Manager, DC Design & Implementation

Burlington Stores; Edgewater (NJ); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A major retail chain in New Jersey is seeking a leader to oversee the implementation of large-scale material handling systems for new distribution centers. This role requires experience in distribution center operations, excellent project management skills, and a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field. The ideal candidate must be proficient in AutoCAD, with a strong background in warehouse automation, and be willing to travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in distribution center operations or design/build roles.
• Proven success in managing large-scale material handling system implementations.
• Experience in off-price retail operations or high-throughput distribution models.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee delivery of large-scale material handling systems.
• Support on-site buildout of infrastructure including racking and automation.
• Develop detailed documentation for both implementation and operational hand-off.
• Monitor ramp-up performance against key metrics.

Skills

Large-scale material handling system implementations

Warehouse automation expertise

Project management skills

Communication skills

Engineering labor standards

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or similar

Tools

AutoCAD or similar modeling tools

Microsoft Project or similar project management tools

Job description

Position Overview

This high-impact role plays a key part in Burlington’s continued distribution growth, supporting the development of new distribution centers that fuel our expanding store footprint and evolving supply chain needs. You’ll help ensure our logistics network is built for speed, scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency—so we can continue delivering incredible value to our customers.

As a key leader, you’ll oversee the on‑time and on‑budget delivery of large‑scale material handling systems that power our high‑volume, fast‑paced off‑price environment. You’ll drive execution from design through implementation, ensuring systems are delivered to specification and consistently meet or exceed performance expectations and service‑level agreements.

A Day In The Life

Design

• Partner with Strategy team to understand business needs – when, where, what for New DC development.
• Translate business requirements into detailed capacity requirements for material handling system, high‑level project budget, and project schedule.
• Support all project‑related activities as they relate to conveyance/automation, racking, and any other operational needs by tracking key milestones, escalating risks, managing budget, and holding vendors accountable.
• Support budget and cost control efforts by identifying opportunities for savings or optimizations.
• Support collaboration efforts with material handling vendors from RFP through detailed design approvals. Engage in process flow and material handling design activities to meet or exceed capacity, productivity, and service level goals. Designs should offer flexibility, business continuity, and streamlined operator experience.
• Support building design activities to ensure building infrastructure and MEP designs sufficiently support the material handling design, people, and process flows.
• Support detailed WMS and WES design meetings and develop a detailed understanding of systemic flows to ensure all warehouse operating systems meet the needs of Operations. This requires close collaboration with IT and their vendors. Systems include but are not limited to WMS, WES, in‑house audit applications, and Microsoft BI.
• Work closely with Procurement and Legal to ensure comprehensive and accurate contracted scopes of work.

• Support on‑site buildout of infrastructure including racking, conveyor systems, automation, workstations, etc.
• Closely collaborate with all on‑site vendors, maintain project schedule and budget tracking, and track implementation against design drawings.
• Support partnership with Operations and MHE vendors to perform issue resolution, root cause analysis, and detailed and well‑documented resolutions.
• Partner with Finance, HR, and IT to ensure project alignment, budget control, and resource planning.
• Support cross‑functional execution of facility startup, including systems integration.
• Validate design efficacy post‑implementation, including equipment capacities, WMS/WES functionality, and drawing accuracy.
• Develop detailed documentation for both Implementation and Operational hand‑off. This includes readily accessible system design documentation, UPH expectations, KPIs, and key strategies for optimizing peak and non‑peak performance.
• Monitor ramp‑up performance, report against key metrics to Supply Chain leadership, and own getting New DC fully ramped and meeting design within SLA.
• Document lessons learned to continuously refine project processes for future DCs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Industrial Engineering (or similar), Supply Chain Management
• 5+ years in distribution center operations or design/build/implement roles
• Proven success in managing large‑scale material handling system implementations
• Experience in off‑price retail operations or high‑throughput distribution models
• Proven success in launching large‑scale DCs and managing cross‑functional teams
• Expertise in warehouse automation, WMS/WCS/WES systems, and logistics
• Excellent written, communication, and project management skills
• Solid understanding of engineered labor standards and labor management programs
• Demonstrated ability to interact across a broad range of organizational levels and functions
• Ability to balance and prioritize competing demands
• Must be able to work independently as well as in a collaborative team environment
• Proficient in AutoCAD or similar modeling tools
• Proficient in Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or similar project management tools

Job Requirements

• Up to 50% Travel on an Annual Basis
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, constantly evolving environment
• Work in non‑temperature controlled, active construction environments

Burlington Stores, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity.