Director of Distribution and Logistics

Job Summary

The Director of Distribution & Logistics owns the end-to-end physical flow of Step2 product across our network — four warehouse locations, an internal shuttle/fleet operation, and a micro-fulfillment partner. Reporting to the COO, this leader is accountable for the cost, service, capacity, and safety performance of our distribution and logistics operations, with a particular focus on optimizing the flow of large-format, space‑intensive product.

This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone with a technical foundation and a continuous‑improvement mindset. The Director will use data and disciplined process design to drive throughput, space utilization, and on‑time delivery while critically evaluating our third‑party logistics (3PL) and LTL freight strategy. They will lead a team of four direct and build the systems, metrics, and partnerships that scale with the business.

Onsite (Streetsboro, OH Headquarters) with regular presence across our four warehouse locations. Occasional travel — approximately once per month — is expected to partner and facility sites.

• Champion a safety‑first culture across all locations and the fleet — own warehouse and DOT safety programs, drive OSHA compliance, and lead efforts to eliminate injuries, incidents, and unsafe conditions.

• Direct day‑to‑day operations across four warehouse locations, ensuring safe, efficient, and cost‑effective receiving, storage, picking, packing, and shipping of large‑format product.
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of four managers/coordinators; set clear goals, KPIs, and standard work, and build bench strength across the function.
• Oversee the internal shuttle and fleet operation, optimizing routing, utilization, and inter‑facility moves while ensuring DOT compliance and driver safety.
• Manage the micro‑fulfillment partner relationship, integrating it into the broader network to improve speed and reach for direct‑to‑consumer and e‑commerce demand.

• Optimize product flow and space utilization across the network — slotting, storage strategy, cube efficiency, and material handling — specifically engineered for high‑volume, large‑format SKUs.
• Apply Lean / Six Sigma and continuous‑improvement methods to reduce touches, cycle times, damage, and cost per unit shipped.
• Establish and govern a metrics framework (throughput, fill rate, on‑time delivery, cost‑to‑serve, damage, safety, labor productivity) and drive a culture of data‑based decision‑making.
• Build dashboards, capacity models, and labor/volume forecasts that inform staffing, layout, and investment decisions.

• Critically evaluate the performance, cost, and scalability of the current 3PL partner(s), and lead make‑vs‑buy and partner‑selection analyses where warranted.
• Own LTL, truckload, and parcel freight strategy — carrier selection, rate negotiation, mode optimization, and service‑level management — with attention to the freight challenges unique to oversized product.
• Drive transportation cost reduction and service improvement through network design, consolidation, and routing strategy.

• Ensure inventory accuracy and integrity across the network, partnering with the Inventory Coordinator on cycle counting, reconciliation, and process controls.
• Champion the effective use and ongoing improvement of WMS/TMS and related operational technology, including automation and material‑handling investments.
• Partner closely with Manufacturing, Planning, Customer Service, Sales, and Finance to align capacity, service commitments, and cost targets.
• Work with the Finance and credit team to identify, address, and minimize customer chargebacks — improving routing‑guide compliance, shipping accuracy, and on‑time/in‑full performance to protect margin.
• Lead capital and operating budget planning for the function; build the business case for facility, equipment, and technology investments.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations, or a related technical field (advanced degree a…