Director Of Warehousing - Poultry

The Director of Warehousing, Distribution, and Logistics is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational oversight of all warehousing, cold storage, distribution, and transportation functions within a poultry manufacturing and processing organization. This role ensures the efficient, safe, and cost-effective movement of raw and finished poultry products while maintaining strict compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory standards. The Director plays a critical role in optimizing supply chain performance, maintaining cold-chain integrity, and supporting customer service and business growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic direction and leadership for warehousing, distribution, and logistics operations, including refrigerated and frozen storage facilities.

• Ensure efficient inbound and outbound product flow to support production schedules, inventory accuracy, and customer service requirements.

• Maintain cold-chain integrity and ensure compliance with USDA, FSIS, HACCP, SSOP, GMPs, and food-safety regulations specific to poultry products.

• Oversee transportation operations, including private fleet and third-party carriers, to ensure on-time, compliant, and cost-effective deliveries.

• Develop and manage operating budgets, transportation costs, inventory controls, and labor planning to meet financial objectives.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing freight costs, improving order accuracy, increasing dock efficiency, and minimizing product damage or shrink.

• Build, lead, and develop warehouse managers, logistics managers, supervisors, and frontline teams to ensure a high-performance, safety-focused organization.

• Implement and optimize warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS), and inventory tracking processes.

• Collaborate closely with production, sales, quality assurance, customer service, procurement, and live operations teams to align supply chain execution with business needs.

• Ensure compliance with DOT regulations, OSHA standards, food defense, and security requirements.

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with carriers, cold-storage partners, and logistics service providers.

• Monitor KPIs such as inventory accuracy, order fill rate, on-time delivery, freight cost per pound, and warehouse productivity to drive accountability and performance.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in warehousing, distribution, or logistics, preferably within the poultry or protein manufacturing industry.

• Strong knowledge of cold-chain logistics, refrigerated transportation, and poultry distribution requirements.

• Proven ability to manage large, multi-site warehouse and distribution operations.

• Demonstrated financial acumen, including budgeting, cost control, and contract negotiation.

• Experience implementing or managing WMS, TMS, and ERP systems.

• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a continuous improvement mindset.