Director Distribution Operations (Burlington, NC)

Ahold Delhaize Distribution & Transportation; Salisbury (NC); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ahold Delhaize Distribution & Transportation seeks a Director, Campus Leader to oversee a highly automated distribution and transportation campus in Salisbury, NC. You will shape strategy, drive performance, and partner with IT, engineering, and operations to optimize automation ROI.

Ideal candidates bring 8–10 years in automated supply chain leadership, experience with AS/RS and robotics, and a track record of leading 100+ associates in complex environments.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of supply chain operations leadership experience.
• Experience leading operations within highly automated facilities (AS/RS, robotics).
• Experience supervising 100+ associates across multi-functional teams.
• BA in a related field or 10+ years of progressive supply chain experience.
• Proven history of driving operational performance in high-volume, tech-driven DCs.

Responsibilities

• Build and communicate a clear strategic vision for a highly automated campus.
• Oversee day-to-day campus operations ensuring safety, quality, and cost discipline.
• Partner with maintenance, engineering and IT for system uptime and reliability.
• Lead vendor relationships and external integrations on enhancements and issue resolution.
• Develop long-term strategies to improve product flow and automation utilization.

Skills

Automation leadership

Strategic planning

Operations management

Cross-functional leadership

Vendor management

Education

BA in related field

Tools

AS/RS & robotics

WMS/WCS software

Conveyor systems

Job description

Category/Area of Expertise: Distribution & Transportation Leadership
Job Requisition: 493805
Address: USA-NC-Salisbury-2110 Executive Drive
Store Code: ADUSA Dist L&D-Executive (5167686)

ADUSA Distribution is the distribution company of Ahold Delhaize USA, providing distribution services to one of the largest grocery retail supply chains in the nation. ADUSA Distribution fosters a culture that inspires and empowers our associates to always deliver exceptional service and value. Our team is supporting the supply chain network evolution to an integrated self‑distribution model of the future, serving leading omnichannel grocery brands – Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. To learn more about our company and the other supply chain companies of Ahold Delhaize USA, visit www.adusasc.com.

We’re looking for an inspiring, strategically minded leader to oversee all operations across a highly automated distribution and transportation campus supporting grocery, fresh, frozen, and break pack product movement. As the Director, Campus Leader, you will shape the future of an essential supply chain node, driving performance across service, productivity, efficiency, financial outcomes, and people development in a technology‑forward environment.
This role is ideal for a seasoned supply chain executive who thrives in fast‑moving, automation‑enabled operations, builds strong partnerships, and elevates operational excellence at scale.

What You’ll Lead

• Inventory
• Audit & Slotting
• Security
• Transportation
• Maintenance & Facilities (including automated systems maintenance)
• WMS, WCS & Technology
• Retail Customer Support
• CI / Industrial Engineering
• Yard & Reclaim

Your leadership will set the pace and direction for a complex, high‑throughput, and automated distribution ecosystem, incorporating robotics, material handling systems, and integrated technology platforms.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Build and communicate a clear, forward‑looking strategic vision for a Distribution, Reclamation/GM, and Transportation campus operating within a highly automated environment.
• Align campus operations with broader regional and network objectives to strengthen supply chain capability, scalability, and automation ROI.
• Serve as the senior site leader for automation adoption, stability, and evolution, ensuring readiness for future technology investments.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee all day‑to‑day campus operations, ensuring excellence in safety, quality, shrink management, transportation, service delivery, and automation system performance.
• Ensure deliveries are on time and at cost, meeting internal customer (supply chain + retail) service expectations.
• Optimize distribution operations by balancing labor, automation throughput, system uptime, and cost discipline.
• Partner closely with maintenance, engineering, and technology teams to ensure high availability and reliability of automated material handling and robotics systems.

Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Maintain strong, results‑focused relationships with third‑party labor and automation vendors, ensuring operational alignment, uptime, and performance.
• Act as the campus leader partnering with Retail leadership, ensuring service levels and customer expectations are consistently met.
• Collaborate with IT, Engineering, and external integrators on system enhancements, upgrades, and issue resolution.

Financial & Resource Leadership

• Develop long‑term strategies that improve product flow, maximize automation utilization, and drive facility efficiency.
• Own the campus operating and capital budgets, including automation‑related capital investment and lifecycle planning.
• Meet or exceed key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure campus, network, and automation performance outcomes (throughput, utilization, downtime, cost per unit).

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Drive continuous improvement across financial, technical, and cultural systems, leveraging automation data, system analytics, and engineering insights.
• Lead and contribute to network‑wide CI projects, supply chain planning initiatives, and automation optimization efforts.
• Champion organizational change, building high‑performing teams that effectively operate alongside advanced technology.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and technology‑enabled problem solving.

What You Bring

• 8‑10 years of supply chain operations leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading operations within highly automated or semi‑automated distribution facilities (e.g., AS/RS, goods‑to‑person, robotics, conveyor systems, automated storage and sortation).
• Experience supervising 100+ associates across multi‑functional teams in complex operational environments.
• BA in a related field or 10+ years of progressive supply chain experience.
• Proven history of driving operational performance in high‑volume, technology‑driven distribution centers.

Skills & Strengths

• Strong understanding of automated warehouse operations, system dependencies, and labor/technology integration.
• Exceptional customer focus and ability to partner with retail leadership.
• Strong collaboration, influencing, and communication skills across operations, engineering, and IT teams.
• Skilled negotiator and analytical thinker with the ability to translate system data into operational action.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to execute through people, processes, and technology.
• Effective problem solver with the ability to navigate unplanned downtime, system constraints, and third‑party dependencies.
• Strong human relations skills to lead and engage internal teams, vendors, automation partners, and brand stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and inspire teams through automation‑driven transformation.

Other Requirements

• Ability to travel 15‑25%.
• Willingness to support on‑call needs 7 days per week.
• Comfort acting as the senior site leader during automation outages or critical system events.

Why This Role Matters

• Regional and network service performance
• Financial results for a highly automated supply chain hub
• Successful utilization and evolution of automation investments
• Cross‑functional partnerships with retail, engineering, and distribution leadership
• The culture, development, and success of your operational teams

Your leadership will directly impact how millions of customers across the region receive the products they rely on every day – enabled by automation, innovation, and strong operational discipline.

We are an organization that values diversity and encourages all qualified individuals to apply without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Our organization is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, including applicants. If you have a disability and require assistance in the application process, please email [e-mail].