Vice President of Operational Excellence

Operations Opportunities with ODW Logistics•Columbus, OH

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

ODW Logistics is a people-focused and customer-driven third-party logistics (3PL) provider committed to delivering seamless end-to-end supply chain solutions. Our extensive range of services include supply chain design and innovation, warehousing, efficient distribution and fulfillment, freight brokerage, transportation management, and specialized e-commerce fulfillment solutions.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive leadership experience in advanced 3PL, distribution, fulfillment, warehouse operations, industrial engineering, or supply chain technology environments, including responsibility for complex multi-client facilities and automation-enabled operations.
Bachelors in engineering, supply chain preferred.
Demonstrated success leading the evaluation, business case development, design, implementation, startup, and optimization of advanced warehouse automation, robotics, and operational technology across greenfield and brownfield operations.
Deep working knowledge of the full warehouse automation stack—from WMS and WES orchestration through WCS, PLC controls, robotics, material-handling equipment, data architecture, integration, cybersecurity coordination, and ongoing operational optimization; WCS-only experience is not sufficient.
Experience integrating multiple automation technologies and vendors through a common software, controls, data, and operating model, with the ability to translate technical architecture into safe, reliable, customer-aligned operating performance.
Strong financial and commercial acumen, including automation ROI modeling, capital prioritization, lifecycle cost analysis, vendor selection, contract considerations, and the ability to ensure solutions remain adaptable as customer requirements and volumes change.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and functions.
Demonstrated record of personal drive, urgency, persistence, and accountability, with success partnering directly with Operations teams to convert analysis and ideas into measurable, sustained cost reductions and productivity improvements.
Strong strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities, with experience in managing change and driving organizational growth.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, meet deadlines, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the enterprise operational excellence roadmap for a multi-client 3PL network, aligning safety, quality, service, cost, productivity, inventory accuracy, and customer commitments with company growth and profitability objectives.
Lead labor standards, engineered methods, capacity planning, slotting, layout design, material flow, automation evaluation, and productivity analytics to optimize people, processes, systems, space, and equipment across warehouse operations.
Establish network-wide preventive and predictive maintenance, asset lifecycle, spare-parts, contractor, and reliability programs that improve equipment uptime, facility readiness, and total cost of ownership.
Champion a proactive safety culture and governance system that strengthens hazard identification, regulatory compliance, training, incident prevention, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and site-level accountability.
Provide executive leadership for customer service standards, service-level performance, issue escalation, recovery planning, and cross-functional communication to ensure customer expectations and contractual commitments are consistently met.
Develop and govern the quality management system, including standard operating procedures, process controls, audits, corrective and preventive actions, claims reduction, and customer-specific compliance requirements.
Build a disciplined, data-driven continuous improvement program using Lean, root-cause problem solving, standard work, performance management, and employee engagement to reduce waste and variation while improving throughput, accuracy, and cost.
Lead the project management office and governance cadence for customer implementations, facility startups, automation, systems deployments, capital projects, and strategic initiatives, ensuring clear ownership, risk management, budget control, timely execution, and sustainable handoff to operations.
Establish network standards for inventory accuracy, cycle counting, reconciliation, root-cause analysis, shrink prevention, system and physical inventory alignment, and customer reporting.
Create a common operating cadence and KPI framework across sites, using actionable analytics, tiered reviews, and visual management to identify gaps, assign ownership, and sustain improvements.
Partner with Operations, Solutions Engineering, Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Sales, and customers to ensure operating solutions are safe, scalable, contractually aligned, and executable.
Serve as a highly engaged partner to site and regional Operations leaders, identifying, prioritizing, and implementing new efficiencies that reduce operating cost while protecting safety, quality, service, and customer commitments. Build and maintain a quantified cost-out pipeline, establish clear ownership and timelines, remove execution barriers, and validate that improvements are adopted and sustained across the network.
Build, coach, and develop high-performing functional leaders and teams; clarify decision rights and accountability; and lead change management that embeds new standards and capabilities across the organization.
Develop and execute ODW’s enterprise warehouse automation and operational technology strategy across existing, greenfield, and brownfield operations, ensuring solutions are safe, scalable, configurable, and commercially sound for a multi-client 3PL environment.
Provide enterprise leadership for the full warehouse technology stack, including WMS integration, WES orchestration, WCS, PLC controls, equipment interfaces, real-time operational command centers, and the coordinated flow of labor, inventory, orders, robotics, and automated equipment.
Develop and execute the company’s robotics strategy, including AMRs, AGVs, goods-to-person and goods-to-cart systems, robotic picking, put walls, palletizing, depalletizing, singulation, sortation, and automated trailer loading and unloading, with emphasis on integrated operating models rather than isolated point solutions.
Lead the evaluation, design, deployment, and optimization of AS/RS, shuttle and cube-storage systems, vertical lift modules, automated pallet storage, high-speed conveyor and sortation, automated packaging, labeling, dimensioning and manifesting, and light-, voice-, and vision-directed workflows.
Advance the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, autonomous inventory technologies, dynamic slotting and replenishment, predictive order release, workflow optimization, quality inspection, predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and autonomous cycle counting to improve productivity, service, quality, safety, and asset utilization.
Establish enterprise capabilities in digital-twin modeling, discrete-event simulation, capacity and throughput analysis, virtual commissioning, automation emulation, stress and failure-mode testing, predictive maintenance, and post-implementation performance optimization.
Create modular automation solutions that adapt to changing customers, SKU profiles, volumes, operating parameters, service commitments, and contract structures; build business cases and governance processes that deliver measurable gains in labor productivity, capacity, service, quality, safety, and return on invested capital.