Associate Director Customer Solutions

Associate Director Customer Solutions

The Associate Director Customer Solutions provides strategic leadership to the total Customer Solutions team as dictated by geographical location or niche business. They will directly manage a subset of Customer Solutions Managers and Customer Solutions Specialists, providing guidance, encouraging development, and delivering performance feedback to foster a culture of continuous learning. This role involves the systematic review and updating of supply chain processes, programs, and initiatives to enhance efficiency, compliance, and overall performance.

The aim is to identify areas for improvement, implement best practices, and ensure alignment with organizational goals. The person in this role will represent the Customer Solutions team and share out the group's successes with cross-functional leadership teams at annual conferences, meetings, and business reviews. The Associate Director Customer Solutions assists in establishing the skills, qualifications, and criteria for hiring skilled and qualified candidates that will enhance the Customer Solutions team and contribute positively to the organization.

They support Senior Managers and their teams by participating in the interview process and providing guidance in hiring decisions.

This role is pivotal in driving the strategic alignment of departmental goals of the Customer Solutions team with the enterprise's mission and objectives and designed to foster accountability, encourage teamwork, and ultimately enhance the overall customer journey. The Associate Director partners with multiple cross-functional teams to ensure a seamless, customer-centric approach that drives satisfaction, loyalty, and long-term business growth. The ideal candidate is both tactical and hands-on, with a passion for understanding customer behavior, improving processes, and leading teams to deliver exceptional experiences.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leadership and Guidance:
  Provide clear direction and support to direct reports. Set expectations, offer guidance, and ensure that team members understand their roles and responsibilities within the team and the broader organization.
• Program Execution:
  Identify areas to streamline workflows, enhance support channels, and implement strategic solutions. Directly assists the Customer Solutions team with the implementation of supply chain programs and logistics initiatives to ensure that strategic plans are effectively executed and engage in further discussion with customers to reach a mutual understanding of the purpose of these initiatives.
• Performance Metrics:
  Lead the Customer Solutions team in meeting the organization's performance goals against lead time, on time delivery, bracket compliance, order minimum adherence, and fill rate.
• Customer Partnership:
  Gain a deep understanding of each customer's supply chain and logistics requirements, including preferred processes, vendor requirements/programs, key performance metrics, and specific challenges they face. Serve as the internal advocate for customers, ensuring their voice influences strategic planning and decision-making at all organizational levels.
• Project Management & Problem Resolution:
  Utilize leadership, organizational, and facilitation skills on supply chain projects and initiatives to drive process efficiencies and cost savings for the organization. Identify and address challenges influencing the customer experience and facilitate discussions internally and with the customer to develop and implement effective solutions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  
  Partner with internal partners in sales, transportation, product movement, business units, etc. to align initiatives, resolve customer issues, and enhance end-to-end experiences.
• Financial Responsibility:
  Conduct comprehensive cost analyses within various areas of the business and involve team members in cost-saving initiatives. Cultivate critical thinking skills by educating the team on problem solving methods and assisting them in finding ways to apply it to the business they manage.
• Industry Expertise:
  Stay up to date with industry trends and share with cross-functional…