Operations Manager - Multi-Site 3PL / Food-Grade Warehousing

Operations Manager – Multi-Site 3PL / Food-Grade Warehousing

Location: East Side of Indianapolis, IN
Work Setting: Multi-Site / On-Site
Travel: Regular travel between four warehouse facilities

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to oversee operations across four food-grade, third-party logistics (3PL) warehouse facilities on the east side of Indianapolis .

This role will be responsible for operational performance across receiving, storage, inventory, fulfillment, shipping, labor productivity, safety, food-grade compliance, customer service, and cost control.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, data-driven multi-site warehouse leader who has experience managing 3PL, food-grade, distribution, manufacturing, or regulated warehouse operations. This person should be comfortable developing site leaders, standardizing processes across multiple facilities, managing customer requirements, improving productivity, and maintaining audit-ready operations.

Key ResponsibilitiesMulti-Site Operations Leadership

• Direct daily warehouse operations across four facilities, including receiving, put-away, storage, inventory control, order fulfillment, shipping, and value-added services.

• Establish consistent SOPs, operating standards, KPIs, and accountability across all locations.

• Conduct regular site visits, operational reviews, safety observations, and leadership meetings.

• Balance labor, equipment, warehouse space, and workload across facilities.

• Lead, coach, and develop site managers, supervisors, and team leads.

• Support new customer implementations, operational transitions, and business growth initiatives.

• Standardize best practices and drive consistent execution across all locations.

Food Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Maintain clean, safe, secure, and audit-ready food-grade warehouse facilities.

• Ensure compliance with applicable FDA, OSHA, FSMA, GMP, sanitation, pest-control, allergen-management, and customer-specific requirements .

• Partner with Quality and Safety teams to maintain required records, training, corrective actions, and inspection readiness.

• Lead or support customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.

• Investigate safety, quality, inventory, and service incidents and ensure corrective actions are completed.

• Promote a strong culture of food safety, employee safety, and continuous improvement.

Customer & 3PL Operations

• Serve as a senior operational contact for assigned customers.

• Ensure customer SLAs, contractual requirements, shipping schedules, and inventory standards are consistently met.

• Lead customer business reviews and communicate performance, risks, and corrective actions.

• Coordinate with transportation providers, customer teams, vendors, and internal departments.

• Support pricing, labor modeling, capacity planning, and operational scope reviews.

Financial & Performance Management

• Manage operating budgets, labor costs, overtime, supplies, equipment, and facility expenses.

• Monitor KPIs including:

  • Safety

  • Order and shipment accuracy

  • Inventory accuracy

  • On-time shipping

  • Labor productivity

  • Overtime

  • Cost per unit

  • Space utilization

  • Damage and claims

  • Customer service levels

  • Audit findings and corrective-action closure

• Analyze operational data to identify trends, constraints, and improvement opportunities.

• Implement Lean and continuous-improvement initiatives that improve productivity and reduce costs without compromising safety or quality.

• Provide operational forecasts, reports, and performance updates to senior leadership.

People Leadership

• Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and customer focus.

• Partner with HR on recruiting, onboarding, retention, attendance, employee relations, and workforce planning.

• Ensure employees receive appropriate safety, food-handling, equipment, and job-specific training.

• Develop succession plans and build a strong leadership bench across all four facilities.

• Manage performance issues consistently and in accordance with company policies.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive warehouse, distribution, logistics, or operations experience.

• 3+ years of management experience supervising warehouse supervisors, managers, team leads, and hourly employees.

• Experience managing multiple warehouse facilities, large-scale operations, or multiple customer accounts .

• Experience in 3PL, food-grade, food & beverage, consumer products, manufacturing, distribution, or another regulated warehousing environment .

• Working knowledge of food-grade warehousing standards, GMPs, sanitation programs, and audit requirements .

• Strong knowledge of WMS, inventory control, labor planning, warehouse KPIs, and operational reporting .

• Demonstrated success managing budgets, labor costs, productivity, and continuous-improvement initiatives.

• Strong customer-management, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, reporting tools, and warehouse management technology.

• Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly between four east-side Indianapolis facilities.

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.