Sr. Director, Distribution Americas

Senior Director, Distribution Operations – Americas

Aftermarket Automotive Industry

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Distribution Operations is responsible for leading and optimizing a multi-country distribution network across the Americas region supporting the aftermarket automotive business. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for eight distribution centers located across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, ensuring world-class service, operational excellence, cost efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction.

The Senior Director will lead regional distribution strategy, warehouse operations, transportation coordination, inventory flow, labor productivity, continuous improvement initiatives, and cross-functional alignment with supply chain, commercial, finance, quality, and human resources teams. This leader will drive standardized operational processes while balancing regional business and regulatory requirements across multiple countries.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead all distribution center operations across the Americas region, including:
• 4 distribution centers in the United States
• 1 distribution center in Mexico
• 1 distribution center in Canada
• 1 distribution center in Argentina
• Develop and execute regional distribution strategies aligned with business growth, customer expectations, and operational performance goals.
• Ensure consistent execution of safety, quality, delivery, inventory accuracy, and productivity standards across all locations.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives focused on warehouse optimization, throughput, labor efficiency, and cost reduction.
• Establish and maintain standardized operating procedures and best practices across all facilities.

Supply Chain & Customer Service

• Partner closely with supply planning, transportation, procurement, and customer service teams to ensure high service levels and on-time delivery performance.
• Monitor inventory flow and warehouse capacity to support changing customer demand and business requirements.
• Lead initiatives to improve order fulfillment accuracy, cycle time, and overall customer experience.
• Support business continuity planning and risk mitigation across the distribution network.

Financial & Performance Management

• Own regional distribution operating budgets, capital planning, and cost management initiatives.
• Analyze operational metrics and financial performance to identify improvement opportunities and drive accountability.
• Lead KPI management including:
• Safety performance
• On-time shipping
• Inventory accuracy
• Productivity and labor efficiency
• Freight and warehousing costs
• Develop and execute long-term distribution network optimization strategies.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of distribution leaders and functional support staff across multiple countries and cultures.
• Build organizational capability through succession planning, talent development, and leadership coaching.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
• Ensure compliance with all labor laws, company policies, and regulatory requirements within each country.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies throughout the distribution network.
• Lead automation, warehouse technology, and systems improvement initiatives including WMS optimization and digital operational tools.
• Drive standardization and scalability across the regional distribution footprint.
• Support integration activities related to acquisitions, expansions, or operational restructuring initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations Management, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in distribution, logistics, or supply chain operations within a manufacturing or aftermarket automotive environment.
• Multi-site leadership experience across international operations required.
• Strong knowledge of warehouse operations, transportation, inventory management, and distribution systems.
• Experience leading operations in North and South America preferred.
• Demonstrated success driving operational transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing large operational budgets.
• Proven leadership capability in developing high-performing teams across diverse geographies and cultures.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and executive presentation skills.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 40–50%.

Preferred Experience

• Aftermarket automotive distribution experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with warehouse management systems (WMS), ERP systems, and automation technologies.