Director, Operations

Schedule: Flexibility to support disaster relief and attend events with early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.

Requirements: Applicants are required to submit to a drug test as part of the hiring process. Personal access to reliable transportation for travel within the surrounding areas of San Antonio and Bexar County is required.

General Summary: The Director of Operations leads the day-to-day execution and long-term improvement of the Food Bank's warehouse and distribution operations. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role owns warehouse safety, inventory accuracy and integrity, quality assurance and food safety, warehouse training, internal audits, and continuous process improvement across dry, cooler, and freezer environments.

This is a hands-on leadership role. The Director builds the systems, standards, and people capacity that allow the Food Bank to receive, store, and distribute product accurately, safely, and at scale — while remaining audit-ready every day for Feeding America, USDA/TDA, regulatory, and donor requirements.

Impact:

Operational Leadership

- Direct daily warehouse operations across receiving, put-away, storage, order selection, staging, and dispatch to ensure accurate and on-time fulfillment for partner agencies, mobile distributions, and internal programs.

- Partner with the Chief Operating Officer to translate strategic priorities into operating plans, staffing models, capital requests, and annual performance targets.

- Establish, monitor, and report operational KPIs — including order accuracy, on-time dispatch, pick rate, cost per pound handled, inventory shrink, product turns, and recordable incident rate.

- Manage the operating budget for assigned areas; control labor, equipment, and supply costs without compromising safety or service levels.

- Coordinate closely with Procurement, Transportation, Agency Relations, Programs, Facilities, and Volunteer Services to align inbound product flow with outbound distribution demand.

Warehouse Safety

- Own the warehouse safety program end to end, including OSHA compliance, hazard assessments, job safety analyses, personal protective equipment, lockout/tagout, and powered industrial truck certification and recertification.

- Chair the warehouse safety committee; lead incident investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and near-miss reporting to drive down injury frequency and severity.

- Maintain the warehouse safety training calendar, toolbox talks, emergency action and evacuation plans, and cold-storage and refrigeration safety protocols.

- Maintain OSHA 300 logs and partner with Human Resources on workers' compensation claims, return-to-work coordination, and injury trend analysis.

- Conduct routine safety walkthroughs of racking, dock areas, equipment, and traffic patterns; ensure findings are corrected and documented.

Inventory Management

- Ensure inventory accuracy and integrity within the inventory management system across dry, cooler, and freezer environments.

- Direct the cycle counting program and annual physical inventory; research and resolve variances and hold shrink within established targets.

- Enforce FIFO/FEFO rotation, lot and date-code control, and appropriate disposition of salvage, damaged, recalled, and expired product.

- Oversee slotting, space utilization, and racking configuration to increase throughput, reduce travel time, and maximize usable capacity.

- Ensure accurate, timely inventory reporting to support Feeding America, USDA and Texas Department of Agriculture programs (including TEFAP and CSFP), grant requirements, and donor accountability

Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Food Safety

- Maintain food safety and quality programs aligned with Feeding America standards, AIB inspection criteria, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act requirements, HACCP principles, and state and local health codes.

- Lead preparation for and response to third-party, Feeding America, USDA/TDA, and health department inspections; own corrective action plans through closure.

- Oversee temperature monitoring and cold-chain verification, sanitation and integrated pest management programs, allergen handling, and product segregation.

- Maintain recall and withdrawal procedures, including traceability records and periodic mock recalls.

- Own the standard operating procedure library and records retention for all operations functions.

Internal Warehouse Audits and Compliance

- Design and execute an internal audit calendar covering inventory accuracy, safety, food safety, equipment condition, documentation, and process adherence.

- Document findings, assign corrective and preventive actions with clear owners and due dates, verify closure, and report trends and root causes to the Chief Operating Officer.

- Maintain audit-ready conditions at all times so that external inspections require no special preparation.

- Ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory, and grant obligations governing product handling and reporting.

Warehouse Training and Workforce Development

- Build and maintain onboarding and ongoing training curricula for warehouse staff, including forklift and pallet jack certification, food safety, safe lifting and material handling, and equipment operation.

- Maintain complete training and certification records; ensure required refreshers are scheduled and completed on time.

- Coach and develop managers, supervisors, and leads; build cross-training depth and succession readiness across shifts and functions.

- Partner with Volunteer Services to ensure volunteers receive appropriate safety orientation and task-specific instruction before working in warehouse areas.

Process Improvement

- Lead continuous improvement using Lean, 5S, Kaizen, and root-cause methodologies; map current-state processes and implement measurable improvements in throughput, accuracy, safety, and cost.

- Evaluate, recommend, and implement technology, equipment, and layout changes — including warehouse management system enhancements, scanning, and automation.

- Standardize procedures across shifts and facilities, then sustain adoption through training, visual management, and internal audit.

- Build the data and reporting infrastructure needed for leadership to make operational decisions with confidence.

Other

- Perform other duties as assigned in support of the Food Bank's mission.

Required Job Qualifications:

Education & Experience

- Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics, business administration, industrial engineering, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience will be considered.

- Five or more years of progressively responsible warehouse, distribution, or manufacturing operations experience.

- Demonstrated ownership of a safety program in a warehouse or distribution environment, including OSHA compliance and powered industrial truck programs.

- Proven track record managing inventory accuracy in a WMS or inventory management system, including cycle counting and variance resolution.

- Working knowledge of food safety principles, HACCP, cold-chain requirements, and sanitation and pest control programs.

- Experience designing and running internal audits or a compliance program with documented corrective actions.

Skills & Competencies

- Strong analytical skills; fluency with KPIs, spreadsheets, and operational reporting.

- Leads by presence on the floor as well as through systems and data.

- Communicates clearly and respectfully with warehouse staff, executives, agency partners, donors, volunteers, and regulators.

- Holds a high standard without losing sight of the dignity of the people doing the work and the people being served.

- Balances competing priorities in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment where product perishes and demand fluctuates.

- Writes clear SOPs, audit findings, and reports; comfortable with Microsoft Office and warehouse management systems.

Certifications & Licenses

- Current Texas driver’s license, liability insurance, and a clean driving record.

Physical Demands

Frequently required to sit, talk, hear, keyboard, and utilize fine manipulation and near visual acuity.

Frequently moves throughout the warehouse, dock, cooler, and freezer areas; walk, utilize gross manipulation, push, pull, reach, carry, and stoop.

Frequently lifts and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Work Environment

This job is primarily performed in an indoor warehouse environment and includes frequent entry into a cooler and freezer with temperatures as low as 0°F.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Exposed to forklift and vehicle traffic, dust, and varying outdoor conditions on the dock.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties.