Distribution Operations Specialist

Kia America; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 77,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Kia America is seeking a strategic Fleet Operations Manager to plan and execute vehicle distribution, production ordering, and delivery coordination. You will align demand with schedules and drive end-to-end performance across carriers, ports, and internal teams.

The role requires 5+ years in automotive logistics, strong data analytics, and hands-on experience with SAP and Excel. Domestic travel may be required; in Irvine, CA, a fulltime on-site position is offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years of automotive wholesale, vehicle distribution, logistics, Fleet Operations, or related automotive experience.
• Experience with vehicle allocation, production ordering, pipeline management, operational reporting, and cross-functional issue resolution.
• Experience coordinating with manufacturing plants, ports, carriers, vendors, dealers, or commercial customers is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational execution of the approved Fleet allocation strategy.
• Coordinate Fleet production ordering and manage vehicle status from order submission to customer handoff.
• Coordinate with ports, carriers, processing facilities, and logistics partners to support vehicle movement and delivery performance.
• Develop and validate Fleet and distribution reporting, dashboards, trackers, executive summaries, and ad hoc analyses.
• Identify opportunities to improve vehicle flow, reporting accuracy, vendor performance, process controls, and operational efficiency.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Problem-solving

Cross-functional coordination

Vendor management

Data-driven decision making

Excel

Education

Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Job description

We appreciate your interest in this role. We value internal growth and will take careful consideration in reviewing your application. Generally, internal applicants must be in their job for at least 12 months before applying to a new role and must be in good standing with the Company. Please notify your current management before you apply as they will receive a system notification of your internal application. The recruiting team will notify you about next steps, thank you and good luck!

General Summary

Manage the planning and execution of KUS Fleet vehicle distribution and front-end program operations, including production ordering, allocation, pipeline management, logistics coordination, customer delivery support, and final vehicle disposition. Align customer demand and open purchase order requirements with production schedules, available supply, port and carrier capacity, negotiated contract requirements, and delivery commitments across all KUS vehicle lines.

Coordinate the collection and compilation of RACs’ (rental car companies) input to develop Fleet production orders and submit POs to KHQ, KaGA, HMGMA and KMX in a timely manner. Prepare running 5-month forecasts for KHQ, KaGA, HMGMA and KMX produced Fleet vehicles, which is consistent with corporate expectation.

Provide end-to-end operational oversight of the QMP vehicle program with KaGA and HMGMA and serve as the primary company contact for the in-house MSO printing operation.

Develop, validate, and distribute Fleet and Distribution reporting, dashboards, and executive summaries that identify performance trends, operating risks, required actions, and decisions needed.

Exercise independent judgment to resolve vehicle, system, documentation, vendor, and logistics exceptions while coordinating corrective actions across internal departments and external partners.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Priority One: 30% - Fleet Allocation Planning & Execution

Lead the operational execution of the approved Fleet allocation strategy. Establish daily allocation priorities based on demand, vehicle availability, customer commitments, logistics capacity, and delivery requirements. Resolve operational exceptions within established authority and elevate material issues with analysis and recommendations.

Priority Two: 25% - Production Ordering & VIN Lifecycle Management

Coordinate Fleet production ordering and manage vehicle status from order submission and VIN creation through allocation, shipment, delivery, and customer handoff. Monitor production, inventory, data, and system risks and coordinate corrective actions to minimize business disruption.

Priority Three: 15% - Logistics Coordination & Delivery Performance

Coordinate with ports, carriers, processing facilities, and logistics partners to support vehicle movement and delivery performance. Monitor shipment timing, dwell, capacity, and exceptions; lead recovery efforts and elevate material risks with recommended actions.

Priority Four: 15% - Reporting, Analytics & Decision Support

Develop and validate Fleet and distribution reporting for management, executive leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders. Analyze operational data to identify trends, risks, and constraints and provide actionable insights and recommendations.

Priority Five: 15% - Fleet Programs, Controls & Process Improvement

Oversee assigned Fleet support programs, including QMP vehicle coordination and MSO operations. Manage program performance, vendor coordination, document exceptions, billing review, process controls, and audit-support records. Maintain procedures and lead continuous improvement initiatives.

Personally Performed Duties

• Administer Fleet forecasting, production-order submission, purchase-order maintenance, allocation, and pipeline management to support customer requirements and corporate volume objectives.
• Maintain Fleet source contracts, customer purchase orders, drop-ship codes, dealer information, and related vehicle data in SAP and other applicable systems.
• Oversee the QMP vehicle process with KaGA and HMGMA, including VIN submission, lifecycle tracking, release from service, Company Cars coordination, auction allocation, and shipment.
• Serve as the operational contact for the in-house MSO printing vendor and coordinate daily document production, mailing, issue resolution, supply management, service oversight, and billing review.
• Develop, maintain, validate, and distribute Fleet and Distribution reports, dashboards, trackers, executive summaries, and ad hoc analyses.
• Provide management with clear visibility into operating conditions, material risks, required actions, and decisions needed.
• Support dealer and customer inquiries and provide timely, accurate vehicle-status and delivery information.
• Maintain process documentation, operational records, issue logs, controls, and audit-support materials.
• Identify opportunities to improve vehicle flow, reporting accuracy, vendor performance, process controls, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications/Education

Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience

Job Requirement

Overall Related Experience

• Proof of accomplished computer and systems knowledge and performance, effective interpersonal skills, having successfully worked in fast-paced situations where quick response and solutions to issues were required and accomplished

Directly Related Experience

• Minimum 5 years of automotive wholesale, vehicle distribution, logistics, Fleet Operations, or related automotive experience.
• Experience with vehicle allocation, production ordering, pipeline management, operational reporting, and cross-functional issue resolution.
• Experience coordinating with manufacturing plants, ports, carriers, vendors, dealers, or commercial customers is preferred.

Position Requirements

• Occasional travel may be required domestically and/or internationally
• May need to work additional hours outside of normal business hours as required by the job, including weekends or holidays
• Perform other duties as assigned

Specialized Skills And Knowledge Required

• Advanced quantitative, qualitative, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to translate vehicle and pipeline data into actionable recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of vehicle allocation, production ordering, wholesale operations, pipeline management, port operations, and automotive logistics.
• Working knowledge of SAP and related vehicle-ordering, allocation, and reporting systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including data reconciliation, lookups, pivot tables, formulas, data validation, and recurring report development.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, including the ability to prepare concise, executive-ready reports and presentations.
• Ability to develop and maintain dashboards, scorecards, exception reports, trackers, and standardized performance measures.
• Strong vendor-management, service-level monitoring, documentation-control, and billing-review capabilities.
• Exceptional attention to detail when handling VIN-level data, MSOs, customer purchase orders, vehicle records, and financial-support documentation.
• Excellent organization, prioritization, oral presentation, and written communication skills.
• Ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional stakeholders without direct supervisory authority.
• Ability to establish standard operating procedures, process controls, escalation paths, and continuous-improvement plans.

Competencies

• Care for People
• Chase Excellence Every Day
• Dare to Push Boundaries
• Empower People to Act
• Move Further Together

Pay Range

$77,105.26 - $100,226.82

Pay will be based on several variables that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to, job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, etc.

Equal Employment Opportunities

KUS provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, including pregnancy and childbirth and related medical conditions, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, legally protected physical disability or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, family care or medical leave status, protected veteran or military status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. KUS complies with applicable law governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which KUS has offices. The KUS EEO policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, discipline, termination and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.

Disclaimer: The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification and for this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.