Head of Warehouse Automation & Distribution Engineering

Nordstrom Inc

Seattle (WA)

On-site

USD 175,000 - 275,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Vision

Dental

Retirement and Paid Time Away

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Job summary

Nordstrom, a fast-moving fashion company, seeks a Director of Distribution Center Engineering to own the automation transformation across the distribution center network from roadmap to deployment. You will lead strategy, vendor management, ROI modeling, and cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Product, and Technology to deliver measurable value and elevate safety and productivity.

The role requires 8+ years in engineering, automation, or supply chain leadership, and travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

Undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, supply chain, or related field.
Experience leading automation, robotics, or supply chain technology initiatives at scale.
Experience evaluating new technologies, due diligence, and managing vendor relationships and contracts.
Ability to build technology roadmaps that hold up at the enterprise level.
Experience developing business cases and ROI models for capital investments.
Track record of taking technology from pilot through full network deployment.
Knowledge of warehouse automation, material handling systems, and robotics integration.
Strong cross-functional leadership across engineering, operations, product, and technology stakeholders.
Executive communication skills to explain complex tradeoffs to non-technical audiences.
Experience building and developing high-performing technical teams.
Lean methodologies applied to process optimization.
8+ years of engineering, automation, or supply chain leadership experience.
Willingness to travel 25-50%.

Responsibilities

Define the automation strategy and technology roadmap for Nordstrom’s distribution center network.
Lead the evaluation, selection, and ongoing management of automation technologies, vendors, and strategic partners.
Build the business case and ROI model behind each investment to drive prioritization of initiatives.
Drive continuous improvement and process optimization across end-to-end workflows for safety, quality, cycle time, and productivity.
Set readiness criteria, success metrics, and governance processes from concept to deployment.
Ensure investments deliver measurable business value while improving safety and team experience.
Translate technical findings into strategic recommendations.
Champion the customer in automation decisions to improve service quality.
Partner with Operations, Product, and Software Engineering to connect automation as a capability.
Negotiate vendor contracts and manage external technology partnerships.
Build, mentor, and develop a world-class team of leaders.