District Operations Manager

District Operations Manager

Based in St. Louis, Core & Main is a leader in advancing reliable infrastructure™ with local service, nationwide®. As a specialty distributor with a focus on water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products and related services, Core & Main provides solutions to municipalities, private water companies and professional contractors across municipal, non-residential and residential end markets, nationwide. With over 370 locations across the U.S., the company provides its customers local expertise backed by a national supply chain. Core & Main's 5,700 associates are committed to helping their communities thrive with safe and reliable infrastructure.

Position Summary

The District Operations Manager (DOM) is a key operational leader responsible for scaling capacity, driving consistency, and strengthening operational discipline across all branches within the region. This role enhances the effectiveness of the Regional Director (RD) and District Managers (DMs) by owning critical operational processes, improving inventory integrity, and ensuring field execution of corporate initiatives. The DOM ensures every branch operates with excellence, adheres to SOPs, and maintains strong operational health — enabling DMs to spend more time with customers, talent, and growth activities.

Purpose of the Role

The DOM exists to:

• Increase operational capacity across the region
• Improve and standardize operational performance
• Ensure strong inventory control and audit readiness
• Drive adherence to SOPs, D365 processes, and operational best practices
• Support execution of national and regional initiatives
• Free the RD and DMs from tactical operational work so they can focus on strategy, customer relationships, and talent development

This role is designed to be a force multiplier — not a firefighter.

Key Responsibilities

Core Operational Ownership (Primary Responsibilities)

The DOM fully owns and leads:

• Inventory integrity, investigations, and follow-through
• SOP compliance across warehouse, receiving, and branch operations
• Cycle counts, returns processes, receiving discipline, and operational accuracy
• Branch audit preparation, execution, scoring, and corrective action plans
• D365 process compliance and troubleshooting of operational workflows
• Warehouse flow, safety standards, and operational efficiency
• Readiness and field execution for corporate and regional initiatives
• Regional operational scorecard management and reporting

Partnership Responsibilities (Supports, but does not own)

• Collaboration with DMs on operational components of sales enablement
• Branch Manager coaching around operational excellence
• Supporting training programs in coordination with the RD and corporate ops
• Helping DMs identify opportunities to improve branch efficiency and consistency

Responsibilities the DOM Does Not Own

To maintain clarity of scope and avoid dilution of mission, the DOM does not own:

• Sales performance or sales strategy
• Personnel decisions or hiring/firing
• Customer escalations unrelated to operational execution
• HR matters or employee relations
• Final decision-making authority on branch leadership issues

This clarity ensures the ROM strengthens the region rather than becoming a catch-all resource.

Operating Rhythm

Weekly

• Planned branch visits with clear objectives
• Follow-up on outstanding operational and system items
• Review inventory, returns, cycle count, and receiving scorecards
• Alignment check with DMs to synchronize priorities

Monthly

• Full operational audit or mini-audit cadence
• SOP refreshers and targeted up-training
• Readiness checks for all upcoming initiatives
• 1:1 development session with the RD

Quarterly

• Regional "Operational Health" scoring for each branch
• Alignment and reset session with RD and DMs
• Execution review against national initiatives

A disciplined rhythm ensures regional operational excellence and prevents fire-drill work patterns.

Profile of an Ideal Candidate

Key Traits

• Highly disciplined operator with a deep respect for process
• Credible, respected, and trusted in the field
• Calm under pressure with strong situational judgment
• Strong pattern recognition — able to see root causes, not just symptoms
• Coachable and able to coach others
• Naturally structured and organized
• Comfortable holding others accountable
• Teaching and instruction excellence

Experience

• Strong branch operations background (warehouse, receiving, inventory, audits)
• Demonstrated history of SOP compliance and operational consistency
• Prior leadership experience in operations-heavy environments preferred
• Experience with D365 or comparable ERP systems is an advantage
• Mincron and D365 experience

This is a specialist role — not a "mini-RD."

Reporting & Integration

• Reports directly to the Regional Director
• Works in close partnership with District Managers and Branch Managers
• Must be publicly supported and positioned clearly in the chain: RVP → RD → DM → DOM
• DOM does not direct or override District Managers; they operate through the RD.
• Empowered to enforce operational standards consistently across the region

Integration expectations:

• DOM is not sent into branches without context
• DOM is not used as a hammer
• Messaging is aligned with RD before visits
• DMs understand the DOM increases their capacity — not their oversight

Success Measures

Success in the ROM role is reflected through:

• Improved inventory accuracy and audit scores
• Increased SOP and D365 compliance across branches
• More consistent operational performance across the region
• Stronger execution of initiatives with fewer delays and re-work
• Reduced operational issues requiring RD or DM involvement
• Higher overall "Operational Health" scores

$97,172.13 - $138,817.33 per year

Core & Main is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Employment at Core & Main is based solely on a person's merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. Core & Main does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, citizenship, or any other basis protected by law.

None of the questions in this application are intended to elicit information regarding any protected characteristics, nor imply any limitation, illegal preferences or discrimination based upon non-job-related information or protected characteristics.

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