Quality & Process Improvement Manager

Grocery Outlet Career•Emeryville, CA

11d•$125,000 - $145,000

About The Position

Reporting to the VP of Supply Chain Operations, the Quality & Process Improvement Manager is a newly created role designed to elevate the quality and operational consistency of our distribution centers. This leader will partner with DC field operations leadership to develop, implement and govern a network-wide quality assurance program, build robust process standards and strengthen inventory control procedures and reconciliation measures. You will be responsible for root causing quality defects and pre-receipt defects within the operation and analyzing operating methods and procedures to identify gaps in inventory control and quality assurance. In this role, you will determine the appropriate methods and problem-solving tools to use to implement new practices/procedures and will get the opportunity to implement innovative and creative ways to achieve desired results while collaborating across multiple operational departments to drive quality goals and meet inventory control metrics.

Requirements

10+ years of warehouse or distribution center operations experience, preferably in a leadership role overseeing quality, inventory control, or process improvement.
Strong working knowledge of warehouse equipment, safety protocols, workflow processes, and inventory management practices.
In-depth understanding of food safety handling, regulatory compliance, and warehouse safety standards.
Experience with WMS platforms; ability to interpret data and use systems to drive process improvements.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence leaders at all levels.
Excellent presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
Experience building quality systems from the ground up.
Ability to travel 15–20%.

Nice To Haves

Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen and/or process engineering experience strongly preferred.
Experience in grocery, food distribution, or high-volume DC environments.
Experience supporting change management in multi-site operations.

Responsibilities

Design, implement and maintain a comprehensive quality system across all DC’s inclusive of SOP’s, standard work, audit procedures and routines and corrective action processes.
Lead improvements within inbound receipts, bin and location accuracy, order cancels, and other quality indicators identified through process audits, while also identifying and escalating vendor trends in pre-receipt defects and damages.
Establish quality standards for order selection accuracy, product/food safety handling and regulatory compliance.
Build and execute a network-wide audit program on outbound store orders, partner with DC site leadership teams to identify and action areas of opportunity and provide reporting on trends and improvement activities with key stakeholders and senior leadership.
Partner with DC site leadership teams to strengthen inventory control processes, including cycle counts, root-cause analysis for discrepancies, slotting accuracy, shrink reduction, and reconciliation workflows.
Implement KPIs and reporting mechanisms for inventory accuracy, shrink, damage, and overall product integrity.
Serve as a subject matter expert for quality, inventory control, and process improvement across the network.