Director of Operations

Director of OperationsUniverse - Jurupa Valley, CA 91752Salary Range $150,000.00 - $190,000.00 Salary/year Position Type Full-Time/Part-Time Job Shift Day Travel Percentage Up to 50%DescriptionThe Director of Operations serves as a strategic and tactical business partner to the President/CEO and executive leadership team, providing leadership, direction, and operational oversight for the company's multi-site third-party logistics (3PL) operations in California and Ohio.This position has overall responsibility for driving operational excellence, financial performance, customer satisfaction, workforce productivity, safety, quality, and continuous improvement across multiple warehouse and distribution locations. The role provides leadership to site management teams while establishing consistent operating standards, performance expectations, accountability systems, and best practices across the organization.The position works closely with executive leadership, customers, Human Resources, Finance, Sales/Business Development, Information Technology, Safety, and other support functions to ensure operational strategies align with the company's financial and business objectives.This role requires a leader who can operate effectively at both the strategic and tactical levels. The individual must be comfortable developing long-term operational strategies while maintaining a hands-on understanding of day-to-day warehouse activities, customer requirements, labor needs, financial performance, and operational challenges.Responsibilities include oversight of complex customer planning and forecasting, labor and workforce planning, warehouse operations, new customer implementations, facility launches, process improvement initiatives, and the development of high-performing management teams across multiple locations.The position requires frequent travel between company locations and customer sites in California and Ohio, as well as other locations as business needs require.Essential Duties:Strategic Leadership & Business PlanningExecute and operationalize strategic business plans established by the President/CEO and Board of Directors.Translate company objectives into clear operational goals, initiatives, timelines, and measurable performance expectations for each site.Develop and recommend operational strategies that support revenue growth, profitability, customer retention, cost reduction, productivity, quality, safety, and scalability.Partner with executive leadership in developing short- and long-term operational plans based on business forecasts, customer requirements, market conditions, labor availability, facility capacity, and financial objectives.Identify operational opportunities and risks that may impact the company's financial performance, customer relationships, workforce, or ability to meet business objectives.Provide executive leadership with timely information, analysis, recommendations, and escalation of significant operational issues.Participate in strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, business reviews, and organizational planning.Evaluate current operating models and recommend changes necessary to support growth, new business, customer requirements, and changing market conditions.Assist executive leadership with strategic business development opportunities that may affect operational capacity, facility requirements, labor requirements, technology, and profitability.Multi-Site, Multi-State, Operations ManagementProvide direct operational oversight and leadership for multiple warehouse and distribution facilities across California and Ohio.Establish consistent operational standards, expectations, and accountability across all locations while recognizing customer-specific and site-specific requirements.Provide direction, coaching, and support to General Managers, Site Managers, Operations Managers, and other operational leaders.Hold site leadership accountable for achieving established operational, financial, safety, quality, productivity, and customer service objectives.Regularly visit operating locations to evaluate performance, observe processes, identify opportunities, and provide leadership support.Maintain a hands-on understanding of warehouse activities, customer requirements, staffing levels, labor utilization, equipment, inventory flow, productivity, and operational constraints.Establish appropriate management structures, staffing models, reporting relationships, and accountability systems for each facility.Ensure appropriate operational coverage and leadership succession plans are maintained at each location.Standardize operating practices and identify opportunities to leverage successful processes from one facility across the broader organization.Must maintain a clean driving record, valid drivers license and proof of current insurance at all times throughout the course of employment.Financial & Operational PerformanceTake ownership of operational performance against established financial and business objectives.Partner with Finance and site leadership to develop annual budgets, labor budgets, operating forecasts, and financial projections.Review and analyze facility-level financial performance, including labor costs, overtime, productivity, operating expenses, revenue, margins, and other key performance indicators.Monitor actual performance against budget and forecast and develop corrective action plans when performance is outside established targets.Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary costs while maintaining customer service, quality, safety, and operational performance.Analyze labor utilization and workforce costs to ensure staffing levels are aligned with customer volume and operational requirements.Review overtime, temporary labor, absenteeism, turnover, productivity, and other workforce-related expenses.Develop and implement cost-reduction initiatives with measurable financial results.Ensure operational decisions consider both customer requirements and the financial impact to the company.Prepare and present operational and financial reports, forecasts, budgets, and performance updates to executive leadership.Labor & Workforce ManagementProvide strategic direction for workforce planning across all assigned facilities.Develop labor strategies based on customer forecasts, volume fluctuations, seasonality, staffing requirements, productivity expectations, and facility capacity.Partner with Human Resources and staffing providers, including Staffmark, Voyage, and other workforce partners, to ensure appropriate staffing levels and workforce availability.Establish appropriate staffing models and labor plans for new and existing customers.Monitor employee and associate attendance, turnover, retention, productivity, overtime, and staffing levels.Identify labor trends and implement corrective action when workforce performance or staffing levels do not meet operational requirements.Establish expectations for workforce accountability, attendance, productivity, safety, conduct, and adherence to company policies.Ensure management teams effectively communicate expectations to employees and temporary associates.Partner with Human Resources regarding employee relations, performance management, disciplinary matters, investigations, and policy interpretation.Support the development and implementation of workforce retention strategies and employee engagement initiatives.Ensure staffing agencies and temporary labor partners understand and adhere to established operational expectations and company requirements.Customer Management & Account PerformanceEstablish and maintain strong operational relationships with key customers.Partner with Sales and Business Development during customer acquisition, implementation, expansion, and renewal activities.Participate in customer business reviews and operational performance meetings as required.Ensure customer requirements, service-level agreements, key performance indicators, and contractual obligations are clearly understood and consistently executed.Review customer forecasts and volume projections to ensure operational readiness.Identify potential service issues before they become customer-impacting problems and establish appropriate corrective actions.Support the resolution of escalated customer issues and provide executive-level communication when necessary.Ensure site leadership maintains appropriate communication with customers regarding operational performance, staffing, capacity, quality, and service concerns.Identify opportunities to expand existing customer relationships through improved service, additional capabilities, operational efficiencies, or increased capacity.New Customer & New Facility ImplementationPartner with executive leadership and cross-functional departments in launching new customers, warehouse locations, vendors, and operational programs.Develop and oversee implementation plans, including staffing, training, equipment, systems, processes, facility readiness, and customer requirements.Establish implementation timelines, milestones, responsibilities, and performance expectations.Ensure operational readiness prior to customer launch or facility opening.Coordinate with Human Resources, Finance, IT, Safety, Procurement, Sales, and other departments during implementations.Identify implementation risks and develop contingency plans.Conduct post-launch reviews to evaluate performance, identify gaps, and implement corrective actions.Ensure lessons learned from implementations are documented and incorporated into future launches.Continuous Improvement & Operational ExcellenceDrive a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization.Continually evaluate warehouse processes, labor utilization, workflows, systems, and operating procedures to identify opportunities for improvement.Develop and implement process improvement initiatives focused on productivity, labor efficiency, quality, safety, cost reduction, and