Vice President of Operations

About the Opportunity

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity to oversee a large distribution center for one of the nation’s leading food distributors. The Vice President of Operations will step into a visible role with strong upward mobility, serving as the senior leader of the facility and driving operational excellence across inbound, outbound, transportation, and facilities management.

This role is a backfill, offering the chance for an experienced leader to make their mark quickly in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. The position offers direct exposure to executive leadership and the opportunity to influence both local and regional operations strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the Buffalo distribution center, managing operations across inbound, outbound, transportation, and facilities .

• Lead and develop a team of department managers & indirect reports

• Ensure operational efficiency, profitability, and compliance with all safety, regulatory, and company standards.

• Partner with executive leadership to align site operations with broader regional and corporate goals.

• Drive performance improvement in productivity, safety, inventory management, and customer service.

• Manage union labor relations, including negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements.

• Champion a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement throughout the facility.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading an entire distribution facility

• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership, with at least 5 years in senior-level management overseeing managers.

• Food distribution experience strongly preferred; open to candidates from consumer-packaged goods (CPG).

• Background in turnaround environments or roles requiring significant trust-building and cultural buy-in highly valued.

• Union labor experience required ; strong preference for candidates who have directly negotiated or administered CBAs.

• Strategic thinker with hands-on leadership skills, able to balance long-term objectives with day-to-day execution.

• Experience with a Warehouse Management System

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