Director of Warehouse Operations

The Senior Director, Warehouse Operations is responsible for strategic leadership, operational performance, and continuous improvement of all warehouses, inventory, logistics, warehouse purchases, warehouse systems, GMP shipping, and storeroom activities. This role provides leadership through direct oversight of warehouse operations leaders and staff, ensuring the safe, compliant, efficient, and uninterrupted flow of materials supporting manufacturing operations and customer commitments.

The Senior Director owns the strategy, governance, performance, and scalability of warehouse operations, inventory management, transportation, distribution, cold chain activities, warehouse automation, ERP/WMS platforms, and supply chain operational excellence initiatives. This position is responsible for establishing policies, standards, and business processes that drive compliance, inventory accuracy, service excellence, cost optimization, and operational readiness while supporting future growth and enterprise transformation initiatives.

This role is critical to enabling growth strategy and CDMO success, providing enterprise leadership for warehouse operations, inventory stewardship, and supply chain execution while driving a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement across the organization.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all warehouse, inventory, material flow, logistics, distribution, storage, and material management operations, ensuring uninterrupted support of manufacturing, customer commitments, and business growth.
• Lead and develop the Warehouse Operations organization, including multi-site leadership teams, fostering a culture of safety, accountability, operational excellence, employee engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Own operational performance across the warehouse network, including safety, compliance, inventory accuracy, quality, service levels, productivity, cost management, and key performance indicators.
• Establish and maintain governance for warehouse operations and inventory management, including policies, procedures, financial controls, material traceability, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead capacity planning, network optimization, labor strategy, operational readiness, and business continuity initiatives to support current and future business requirements.
• Serve as executive sponsor for warehouse technology and digital transformation initiatives, including SAP, WMS/EWM, automation, system enhancements, data integrity, analytics, and process standardization.
• Oversee transportation, logistics, and distribution strategy, including carrier management, third-party logistics providers, freight optimization, cold-chain operations, and service performance.
• Drive operational excellence and enterprise initiatives focused on productivity improvement, risk reduction, scalability, supply assurance, and cost optimization.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Procurement, Planning, Quality, Finance, Facilities, Engineering, IT, and Program Management to align supply chain capabilities with business objectives and customer needs.
• Serve as the senior warehouse and supply chain representative for executive leadership, audits, regulatory inspections, customer interactions, strategic planning, budget development, capital investments, and other business initiatives as required.

Responsibilities

• Warehouse Operations, Inventory, Logistics & Distribution Oversight
• Leadership, Talent Development & Organizational Effectiveness
• Strategy, Capacity Planning & Business Continuity
• Systems, Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence
• Compliance, Governance & Financial Stewardship
• Executive leadership & Cross-functional engagement

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Engineering, Logistics, Life Sciences, or a related field. Advanced degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) preferred. Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of education.
• 12+ years of progressive supply chain, warehouse operations, logistics, or materials management experience within a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or other regulated manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing managers and/or directors, including responsibility for multi-site operations and organizational development.
• Demonstrated experience leading warehouse operations, inventory management, material flow, transportation, distribution, and logistics functions in GMP-regulated environments.
• Proven experience developing and executing operational strategies that improve safety, compliance, service, inventory accuracy, productivity, scalability, and cost performance.
• Strong knowledge of GMP, GDP, inventory control, material traceability, warehouse compliance requirements, and regulatory inspection readiness.
• Significant experience with ERP and warehouse technology platforms, including SAP, WMS/EWM, inventory management systems, automation technologies, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale business, operational, system implementation, or organizational transformation projects.
• Experience establishing and managing KPIs, budgets, capital investments, resource planning, and operational performance metrics.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing departmental budgets, operational expenditures, capital planning, and cost optimization initiatives.
• Proven ability to influence senior leadership and drive alignment across Manufacturing, Procurement, Planning, Quality, Finance, Engineering, Facilities, IT, and other cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong analytical problem-solving, decision-making, and risk-management capabilities.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% based on business needs.