General Manager

The General Manager is responsible for the overall performance of a high-volume, highly automated distribution and fulfillment operation within a food-grade environment. This role provides strategic and operational leadership across safety, food safety and quality, automation, customer performance, financial results, workforce development, and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate brings significant leadership experience in complex distribution, fulfillment, or manufacturing operations, with strong knowledge of food-grade requirements and experience leveraging automation and technology to improve productivity, reliability, service, and cost performance.

Location: Smyrna, TN (onsite)

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday

Travel Specifics: 25%

Competitive Compensation: Attractive annual salary of $120,000-$154,000 plus a performance-based bonus

• Lead all aspects of a high-volume automated distribution and fulfillment operation to achieve customer, financial, service, safety, quality, and productivity objectives.
• Develop and execute operational strategies that improve throughput, inventory accuracy, order fulfillment, quality, cost, and service levels.
• Provide leadership across receiving, warehousing, inventory control, order fulfillment, and shipping operations.
• Drive a culture of accountability, safety, food safety, employee engagement, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Develop labor and staffing strategies that effectively balance workforce requirements, automation capabilities, volume fluctuations, and customer expectations.
• Identify operational risks and implement sustainable corrective actions to improve performance.

• Ensure the facility operates in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), food safety requirements, sanitation standards, company policies, and customer expectations.
• Provide leadership and oversight for AIB audits, regulatory requirements, corrective action programs, and ongoing compliance initiatives.
• Maintain strong operational controls that protect product integrity, inventory accuracy, sanitation standards, and overall facility compliance.
• Partner with Safety, Quality, HR, and operational leadership to maintain compliance with OSHA requirements and workplace safety programs.
• Ensure teams are properly trained and held accountable for food safety, sanitation, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the performance and utilization of automated material handling systems, robotics, conveyor systems, ASRS, sortation equipment, and other warehouse technologies.
• Partner with Engineering, Maintenance, IT, and automation vendors to maximize system uptime, reliability, and operational performance.
• Lead automation optimization efforts and identify opportunities to improve throughput, efficiency, capacity, and scalability.
• Support the implementation, startup, stabilization, and continuous improvement of automation technologies and system enhancements.
• Ensure effective integration and utilization of WMS, WCS, ERP, labor management systems, inventory management technologies, and other operational platforms.
• Leverage operational data, analytics, and reporting tools to identify trends, solve problems, and drive informed decision-making.
• Champion automation, process control, and continuous process improvement initiatives across the operation.

• Maintain responsibility for site P&L performance, budgeting, forecasting, labor planning, and cost management.
• Develop and execute strategies that improve operational efficiency, productivity, and overall cost performance.
• Balance automation capabilities, workforce planning, customer requirements, and service levels to optimize labor productivity.
• Establish and monitor KPIs related to safety, food safety, quality, productivity, inventory accuracy, customer performance, cost, and automation effectiveness.
• Analyze operational and financial performance to identify opportunities and implement solutions that improve profitability and service.
• Ensure resources are effectively allocated to support both immediate operational requirements and long-term business objectives.
• Lead, coach, and develop managers and operational leaders across multiple functional areas.
• Build high-performing teams through effective talent acquisition, onboarding, development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability measures aligned with…