Director of Warehouse Operations

This is a newly created Director-level role and one of the most strategically important hires in the DC this year. As Director of Warehouse Operations, you will serve as the lead of the Warehouse Commercial Operations pillar — the fourth operational pillar alongside Inbound/Receiving, Wholesale Outbound, and Direct Outbound. You report directly to Nate Wadsworth, VP of Warehouse Operations, and you are his single counterpart for every cross-functional partnership the DC runs: Sales, Marketing, eCommerce, Systems, Finance, HR, and Carriers. Your mandate is to break the VP-bottleneck problem — absorbing the commercial, systems, capacity, and cross-functional workload so Nate can stay focused on strategic direction and operational leadership across all four pillars. You will lead two direct reports: Braden Buckley (Customer Logistics & Transportation Manager) and a Warehouse Operations Manager — Sales & Marketing Operations (currently open). You will build the infrastructure and operating cadence that underpins how a DC runs commercially and operationally at scale. RESPONSIBILITIES Warehouse Commercial Operations Pillar Lead and develop two direct reports; hold them accountable to their functional lanes while building their capabilities Own all commercial operations standards across the DC — SOPs, carrier contracts execution, compliance standards, customer routing guide adherence Cross-Functional Partnerships (DC's External-Facing Lead) Single DC point of contact for Sales, Marketing, eCommerce, Systems (Matt Ramirez), Finance, and HR Own the DC's calendar of cross-functional commitments — product launches, promotions, campaign inventory positioning, retailer windows Translate commercial and marketing plans into executable DC operating plans; keep Nate informed but not in the weeds WMS Reliability + Productivity Engineering Partner with Systems (Matt Ramirez) on WMS uptime, enhancement prioritization, slotting logic, and productivity dashboards Own the DC's technology roadmap inputs — bring operational context to every systems conversation Drive UPH benchmarking, labor analytics, and productivity improvement initiatives at the infrastructure level DC Capacity + S&OP Inputs Own the DC's input to the S&OP process — translate demand signals into capacity commitments, flag constraints, and represent the warehouse in planning reviews Partner with Demand Planning and Inventory teams to ensure DC capacity is aligned with commercial plans Commercial Operations Standards Own carrier relationship management alongside Braden Buckley (transportation execution) Drive cost-per-unit improvements across the DC through engineering, routing, and vendor partnerships Own the DC's scorecard — KPIs, reporting cadence, and executive-ready operational visibility QUALIFICATIONS Experience 7+ years in distribution center, fulfillment, or supply chain operations, with a clear progression from floor-level accountability into leadership 3+ years managing managers or senior individual contributors in a fast-moving DC environment Proven experience owning cross-functional partnerships at the Director level — you've been the person Sales, Marketing, and Finance call when they need the warehouse to execute something complex Experience with WMS platforms (Deposco, Manhattan, NetSuite WMS, or comparable); you don't need to be an admin, but you need to drive the partnership with systems teams Background in omni-channel fulfillment — both retail/wholesale (routing guide compliance, EDI, LTL/TL) and DTC/eCommerce (each-level pick, carrier tender, SLA management) Skills Strong communicator — equally effective on the floor with supervisors and in the boardroom with VPs Data-oriented operator — you build and use dashboards, not just read them Proven capacity planner — you've participated in S&OP cycles and held the DC's seat at the table Builder mentality — this role has significant scope-creation opportunity; you'll write your own playbook Low ego, high accountability — you run the commercial operations infrastructure; the lane leads run the floor Natural translator between commercial and operational worlds — you convert a Sales launch plan into a pick sequence change without losing either side in translation Urgency without chaos — you maintain composure when the DC is at capacity and a retailer just emailed a routing guide update ABOUT THE ROLE Scope: You are not running one fulfillment lane — you are running the commercial infrastructure of the entire DC and serving as the VP's operational counterpart across every external partnership Visibility: Direct line to the VP with cross-functional exposure to Sales, Marketing, and the C-suite Impact: A business ships everything through Ogden; what you build matters immediately Team: Nate Wadsworth is a builder-leader; this role was created because the business outgrew the structure, not as a replacement search HydroJug, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diverse backgrounds and are committed to building an inclusive environment. ABOUT HYDROJUG, INC. HydroJug, Inc. is a consumer brand headquartered in Ogden, Utah, designing and selling premium hydration and lifestyle products through direct-to-consumer and major retail channels. #J-18808-Ljbffr