Operations Excellence Manager

Americold; Sioux City (IA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Americold in Sioux City is seeking an Industrial Engineer to provide engineering and project support across facilities, driving labor productivity and inventory control through engineered labor standards and continuous improvement initiatives. You will leverage dashboards to monitor site performance and launch corrective actions.

The role requires a Bachelor's or higher in Industrial Engineering and 3+ years of experience, with strong CI knowledge, problem-solving, and cross-functional

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• Experience developing engineered labor standards.
• Continuous improvement methodologies knowledge.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills and cross-functional collaboration.
• Root-cause problem-solving abilities to identify failures and solutions.
• Strong business planning, analytics, and financial analysis.
• Self-motivated and self-directed.
• Knowledge of distribution center and warehousing concepts.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering and project support to Americold facilities.
• Drive labor productivity and inventory control improvements through engineered labor standards and CI initiatives.
• Leverage dashboards to monitor site-level labor, inventory, and service performance and drive corrective actions.
• Develop, validate, and maintain time‑studied standards.
• Calculate and implement performance incentives.
• Provide training to operations teams on labor management and process improvement tools.
• Evaluate and recommend process improvements and equipment requirements.
• Keep abreast of warehousing technology and evaluate applications.
• Own labor management system performance improvements.

Skills

Industrial Engineering

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Master's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Tools

RF Scanning

Warehouse Management Systems

SQL

Power BI

MS Office

MSD/MOST

Job description

What you’ll do:

Provide engineering and project support to Americold facilities. Drive labor productivity and inventory control improvements through engineered labor standards, performance-based incentive roll-out, ideate and support the execution and sustainment of continuous improvement initiatives.
Leverage dashboards to monitor site-level labor, inventory, and service performance, identify issues, and drive corrective actions across all assigned sites.

• Leverage dashboards to monitor site-level labor, inventory, and service performance, identify issues, and drive corrective actions across all assigned sites.
• Identify and drive productivity improvement, process enhancement, and inventory control initiatives through continuous improvement projects.
• Develop, validate, and maintain time‑studied standards.
• Calculate and implement performance incentives.
• Ensure proper change management to sustain assigned projects.
• Provide training to operations teams on labor management, inventory control, process improvement tools, and associated systems.
• Evaluate and make recommendations for process improvements.
• Evaluate material handling equipment requirements as needed.
• Keep abreast of the latest technology in warehousing and evaluate for applications.
• Develop project scopes, specifications, and estimates as needed.
• Conduct audits and comparative site analyses to ensure compliance, identify performance gaps, and establish benchmarks for inventory control excellence.
• Assist with improving productivity and reducing costs.
• Create scheduling tools to capture work content.
• Own 5 Habits and labor management system performance improvements.

What Experience and Education You Need:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Industrial Engineering or equivalent degree, such as Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or Logistics, is required.
• 3+ years of work experience in Industrial Engineering or combined equivalent experience with a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering or related field.
• Experience in developing engineered labor standards.
• Continuous improvement experience and knowledge of CI methodologies required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally.
• Must be able to utilize problem‑solving techniques to identify root causes of failures and solutions to meet targets.
• Strong business planning and analytical skills, including market intelligence, metrics, and financial analysis.
• Must be self‑motivated and self‑directing.
• Knowledge of distribution center/logistics concepts – understanding of warehousing best practices.

What Could Set You Apart:

• Experience within the distribution/warehouse/logistics industry preferred.
• Proficient in RF Scanning and Warehouse Management Systems preferred.
• Experience in semi and fully automated material handling systems a plus.
• Ability to drive decision‑making through data and relevant business metrics.
• Ability to resolve problems in a timely manner with little or no supervision.
• Ability to manage a project portfolio of varying priorities and impact value.
• Strong computer skills including SQL, Power B.I, MS Office and MSD/MOST experience preferred.
• Willingness to travel 50 – 75%.

Physical Requirements:

• Requires the ability to sit for long periods of time, with frequent interruptions.
• Requires several hours per day of sitting, getting up and down from chairs, and reaching, or bending.
• Requires manual dexterity with normal hand and finger movements for typical office work.
• Talking, hearing, and seeing are important elements of completing assigned tasks.
• May require travel by automobile and airplane for business.
• May require visits to warehouse operations in temperatures at or below freezing.
• May require carrying loads related to travel and the occasional lifting, carrying, positioning, and/or moving of objects weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Requires the use of various electronic tools.

Americold is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws. EOE/AA M/F/D/V.