Sr. Director, Engineering & Facilities

Barnes & Noble is the leading book retailer in the United States, with roots dating back to 1873 and a long history of growth through innovation and expansion. Today, under CEO James Daunt and private ownership by Elliott Advisors, Barnes & Noble operates approximately 700 bookstores nationwide, serves over 700 communities across all 50 states, and maintains a robust digital presence through BN.com, NOOK® eBooks and audiobooks, and educational resources such as SparkNotes. The company also includes complementary retail brands such as Paper Source, Books Inc., Tattered Cover, and B. Dalton, further strengthening its market reach. Following a period of revitalization, Barnes & Noble is experiencing strong momentum, with plans to open approximately 60 new stores in 2026, underscoring renewed confidence in physical retail and local bookselling. Combining expansive store networks, curated selections, enhanced in-store experiences, and growing omnichannel capabilities, Barnes & Noble remains the #1 bookseller in the U.S. and a trusted, evolving partner within the publishing and retail ecosystem. The Senior Director of Engineering and Facilities provides strategic leadership and oversight of engineering, maintenance, automation, and facilities across both Distribution Centers. This role is accountable for ensuring operational reliability, safety, regulatory compliance, and scalable infrastructure to support business growth and service excellence. This role is accountable for ensuring operational reliability, safety, regulatory compliance, and scalable infrastructure to support business growth and service excellence. An employee in this position can expect an annual starting rate of $220,000 depending on experience, seniority, geographic location, and other factors permitted by law. Benefits for those who are scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week include Employee Discount, EAP and Sick Pay. For those scheduled to work between 20 and 29.99 benefits include Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay and Paid Time Off including paid Maternity and Parental Leave, Company Paid Holidays, Transit and 401(k) with Company Match. For those scheduled to work 30 hours or more benefits include Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay and Paid Time Off including paid Maternity and Parental Leave, Company Paid Holidays, 401(k) with Company Match, Comprehensive Health Benefits (Medical, Dental and Vision), Healthcare and Dependent Care Spending Accounts, Healthcare Spending Account, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Transit, and Tuition Reimbursement. All benefits provided are in accordance with the terms of the current plan and may be subject to future change. Benefits may vary depending on location/state regulations. More information can be received by the recruiter or Human Resources. What You Do Develop and execute long-term engineering and facilities strategies aligned with supply chain and corporate objectives, including modernization, automation, and growth roadmaps across multiple sites. Lead enterprise project governance and execution to ensure discipline, scope control, risk mitigation, and on-time, on-budget delivery across multi-site capital programs. Oversee capital and operating budgets, including ROI analysis, financial forecasting, and cost control to support strategic investment decisions. Lead the requirements planning and operational system configuration and workflow development for warehouse management systems. Work cross-functionally to lead the implementation of warehouse management systems, warehouse execution systems and warehouse control systems. Build and lead high‑performing engineering and facilities teams through coaching, development, and succession planning. Ensure maximum uptime and reliability of material handling equipment, automation systems, and building systems through proactive maintenance and reliability engineering. Develop and oversee an enterprise asset management framework that integrates Warehouse and Maintenance systems, lifecycle planning, and performance metrics to maximize uptime, reduce costs, and operational resilience. Establish and monitor performance KPI’s for reliability, maintenance cost control, asset performance, and project delivery; provide executive reporting and dashboards. Drive innovation in automation, sustainability, and facility optimization to improve productivity, reduce cost, and enhance service excellence. Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory, and environmental requirements across all distribution centers. Manage vendor and contractor relationships, including contract negotiations, performance management, and service delivery standards. Knowledge & Experience Extensive experience independently leading complex, multi‑site capital portfolios exceeding $250 million, with a proven track record of delivering large‑scale projects that enhance operational and business growth. Strategic thinker with deep expertise in financial planning, risk management, and change leadership, ensuring capital and operational initiatives align with long‑term business objectives. Proven ability to build and evaluate ROI models, business cases, and capital justifications. Experience partnering closely with Finance teams on investment decisions. Strong technical and operational knowledge of distribution center infrastructure, automation, and engineering, with required experience bringing new facilities and critical systems online successfully. Experience designing and implementing formal project governance frameworks. Recognized for leading large‑scale enterprise project portfolios involving automation, facilities and systems integration including setting priorities, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring successful execution across all teams and locations. Ability to map operational processes to warehouse management system workflows. Experienced in network analytics and modeling, using data‑driven insights to optimize distribution strategy, capacity, and overall network performance. High‑level executive communication, with a track record of transforming complex initiatives into clear, actionable, and board‑ready presentations. Adept at vendor management and contract negotiation, fostering a strong partnership while driving cost‑effective solutions. Data‑driven and results‑oriented, leveraging analytics to guide decisions and improve performance across the operation. On‑site role with travel required, including regular visits to our Reno facility and other locations as needed. Proven experience in defining operational requirements and leading enterprise‑wide WMS implementations across multi‑sites, translating technology investments into measurable business outcomes required. Proven leader with 15+ years of experience overseeing facilities, WMS projects, capital projects, and teams with complex, large‑scale distribution and industrial environments. Experience managing multi‑site capital portfolios with a minimum budget of 250M. Proven success delivering complex automation and infrastructure projects. Experience in designing and implementing project governance frameworks is preferred. Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent work experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr