Director of Warehouse Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Great Lakes Wine & Spirits is Michigan's Largest Alcoholic Beverage Wholesaler, servicing all 83 Michigan counties. Employing over 1,000 people with facilities throughout the state, We Are Local, Everywhere. Founded as a family business nearly 80 years ago, the tradition of good business principles has remained the cornerstone of Great Lakes Wine & Spirits success. Honesty, hard work, fair dealing, service and an ongoing commitment to the customers and staff. Great Lakes Wine & Spirits strives to provide an ever escalating standard of innovation and service to its customers and to responsibly enhance demand for its products.

Great Lakes Wine and Spirits continues to grow as we seek a Director of Warehouse Operations to oversee our spirits depot in Highland Park.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The Director of Warehouse Operations is a high-energy leader overseeing operations for one of our key warehouse facilities. This role is ideal for someone who excels at motivating teams, supporting a unionized workforce, improving processes, and driving operational excellence. Key responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Oversee day-to-day warehouse operations.
• Lead, mentor, and develop supervisory teams and frontline union employees.
• Manage interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and performance evaluations
• Ensure safety, efficiency, and compliance across all warehouse functions.
• Drive process improvements that enhance productivity and operational quality.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across warehouse operations.
• Collaborate with internal teams to support business and customer service goals.
• Maintain strong labor relations and ensure adherence to collective bargaining agreements.
• Complete other duties and special projects as assigned by management.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

This position will be frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts and vibrations where noise levels can be loud. This position also requires to be very active and may frequently be standing, walking, bending, kneeling, crouching, and climbing throughout the day. Items will weigh up to 50 pounds that may require occasional lifting, stacking, moving and rotating without handles and pushing/pulling carts with up to 100 pounds of force.

Work Schedule

This is a full-time position working a minimum of 45 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Occasional weekends and evenings will be required based on holiday schedules and business needs.

Pay & Benefits

• Salary $100,000 and $130,000 (paid semi-monthly)
• 6 Paid Holidays
• Vacation and Personal Time
• Competitive benefits including Medical, Dental, and Vision, Life Insurance, Disability, Employee Assistance Programs, and Group Legal coverage.
• Buy-Up Life Insurance and Disability coverage available.
• Eligible for 401K enrollment upon date of hire.
• Professional development and leadership training.
• Opportunities for career advancement within Great Lakes Wine & Spirits.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in business, supply chain, or related field (equivalent experience considered)
• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive warehouse or operations management experience.
• Experience supervising and developing leaders at the supervisory/manager level.
• Experience leading in a unionized environment.
• Proficient with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications including Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, data analysis, etc.).
• Six Sigma Certification (green or black preferred).
• Experience leading or participating in Kaizen initiatives or continuous improvement projects (preferred).
• Strong understanding of Lean and continuous improvement principles (preferred).
• Ability to use technology to improve reporting, operational visibility, and efficiency.
• Comfort with learning and adapting to new systems and tools.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, leadership, and decision-making skills.

Additional Requirements

• Adhere to the policies and procedures outlined in the employee policy manual and any applicable contracts, signed agreements, and work rules.
• Cooperates with all management and staff of GLWAS.
• Follows all MLCC rules and regulations, as they apply to the position.
• Use alcohol in a responsible manner when related to business activities.
• Ability to read, write, and communicate in English.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

All offers of employment are conditional based upon completed satisfactory of pre-employment screenings. This includes a background check on a criminal record, physical evaluation, agility(lift) test, and drug screen. Full disclosure is required before a criminal history is investigated and will not constitute an automatic bar of employment. Factors such as the date of offense, seriousness and nature of the violation, rehabilitation, and the position applied for will be taken into account.

By submitting an application, you consent to the company's conditions of employment.