Manager, Parts Distribution Centre
Job Summary
Reporting to the Director, Global Parts Operations, the Manager, Parts Distribution Centre leads the safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of the Parts Distribution Centre. The role oversees people, processes, systems, inventory, transportation, and facilities to deliver accurate, damage-free parts within service commitments; ensure seasonal readiness; support dealer responsiveness and equipment uptime; and improve safety, service, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost.
Responsibilities
Safety Leadership
- Provide visible safety leadership and maintain a safe, secure, compliant workplace for employees, contractors, and visitors.
- Partner with EHS on risk assessments, incident investigations, corrective actions, required training, and compliance with Company and local requirements.
- Promote hazard identification, employee participation, and continuous safety improvement.
Customer Service, Execution & Lean Operations
- Lead receiving, put-away, replenishment, picking, consolidation, packaging, and shipping to deliver accurate, damage-free orders on time.
- Prioritize urgent and critical orders to support dealer responsiveness and equipment uptime, especially during peak seasons.
- Apply standard work, Lean, 5S, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement to reduce waste, improve flow, and sustain results.
- Ensure inventory accuracy through transaction control, cycle counts, discrepancy investigation, and corrective action.
- Optimize storage, slotting, handling, packaging, and inventory processes for space, quality, productivity, and cost.
Capacity & Performance Management
- Plan seasonal staffing, shifts, overtime, temporary labour, cross-training, equipment, and space.
- Lead daily operating reviews, allocate labour, escalate constraints, and close corrective actions.
- Improve measures for safety, service, delivery, quality, productivity, flow, facility use, and cost.
- Manage operating and capital budgets aligned with service, productivity, safety, and growth needs.
Leadership & Team Building
- Lead supervisors, team leads, and employees through clear expectations, accountability, coaching, and feedback.
- Own workforce planning, recruitment support, onboarding, attendance, training, performance, development, and succession.
- Build a flexible, cross-trained workforce and a respectful, collaborative, problem-solving culture.
Technology, Systems & Continuity
- Ensure disciplined use of WMS, TMS, ERP, scanning, reporting, and master data.
- Sponsor system, automation, and reporting improvements that strengthen visibility, quality, productivity, and scale.
- Maintain and test recovery plans for outages, severe weather, carrier disruption, labour shortages, inventory issues, and other service interruptions.
- Other duties as assigned by the Director, Global Parts Operations.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field; equivalent education and relevant experience will be considered.
- Lean or Six Sigma certification preferred; equivalent continuous-improvement experience considered.
- CLTD, CSCP, CCLP, CWLP, or a similar designation is an asset.
Skills & Experience
- Seven to ten years of progressive distribution, warehousing, supply chain, or parts operations experience, including at least three years leading supervisors or managers in a high-volume or multi-shift environment.
- Agricultural, heavy-equipment, automotive, industrial-parts, or other service-critical distribution experience preferred.
- Demonstrated success in safety, Lean operations, inventory control, seasonal capacity and labour planning, service improvement, budgets, and change implementation.
- Experience with WMS, scanning and inventory-control technology, and ERP systems such as JDE.
- Knowledge of carrier management, freight-cost control, claims, expedited shipments, and vendor performance.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen; able to turn operational data into priorities, decisions, corrective action, and sustained results.
- Excellent communication, leadership, coaching, change-management, and cross-functional relationship skills.
- Able to lead in a fast-paced environment, balance priorities, and make sound decisions with incomplete information.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
- Valid passport; able to travel and support alternate shifts and peak-season operations as required.