Distribution Manager

We are ZimVie , a global life sciences leader focused on restoring daily life by advancing clinical technology to improve patients’ smiles, function, and confidence. Our company is founded on a legacy of trusted brands, products, and clinical evidence made possible through an inclusive and collaborative culture that empowers our team members to bring their whole selves – their best selves – to work every day to accomplish our Mission. Together, our dedicated, diverse global team is shaping an exciting future for ZimVie — we hope you’ll consider being a part of it!

Job Summary:

The Distribution Manager, North America is responsible for leading ZimVie’s North America distribution and fulfillment operations, ensuring safe, compliant, efficient, and customer-focused execution across distribution, inventory control, receiving, order fulfillment, shipping, and related warehouse activities.

This role provides leadership and direction to the Distribution and Inventory Control teams and is accountable for achieving customer service, inventory accuracy, quality, productivity, cost, and operational performance objectives. The Distribution Manager will establish priorities, allocate resources, monitor performance, develop team capabilities, and ensure appropriate controls and processes are in place to support reliable execution within a regulated medical device environment.

The position will partner closely with Customer Service, Supply Chain Planning, Trade Compliance, Quality, Finance, Sourcing, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Commercial, and other functional teams to ensure product is received, controlled, stored, and distributed accurately and efficiently while meeting customer requirements and ZimVie Quality System, GMP/GDP, EHS, SOX, and other applicable regulatory and compliance requirements.

The Distribution Manager will also lead continuous improvement initiatives to increase productivity, improve inventory accuracy, optimize warehouse processes and capacity, reduce operating costs, strengthen controls, and support the evolving needs of ZimVie’ s North America business.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead North America distribution center operations, including receiving, put-away, storage, inventory control, picking, packing, shipping, returns, material transfers, and other fulfillment activities.

• Provide leadership and direction to Distribution and Inventory Control leadership and teams, establishing clear objectives, priorities, responsibilities, and performance expectations.

• Ensure customer orders are processed accurately and on time while meeting established service, quality, productivity, and compliance requirements.

• Establish and monitor key distribution and inventory performance indicators, including service levels, order fulfillment performance, productivity, inventory accuracy, cycle count performance, shipping accuracy, quality performance, and other operational metrics.

• Develop capacity, staffing, and resource plans to support expected business volumes, service requirements, product launches, peak periods, and changing business needs.

• Ensure effective inventory control processes and governance, including cycle counting, physical inventory, inventory adjustments, reconciliation, discrepancy investigation, inventory audits, and root-cause corrective actions.

• Ensure appropriate management of expired and near-expired inventory, returns, RMA activities, product disposition, and other inventory-related processes in accordance with applicable procedures and controls.

• Maintain effective warehouse controls to ensure accurate receipt, storage, movement, and shipment of finished goods and other materials.

• Ensure distribution operations comply with ZimVie Quality System requirements, GMP/GDP requirements, EHS standards, SOX controls, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

• Partner with Quality to investigate distribution-related deviations, customer complaints, audit observations, and process issues and ensure appropriate corrective and preventive actions are implemented.

• Support internal, external, Quality, Finance, and regulatory audits related to distribution and inventory operations and ensure timely resolution of findings.

• Partner with Logistics and transportation providers, including parcel, freight, and other carriers, to support reliable service, resolve operational issues, and improve transportation performance.

• Provide operational oversight of third-party logistics distribution partners, ensuring performance against established service, quality, compliance, inventory accuracy, cost, and operational expectations. Partner with the 3PL and internal cross-functional teams to resolve performance issues, drive continuous improvement, and ensure alignment with ZimVie requirements.

• Ensure approved shipping methods, carrier accounts, processes, and controls are consistently followed.

• Partner with Customer Service and Commercial teams to identify and resolve fulfillment issues affecting customers and proactively communicate significant service risks.

• Collaborate with Supply Chain Planning, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Quality, Regulatory, Marketing, and other functions to support product launches, phase-outs, inventory initiatives, supply priorities, and other cross-functional business requirements.

• Develop and manage the distribution operating budget and identify opportunities to improve productivity, optimize resources, and reduce operating costs while maintaining required service and quality levels.

• Identify, prioritize, and lead continuous improvement initiatives across warehouse, fulfillment, inventory, and distribution processes using Lean and operational excellence principles where appropriate.

• Drive standardization, process discipline, root-cause problem solving, and sustainable corrective actions to eliminate recurring operational issues.

• Identify opportunities to improve warehouse layout, material flow, space utilization, technology, automation, systems, and operating processes.

• Leverage ERP systems, reporting, data, and operational analytics to improve visibility, decision-making, controls, and distribution performance.

• Establish a culture of safety, quality, customer focus, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

• Lead organizational development for the Distribution and Inventory Control teams, including selection, onboarding, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and development of employees and frontline leaders.

• Ensure employees receive appropriate training and remain current on required procedures, Quality Systems, GMP/GDP, EHS, systems, and job-specific requirements.

• Develop supervisors and other key team members to strengthen leadership capability, operational ownership, problem solving, and succession readiness.

• Communicate operational performance, risks, priorities, and corrective actions effectively to Supply Chain and business leadership.

• Serve as the primary North America distribution point of contact for significant operational issues and lead escalation and recovery activities when service, inventory, quality, or operational performance is at risk.

Expected Areas of Competence (i.e., knowledge, skills, and abilities)

• Strong knowledge of distribution center and fulfillment operations, including receiving, warehousing, inventory control, order fulfillment, shipping, returns, and material movement.

•Strong understanding of inventory management and control processes, including cycle counting, physical inventory, reconciliation, inventory adjustments, traceability, expiry management, and audit controls.

•Demonstrated ability to lead distribution and inventory organizations through frontline supervisors and other leaders.

•Strong customer-service orientation with the ability to balance service, quality, compliance, cost, inventory, and productivity requirements.

•Knowledge of Quality Systems, GMP/GDP, EHS, SOX controls, and regulatory requirements applicable to medical device or other regulated distribution environments.

•Strong operational and financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, labor productivity, capacity, operating expenses, and performance metrics.

•Demonstrated continuous improvement and problem-solving capability, including root-cause analysis, corrective action development, process standardization, and implementation follow-up.

•Ability to analyze operational data, identify trends and performance gaps, and translate findings into clear actions and priorities.

•Strong knowledge of ERP, warehouse, inventory, and business systems; experience working with Oracle or similar enterprise systems preferred.

•Strong leadership and talent-development skills, with demonstrated ability to coach supervisors, build effective teams, manage performance, and create accountability.

•Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and ability to work effectively with Customer Service, Planning, Logistics, Quality, Finance, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Regulatory, Commercial, and other business functions.

•Strong communication skills with the ability to communicate operational issues, risks, priorities, and recommendations clearly to employees, peers, and senior leadership.

•Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, make timely decisions, and lead teams through changing business requirements.

•Strong ownership, urgency, judgment, organization, and follow-through.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Typically requires bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations Management, Business, Industrial Engineering, or a related field preferred, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in distribution, logistics, warehousing, inventory management, supply chain operations, or related functions preferred.

• Minimum 3 years of people leadership experience, including experience managing supervisors or other frontline leaders.

• Demonstrated experience managing high-volume, high-mix distribution or fulfillment operations.

• Experience with inventory control, cycle counting, physical inventory, warehouse controls, and inventory reconciliation required.

• Experience managing operational KPIs, labor/resources, budgets, and continuous improvement initiatives required.

• Experience with ERP and distribution/inventory systems required; Oracle experience preferred.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in medical devices, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, or another FDA-regulated environment strongly preferred.

• Experience managing distribution operations supporting domestic and international shipments, including coordination with Trade Compliance and Logistics.

• Lean, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, APICS/ASCM, or other relevant supply chain certification or training preferred.

• Experience implementing warehouse process improvements, technology, automation, or distribution-system enhancements.

• Experience operating within SOX-controlled inventory environments.

• Demonstrated experience developing supervisors and building high-performing operational teams.

• Experience supporting product launches, portfolio transitions, inventory optimization initiatives, and significant changes in business volume or operating requirements.

Travel Requirements

Up to 10-15% may be required for site visits, implementation workshops, stakeholder alignment, or training sessions.

ZimVie is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants for employment and employment decisions, including hiring, promotion, transfer, demotion, evaluation, compensation, and separation, are considered without regard to race, color, religion, religious beliefs, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, gender/sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, lactation and breastfeeding), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military status, protected veteran status, disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.

• Requisition ID : 3667