APO Sr. Distribution Operations Manager

Idexx Laboratories; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the animal health sector seeks an APO Operations Manager to oversee distribution operations across the Asia-Pacific region. The candidate will need extensive supply-chain experience and will play a vital role in shaping operational strategies to enhance efficiency and support commercial growth.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of supply-chain and distribution operations experience in a commercial organization.
• Global multinational experience preferred.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of Mandarin or Japanese is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Define distribution strategy in alignment with global objectives.
• Manage stakeholder relationships and advocate for APO operational needs.
• Lead process standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Agility & decisiveness

Communication

Operational excellence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, or Business Administration

Tools

WMS

TMS

Job description

Job Summary

As the APO Operations Manager, you will help shape and drive the strategic direction of our distribution operations across the Asia-Pacific region, ensuring alignment with global operations and business objectives while respecting local nuances and specificities. You will be the regional champion for operational excellence, partnering closely with our APO operational leaders — who will report directly to you — to define and execute strategies that support commercial growth, streamline processes, and elevate our regional performance. This role demands a balance of high-level vision and hands-on leadership: you will collaborate with key stakeholders, both locally and globally, to secure resources and remove barriers, while also empowering your direct reports and their teams to innovate and excel.

In this role, you will act as the voice of APO operations, advocating for regional priorities and fostering stronger integration between APO and our global network. You will proactively identify and mitigate supply-chain risks unique to the region, establish clear metrics for success, and continuously drive and support harmonization and transformative initiatives that unlock new levels of efficiency and network resiliency. Your leadership will cultivate a culture of transparency, trust-based delegation, and cross-regional collaboration, ensuring that Asia-Pacific contributions are both visible and valued within the broader organization.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Define & Align Strategy

• Contribute to elaborate a clear, robust APO distribution strategy that aligns with global operations goals, commercial priorities, and local complexities.

• Translate strategic objectives into actionable regional roadmaps and SMART goals.

Stakeholders Management & Advocacy

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local commercial leaders to anticipate market needs and adapt operational plans accordingly.

• Serve as the primary liaison between APO operations, local stakeholders, and global functions (e.g., Global Trade, Regulatory, Compliance, Finance, HR), championing the needs and perspectives of APO operations, securing necessary support, resources, and aligning priorities.

Team Leadership & Development

• Facilitate cross-regional knowledge sharing and best-practice exchange to harness synergies across the APO organization and drive innovation.

• Support, coach, mentor, and empower the regional operational leaders, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, and professional growth without micromanagement.

Drive Operational Excellence & Harmonization

• Lead process standardization across company-owned warehouses and 3PL partnerships to ensure consistency, efficiency, and compliance with global standards.

• Champion continuous improvement and process & systems transformation initiatives — leveraging analytics, technology and innovative solutions — to optimize operational effectiveness.

Risk Management & Agility

• Proactively help identify regional supply-chain risks (e.g., geopolitical, regulatory, or logistical) and assist with the development of contingency plans to ensure business continuity.

• Make timely, data-informed decisions to address disruptions, remove bottlenecks, and maintain operational agility.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting

• Track and establish KPIs as needed (e.g., performance against target service levels, cost to serve, network capacity…) to measure progress against strategic goals.

• Provide regular updates and insights to senior leadership, highlighting regional successes and emerging challenges.

COMPETENCIES:

• Supply-chain expertise: solid understanding and practical knowledge of global supply chains and distribution operations, typically developed over several years in logistics or distribution related roles.

• Strategic mindset: ability to define and execute regional distribution strategies that align with broader organizational objectives.

• Stakeholder management: able to engage and collaborate cross-functionally, navigate a matrixed environment, and bridge gaps through building strong partnerships and balancing diverse priorities and perspectives.

• Agility & decisiveness: problem-solving mindset, able to apply sound judgment and adapt rapidly to implement solutions and navigate approval processes under tight timelines.

• Team enablement: fosters team empowerment through trust-based delegation, coaching and mentoring, and creates opportunities for people development, visibility and recognition.

• Analytical & data-driven: strong critical-thinking skills; comfortable leveraging data to tackle complex issues, drive decisions, and identify continuous improvement opportunities.

• Financial acumen: experience with cost-to-serve modeling, supporting budget and strategic-planning exercises, and developing financial business cases.

• Risk & compliance orientation: awareness of complexities and challenges related to Asia-Pacific’s regulatory landscape and intrinsic logistical factors, with a proactive approach to operational risk-mitigation planning.

• Operational excellence outlook: experience applying a combination of continuous improvement principles, process optimization concepts, and project management fundamentals to enhance operational performance.

• Digital transformation: familiarity with relevant digital applications and tools (e.g., WMS, TMS, warehouse automation…), and experience supporting or leading new systems deployment a plus.

• Cross-cultural communication: excellent verbal and written communication, adept at adapting style to diverse cultures and audiences.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Candidates would have around 10 – 15 years of supply-chain and distribution operations experience in a highly matrixed commercial organization. Global multi-national companies' experience is preferred.

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

• Excellent communication skills, fluency in both written and verbal English is a must. Fluency in any other Asia languages such as Mandarin, Japanese, Thai advantageous.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This position must be based in the APO region, preferably at the IDEXX head office in Singapore. Location flexibility may be considered for the right candidate.

• The role is primarily office-based, involving regular use of computers and extended periods of desk work.

• Cross-regional collaboration will involve working across multiple time zones, including regular virtual meetings with global, US and EU-based teams.

• International travel may be required up to approximately 20% of the time.

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