Director, Warehouse Automation, Implementation & Innovation

Ashley Furniture Industries; Advance (NC); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashley Furniture Industries is seeking a Director of Warehouse Automation, Implementation & Innovation to lead the enterprise strategy for automation across distribution centers. The role bridges Innovation, Engineering, IT, Operations, and external partners to deliver measurable value and sustained performance.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience directing large-scale automation programs, robotics integration, and international collaboration in high-volume environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years in warehouse automation, distribution ops, or material handling systems.
• Strong knowledge of robotics, ASRS, conveyors, WMS, WCS, and related software.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing external vendors, integrators, and partners.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute enterprise warehouse automation roadmap across facilities.
• Establish automation standards, governance, and implementation methodologies.
• Lead collaborations with international teams and external partners.
• Own deployment strategy and execution for automation projects.
• Ensure site readiness, IT integration, training, and handoff processes.
• Drive continuous improvement and optimize throughput, labor, and reliability.

Skills

Warehouse automation

Robotics integration

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations

Master's degree preferred

Tools

WMS/WCS systems

ROI modeling

ERP integration

Job description

The Director, Warehouse Automation, Implementation & Innovation is responsible for developing and executing the enterprise warehouse automation strategy while ensuring successful implementation, operational integration, and lifecycle management of automated systems across all distribution centers.

This leader serves as the bridge between Innovation, Engineering, IT, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, external technology partners, and the International Innovation & Development Team to ensure automation investments deliver measurable business value and sustainable operational performance.

The role is accountable not only for identifying and deploying new technologies, but also for ensuring operational readiness, implementation excellence, employee adoption, training, reliability, performance optimization, and long-term sustainment of all warehouse automation systems.

The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience leading large-scale warehouse automation initiatives, distribution center operations, robotics integration, and multi-site implementation programs within fast-paced, high-volume environments.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop and execute the enterprise warehouse automation roadmap aligned with long-term business objectives.
• Establish automation standards, governance models, and implementation methodologies across all distribution facilities.
• Partner with executive leadership to develop business cases, ROI models, labor strategies, cost-benefit analyses, and capital investment plans.
• Identify emerging technologies and automation opportunities that improve quality, throughput, scalability, and operational performance.
• Drive innovation initiatives that position the organization as an industry leader in warehouse automation and distribution technology.
• Develop long-term automation strategies supporting future growth, labor challenges, and evolving customer requirements.

International Innovation & Development Collaboration

• Lead collaboration with the International Innovation & Development Team, global suppliers, engineering partners, and technology providers supporting warehouse automation initiatives.
• Coordinate technology evaluations, proof-of-concepts, pilot programs, factory acceptance testing (FAT), and system validation activities.
• Partner with international development teams to accelerate the evaluation, development, and deployment of emerging technologies.
• Ensure standardization of automation platforms, controls architectures, equipment specifications, and implementation best practices.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer between development teams, implementation teams, engineering resources, and operating facilities.
• Support strategic relationships with global automation providers, robotics manufacturers, software developers, and system integrators to maintain access to leading technologies.

Automation Implementation & Deployment

• Own enterprise deployment strategy and execution for all warehouse automation projects.
• Lead automation projects from conception through operational stabilization.
• Ensure site readiness, infrastructure requirements, IT integration, operational training, commissioning activities, and handoff processes are completed successfully.
• Develop repeatable implementation frameworks that ensure consistency across all facilities.
• Lead startup and ramp-up activities following deployment of new technologies.
• Drive accountability across vendors, contractors, engineering teams, and operational stakeholders.
• Ensure all project milestones are achieved on schedule, within budget, and according to business requirements.

Operational Integration & Sustainment

• Establish and maintain processes ensuring successful transition from project implementation to daily operations.
• Develop operational support and sustainment strategies for all automation technologies.
• Define ownership, support models, escalation procedures, maintenance practices, and spare parts strategies.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on maximizing system performance and reliability.
• Monitor operational KPIs and identify opportunities to improve equipment utilization, throughput, labor efficiency, and service levels.
• Partner with operations leadership to ensure automation solutions support current and future business requirements.
• Manage strategic relationships with automation vendors, integrators, software providers, equipment manufacturers, and technology partners.
• Establish vendor performance metrics and accountability standards.
• Lead technical evaluations, contract reviews, system acceptance processes, and performance reviews.
• Ensure alignment between suppliers and internal stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop long-term supplier strategies supporting automation growth and scalability.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing warehouse automation organization.
• Establish clear ownership structures for engineering, implementation, commissioning, startup support, and operational sustainment.
• Mentor and develop future automation leaders.
• Create career development plans, succession planning strategies, and technical training programs.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Promote cross-functional teamwork between engineering, operations, maintenance, IT, and innovation teams.
• Establish enterprise warehouse automation KPIs and reporting structures.
• Monitor automation performance including throughput, labor productivity, equipment utilization, system availability, downtime, reliability, service levels, and inventory accuracy.
• Utilize data analytics and business intelligence tools to identify optimization opportunities.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action efforts for recurring issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that maximize return on automation investments.
• Develop and manage warehouse automation budgets and capital investment plans.
• Lead automation project financial planning and forecasting activities.
• Monitor project costs and ensure efficient use of company resources.
• Develop ROI tracking methodologies and post-implementation validation processes.
• Present financial results and investment recommendations to executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in warehouse automation, distribution operations, supply chain engineering, or material handling systems.
• Strong knowledge of warehouse automation technologies, including robotics, ASRS, conveyor systems, WMS, WCS, and related software platforms.
• Experience developing automation strategies, business cases, capital investment plans, and ROI analyses.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and managing external vendors, integrators, and technology partners.
• Strong project management, financial, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to travel as needed to support domestic and international projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience in high-volume manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, or distribution operations.
• Lean, Six Sigma, PMP, or similar professional certifications.
• Experience working with international teams and emerging automation technologies.

Our Core Values:

• Honesty & Integrity: Acts with transparency, discretion, and ethical judgment. Trusted to handle sensitive information and provide accurate, unbiased insights.
• Dirty Fingernail: Takes full accountability for outcomes, not just tasks. Inspects details, ensures data accuracy, and follows through to completion.
• Continuous Improvement: Actively seeks better ways to improve templates, tools, and processes. Learns from prior initiatives and embeds lessons into standard work.
• Growth & Results Focus: Understands how transformation initiatives drive growth, cost reduction, and profitability. Keeps work aligned to enterprise priorities.
• Culture of Leadership: Leads through influence, reliability, and example. Builds trust across functions and supports leaders at every level.
• Customer-Centric & Boundaryless: Works across silos for the greater good of the organization. Ensures outputs meet the needs of executives, initiative owners, and teams.
• Operational Excellence: Demonstrates strong organizational discipline, attention to detail, and the ability to translate ambiguity into clear, executable tools.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and provide a drug-free working environment. While Ashley appreciates the interest of all candidates only those meeting specific position requirements may be contacted. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment. The company reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Notice to Search Firms:

We are not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms. We will not pay any placement, referral or other fees to any search firms unless we have agreed otherwise in a valid, written agreement for the specific position posted and signed by an authorized representative of Ashley Furniture Industries.

Please note this position is not eligible for current or future employment sponsorship. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or at any time in the future.