Distribution Center Manager | Gaithersburg

Overview

Albert Uster Imports, Inc. (AUI) is a privately held gourmet food company headquartered in the Washington, DC area (Gaithersburg, MD) with warehouse locations in Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Gurnee and Gaithersburg. AUI is part of the Vestar Capital Partners portfolio with affiliate Roland Foods, LLC. Founded in 1968, the company offers over 1,400 products from around the world.

We serve leading hotels, restaurants, casinos, cruise lines, airlines, and manufacturers with innovative, high quality products and solutions to their most demanding culinary challenges. We operate a network of distribution centers across the U.S. and serve select international markets as well. AUI has a national direct selling organization of over 60 sales professionals and a staff of culinary experts (chefs and food scientists) adept at custom product solutions.

Albert Uster Imports is in search of a new Distribution Center Manager in our Gaithersburg Warehouse
. The manager will manage all aspects of the warehouse and facility including staffing, shipping, receiving, inventory management, GDP compliance management and facilities maintenance. They will evaluate and work toward cost reduction through increased efficiency and innovation and meet or exceed established budgets and metrics for all areas of the warehouse operation. The ideal candidate will demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of the Distribution Center operation, including the Company’s Warehouse Management and Shipping Systems and will be responsible for the training and development of all DC team members.

The Distribution Center Manager will communicate business changes and needs to all personnel and interfaces with other areas of the business as required. This position must support all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the warehouse and serve as the focal point of contact for all problem solving.

Note:

This is a working manager role.

• Transfer & Receiving & Shipping Operations (Primary Focus):
  Own and manage all inbound and outbound product transfers, ensuring orders are accurately processed, staged, scanned, verified, and shipped within 48 hours of receipt, obtaining approval for any required changes.
• Oversee daily receiving operations for all inbound transfers and purchase orders, ensuring products are scanned, put away, and posted within 6–24 business hours.
• Ensure all discrepancies (OS&D, PO issues) are promptly identified, documented and reported per established procedures.
• Manage customer returns according to company guidelines and ensure proper disposition.
• Serve as the main point of accountability for transfer accuracy, receiving performance, and shipping execution between distribution centers.

• Order Fulfillment & Carrier Management:
  Ensure all customer orders received before cutoff are picked, scanned, packed, labeled, and shipped same day, following proper packaging standards and minimizing shipping errors through training and process controls.
• Oversee repacking, relabeling, and sample order preparation, ensuring accuracy, proper documentation, and compliance with food safety and quality standards.
• Coordinate closely with Customer Service, common carriers (UPS, Fed Ex), and LTL carriers (dry and refrigerated) to manage routing, claims, OS&D, pickups, late or mid-day sweeps, and overall shipping performance.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of Fed Ex, UPS, international shipping requirements, and freight carrier systems, schedule daily pickups and proactively communicate volume trends to ensure on-time delivery.

• Inventory & Stock Maintenance:
  Oversee all inventory activities, including restocking, rotation (FEFO), lot tracking, location accuracy, re-barcoding, cycle counts, and physical inventories to maintain inventory accuracy within established budget guidelines.
• Ensure proper storage, protection, and inspection of inventory, identify and report non-conforming, overstocked, or short-stocked products, and coordinate adjustments or disposition (donation or disposal) with Purchasing.
• Actively participate in stock level reviews and perform weekly inspections to…