Director of Warehouse Automation & DC Innovation

Nordstrom; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Vision/Dental

401k and retirement benefits

Paid Time Away

Job summary

Nordstrom seeks a Director of Distribution Center Engineering to own the automation transformation across the network, from strategy to deployment. You will partner with Operations, Product, and Technology to deliver measurable business value and an improved customer and team member experience.

The role requires 8+ years in engineering, automation, or supply chain leadership, expertise in warehouse automation, and strong executive communication. Willingness to travel 25–50% is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's in engineering, supply chain, or related field.
• 8+ years of engineering, automation, or supply chain leadership experience.
• Experience leading automation initiatives at scale with vendor management.
• Ability to build enterprise-level technology roadmaps and ROI models.

Responsibilities

• Define automation strategy and roadmap for Nordstrom's distribution center network.
• Lead evaluation, selection, and management of automation technologies and vendors.
• Build business cases and ROI models to prioritize investments.
• Drive continuous improvement and process optimization across end-to-end workflows.
• Set readiness criteria and governance for deployment of initiatives.
• Mentor and develop a world-class team of technical leaders.
• Partner with Operations, Product, and Software Engineering to ensure automation is connected.
• Negotiate vendor contracts and manage external technology partnerships.

Skills

Automation leadership

Vendor management

Roadmap planning

ROI/business case

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Team development

Continuous improvement

Travel readiness

Education

Engineering degree

Supply chain degree

Tools

Warehouse automation systems

Job description

Nordstrom seeks a Director of Distribution Center Engineering to own the automation transformation across the network, from strategy to deployment. You will partner with Operations, Product, and Technology to deliver measurable business value and an improved customer and team member experience.

The role requires 8+ years in engineering, automation, or supply chain leadership, expertise in warehouse automation, and strong executive communication. Willingness to travel 25–50% is expected.