Assistant Director, Warehousing & Distribution

Assistant Director, Warehousing & Distribution

Reports To: Director of Warehouse & Distribution

Location: Delray Beach, FL

Type: Full-Time | Onsite | Exempt

Pero Family Farms is a market share leader with over a century of dedication, commitment and integrity. Operating since 1908, Pero is the farm trusted by retailers and consumers alike. We are a fully integrated farming operation, with departments that specialize in organic farming, logistics, global supply chain management, national sales operations, food processing operations, and strategic marketing functions. Our operation includes over 35,000 acres spanning across the East Coast of the United States from Florida to New York, with distribution and production facilities in several different states. We pride ourselves in maintaining a strong family heritage and tradition that has been dedicated to quality, innovation, and excellent customer service that has been feeding America's families for over a century. Our family's passion for farming remains unwavering, with a vision to continue the tradition for many generations to come, whilst maintaining the reverence and trust it has established with the American consumer. As we expand our offering to include an assortment of organic vegetable options; we have become one of the largest organic vegetable growers in the country and we are looking to grow our workforce family. Join us in continuing and strengthening our position as a market share leader dedicated and trusted by retailers and consumers alike.

The Assistant Director, Warehousing & Distribution is a senior operational leader responsible for the receipt, storage, order fulfillment, and outbound dock execution across multiple Pero Family Farms distribution facilities. The role owns daily warehouse performance, cold chain integrity, inventory accuracy, and the continuous improvement agenda for all warehouse operations. This position works closely with Production Planning, Sales Operations, Quality Assurance, Transportation, and Enterprise Technology to keep physical operations aligned with service commitments and company growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct inbound receiving, put-away, replenishment, pick, pack, and outbound dock operations across all distribution facilities simultaneously.
• Manage operational consistency and performance standards across sites with different footprints, product mixes, and labor profiles.
• Own space utilization, slotting strategy, and inventory accuracy (cycle count program and WMS reconciliation) at each location.
• Coordinate cross-facility inventory movements and inter-facility transfers to support production scheduling and order fulfillment.
• Ensure on-time, complete order fulfillment against daily ship schedules across all facilities and channel types.

• Maintain precise temperature control across all storage zones including dry, wet rack, pre-cooling, cooler, and environments specific to fresh produce handling.
• Enforce pre-cooling protocols and transit temperature requirements by commodity type to protect shelf life and food quality.
• Own the temperature monitoring program across all facilities; investigate and resolve deviations before product quality is compromised.
• Partner with Quality Assurance to manage temperature-related holds, rejections, and disposition decisions.
• Ensure cooler infrastructure (refrigeration equipment, dock seals, staging practices) is maintained and auditable at all times.

• Own inventory accuracy across all facilities; establish and enforce cycle count frequency, reconciliation procedures, and variance thresholds.
• Partner with Production Planning and Sales Operations on daily inventory visibility and allocation decisions that affect outbound fulfillment.
• Drive WMS discipline at the associate and supervisor level to ensure system-of-record accuracy for all product movements.
• Identify and close root causes of shrink, mispick, and inventory discrepancies.

• Ensure all outbound shipments meet retailer routing guide requirements including packaging, labeling, palletization, and appointment compliance.
• Serve as the warehouse operations point of contact for shipping compliance inquiries, chargeback investigations, and corrective action responses.
• Coordinate with Transportation and Sales Operations on load scheduling and appointment management to protect on-time performance.

• Lead warehouse managers, supervisors, leads, and hourly associates across multiple shifts and locations; manage headcount planning, scheduling, and labor agency relationships.
• Build a performance-driven culture grounded in safety, accountability, and respect; conduct structured coaching and regular performance conversations.
• Partner with HR on recruiting, onboarding, progressive discipline, and retention in a high-turnover, physically demanding environment.
• Develop supervisor-level bench strength to support operational continuity and site leadership as the network grows.

• Drive KPI performance across all sites (labor productivity, dock-to-stock time, order accuracy, cost per case, shrink rate) using Lean principles.
• Lead or sponsor structured improvement projects from problem definition through implementation and control; document in SOP format.
• Identify automation and technology opportunities (label verification, voice picking, conveyor) and develop business cases for capital investment.
• Serve as operational champion for WMS; partner with Enterprise Technology on system enhancements and issue resolution.

• Maintain a zero-injury culture through structured safety observations, incident investigation, and corrective action follow-through.
• Ensure all warehouse activities comply with OSHA, FSMA, SQF, and company food safety protocols.
• Serve as the distribution operations representative during SQF, third-party, and regulatory audits across all facilities.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, or a related field required.
• APICS CPIM/CSCP, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, or equivalent professional certification strongly preferred.

Experience

• 8+ years of progressive warehousing and distribution leadership, with at least 3 years managing multiple facilities concurrently.
• Direct experience in fresh produce, perishable food, or floral distribution required; knowledge of commodity-level temperature requirements (cooler bands, ethylene sensitivity, pre-cooling protocols) is essential.
• Demonstrated track record leading multi-shift operations with teams of 50+ hourly associates across varied skill levels.
• Hands-on WMS experience proficiency with Excel and operational reporting tools.
• Working knowledge of retailer routing guide compliance, palletization standards, and outbound labeling requirements.
• Experience managing operations through peak seasonal demand swings inherent to agricultural production cycles.

Competencies

• Operational Rigor: Sets high standards across all sites, follows through on commitments, and holds teams accountable with data.
• Cold Chain Expertise: Understands produce physiology and temperature sensitivity well enough to make real-time decisions that protect product quality and shelf life.
• Multi-Site Management: Can maintain consistent standards and performance across geographically distributed facilities without being physically present at each one every day.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Builds credibility and alignment with Transportation, Sales, QA, and IT without direct authority over those functions.
• Communication: Translates floor-level operational issues into concise summaries for leadership; direct and data-grounded in both directions.

Working Conditions

• Frequent presence on warehouse floors across multiple distribution facilities.
• Regular exposure to varying temperature-controlled environments, including coolers, refrigerated storage areas, wet rack areas, pre-cooling zones, and loading docks.
• Regular travel between distribution facilities and operational locations.
• Fast-paced environment supporting fresh produce distribution with time-sensitive customer and retailer requirements.
• Extended work hours, weekends, holidays, and on-call availability may be required during peak harvest seasons, high-volume periods, audits, inventory events, weather disruptions, or operational emergencies.
• Interaction with warehouse equipment, moving machinery, forklift traffic, and active shipping/receiving operations.
• Requires adherence to all food safety, quality, security, and workplace safety standards.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to walk warehouse floors for extended periods throughout the workday.
• Ability to stand for prolonged periods while observing operations, conducting audits, and leading teams.
• Ability to frequently move between warehouse zones, offices, loading docks, and distribution facilities.
• Ability to travel regularly between multiple locations by vehicle and/or air travel as needed.
• Ability to climb stairs, access elevated work platforms, and navigate warehouse environments safely.
• Ability to bend, stoop, kneel, reach, and crouch when inspecting equipment, inventory, storage locations, or dock operations.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to work in refrigerated and cold-temperature environments for extended periods.
• Ability to use a computer, tablet, and other technology equipment for extended periods.
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