implement performance-based incentives, and lead continuous improvement initiatives. Responsibilities include monitoring site performance through dashboards, identifying issues, and driving corrective actions. The role involves developing and maintaining time-studied standards, calculating and implementing performance incentives, and ensuring proper change management for sustained project success. Training operations teams on labor management, inventory control, and process improvement tools is also a key function. The manager will evaluate and recommend process improvements, assess material handling equipment needs, and stay updated on warehousing technology. Developing project scopes, specifications, and estimates, conducting audits, and assisting with productivity and cost reduction efforts are also part of the role. The position owns 5 Habits and labor management system performance improvements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Industrial Engineering or equivalent degree, such as Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or Logistics, is required.
3+ years of work experience in Industrial Engineering or combined equivalent experience with a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering or related field.
Experience in developing engineered labor standards.
Continuous improvement experience and knowledge of CI methodologies required.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally.
Must be able to utilize problem-solving techniques to identify root causes of failures and solutions to meet targets.
Strong business planning and analytical skills, including market intelligence, metrics, and financial analysis.
Must be self-motivated and self-directing.
Knowledge of distribution center/logistics concepts – understanding of warehousing best practices.
Willingness to travel 50 – 75%.

Nice To Haves

Experience within the distribution/warehouse/logistics industry preferred.
Proficient in RF Scanning and Warehouse Management Systems preferred.
Experience in semi and fully automated material handling systems a plus.
Ability to drive decision-making through data and relevant business metrics.
Ability to resolve problems in a timely manner with little or no supervision.
Ability to manage a project portfolio of varying priorities and impact value.
Strong computer skills including SQL, Power B.I, MS Office and MSD/MOST experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Leverage dashboards to monitor site-level labor, inventory, and service performance, identify issues, and drive corrective actions across all assigned sites.
Identify and drive productivity improvement, process enhancement, and inventory control initiatives through continuous improvement projects.
Develop, validate, and maintain time-studied standards.
Calculate and implement performance incentives.
Ensure proper change management to sustain assigned projects.
Provide training to operations teams on labor management, inventory control, process improvement tools, and associated systems.
Evaluate and make recommendations for process improvements.
Evaluate material handling equipment requirements as needed.
Keep abreast of the latest technology in warehousing and evaluate for applications.
Develop project scopes, specifications, and estimates as needed.
Conduct audits and comparative site analyses to ensure compliance, identify performance gaps, and establish benchmarks for inventory control excellence.
Assist with improving productivity and reducing costs.
Create scheduling tools to capture work content.
Own 5 Habits and labor management system performance improvements.