Summary
The Director of Distribution Center Engineering will lead the transformation of Nordstrom's distribution network through automation and process optimization. This role sets the enterprise technology roadmap and guides initiatives from evaluation and investment through deployment, while partnering across engineering, operations, product, and technology.
Responsibilities
- Define the automation strategy and technology roadmap for the distribution center network.
- Evaluate and manage automation technologies, vendors, and strategic partnerships.
- Build business cases and ROI models to prioritize capital investments.
- Drive continuous improvement across workflows, focusing on safety, quality, cycle time, productivity, and team member experience.
- Set readiness criteria, success metrics, and governance processes for deployment.
- Partner with Operations, Product, and Software Engineering to integrate automation capabilities.
- Negotiate vendor contracts and develop a high-performing team of technical leaders.
Requirements
- Undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, supply chain, or a related field.
- At least 8 years of engineering, automation, or supply chain leadership experience.
- Experience leading automation, robotics, or supply chain technology initiatives at scale, from pilot through network deployment.
- Experience evaluating technologies, managing vendors, negotiating contracts, and developing capital investment business cases.
- Knowledge of warehouse automation, material handling systems, robotics integration, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Strong cross-functional leadership, executive communication, and technical team development skills.
- Ability to travel 25-50%.
