Senior Distribution and Warehouse Manager

Company Background

Etz Hayim operates the brands Cycling Frog and Lazarus Naturals, as well as a comprehensive  operation that spans farming over 300 acres of hemp, extraction, chemical processing, packaging and warehousing to support both brands and private label customers.

Lazarus Naturals was founded in 2016 to provide safe and accessible CBD products for everyone who would benefit from them, regardless of their financial situation and ability to pay, which is why we provide a 60% Assistance Program to veterans and people with disabilities or low-incomes. In order to maintain an affordable price point and our commitment to accessibility for all, we have built a vertically integrated business model, which allows us to walk our talk of developing quality, affordable products - from product inception, development, seed, farming, extraction, finished production formulation and packaging, and distribution.

Cycling Frog, founded in 2022, is normalizing the consumption of casual use THC products. We are on a mission to make THC convenient, affordable, and fun by making a sessionable THC beverage similar in price as a beer or soda. We want to change the way THC is consumed and viewed by our society by focusing on lower potency, ready to drink beverages that can easily fit into anyone’s lifestyle. Under the Federal Farm Bill it is legal to sell these low potency THC products across all 50 states via the internet, and anywhere you can grab a beer.

Job Brief:

Etz Hayim Holdings, S.P.C d/b/a Lazarus Naturals is looking for a Senior Distribution and Warehouse Manager to oversee fulfillment and distribution operations in Portland, OR. This individual will be responsible for the team that fulfills direct to consumer and wholesale orders, distributes products to retail partners, manages the relationship with 3PL partners, and participates in overseeing logistics and shipping partnerships. This role will manage all aspects of the warehouse, inventory control, kitting and return to stock. This individual will thrive if they are able to establish goals and priorities for the warehouse and distribution team while instilling urgency with the team to reach SLA’s. The right candidate will have superb communication skills and experience managing warehouses for manufacturing and distribution operations that include both direct to consumer and wholesale customers. Currently, our team lacks experienced leadership and vision on how to meet our order demand as the company grows, and we are looking for a knowledgeable and vigorous individual to lead the warehouse and distribution teams. 

Reports To: Reports to the CEO with the plan to report to a future VP role. 

Requirements

Planning and reporting 

• Develop the strategic distribution & warehousing plan in collaboration with the Operational leadership team to support the growth of the business, drive efficiency and prepare the organization for the future. 
• Lead the execution and development of floorplan, process flows, cost optimization and workflows for warehouse, inventory control, order fulfillment and distribution to support our growth strategy and forecasts. 
• Develop, optimize and execute the annual staffing plan for distribution and warehousing. Optimize scheduling to accommodate for variable forecasts and fulfillment needs. 
• Manage the planning, ROI analysis, risk analysis and execution for distribution and warehouse projects. 

Distribution 

• Responsible for all outbound shipments, fulfillment, and associated costs and management.
• Manage the order fulfillment process to ensure on-time and accurate shipments. Implement RFID scanning and pick tracking to improve and track shipment accuracy.  Lead the optimization of the fulfillment workflow and processes. 
• Collaborate with the sales and customer service teams to properly prioritize and fulfill customer orders within SLA. Work with these teams to determine forecasting and sales that could create variable staffing hours challenges
• Manage, optimize existing and lead implementation of new shipping and fulfillment software systems and functionality.  Audit, develop and execute training, workflows and literacy with our shipping systems across the distribution team. 
• Partner with Commerce teams to determine the best parcel and freight carriers and services that minimize cost while supporting customer satisfaction with minimal transit time and customer visibility. Lead negotiation and analysis of costs with parcel and freight carriers, and manage the overall outbound spend. 
• Determine, plan and execute the most cost effective manner to distribute our sku mix across the USA, with majority of our volume on the eastern seaboard, and a mix of LTL and parcel shipments.  Examine options for 3PLs and other solutions to drive down spend, while minimizing inventory management and balance sheet. 
• Build strategy and implement 3PL partnerships where it makes sense from a cost, time-in-transit, SLA and accuracy standpoint. Work closely with chosen 3PL partners to ensure accurate inventory, SLA’s are met and to continuously improve time in transit to end customers. 
• Primary point of contact for third-party carriers and logistics partners to manage and coordinate outbound shipments. 
• Develop, track and report on key performance metrics related to distribution and fulfillment. 

Warehouse 

• Responsible for all warehouse operations, organization, workflow and day-to-day activities.  
• Organize and manage the warehouse, creating clear systems to track and manage all inventory parts. Arrange the warehouse in a logical way to reduce travel, touches and labor movement, while also creating clear visibility and pathways to reduce errors, highlight issues and not hide issues.  
• Audit, optimize and implement new inventory management systems and practices to ensure that we have accurate and live inventory. 
• Audit, optimize and implement new processes and workflow for inventory transfers and RTS procedures between Production, Warehouse and other teams to ensure inventory accuracy.
• Develop, optimize and execute cycle count practices to target the priority materials and finished goods in efficient and effective manners.  Lead the Systems team to build the triggers, systems, tools and tracking for executing cycle counts. 
• Plan, determine the proper cadence, and lead physical inventory counts in partnership with Finance. 
• Partner with the Production, Formulation and Scheduling teams to determine how kitting can best support the overall operations. Determine and execute the SLAs, deliverables, and processes for kitting.
• Coordinate internal logistics for all goods between warehouses, and develop and implement clear processes, SLAs and for communication and transit. 
• Audit, develop and implement system solutions and architecture to capture, manage and move all inventory and finished goods between locations. Lead future MRP implementation. 
• Implement and enforce safety protocols to maintain a safe working environment.

Leadership

• Be a hands on leader who isn't afraid to jump into the weeds to understand our systems, enjoys working on the production floor and who also understands the value of their time and prioritizes strategic leadership.
• Willing to spend the time to learn operational practices, processes, systems, and on-the-floor operations to understand how the organization works and then challenge the status quo to improve said systems and processes. 
• Managing shifts to maximize outputs and dealing with attendance issues when they occur. 
• Cultivate an environment that promotes and rewards initiative, open communication, accountability, excellence, and execution. 
• Provide coaching and development of staff to create clear career-pathing across the operations teams, and provide training to support staff members in being successful at their jobs and support their career paths. 
• Take a long-term view of the organization. Focus on building a company that services our customers into the future and provides concrete value and solutions. 

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of senior level role managing in a full warehouse/distribution center.
• 15+ years of experience in warehouse and distribution operations.
• Experience managing a fulfillment or distribution center with direct reports and scheduling those direct reports and their teams. 
• Experience at multiple sizes and maturities of companies, specifically at start ups and mid-stage companies. 
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with the ability to analyze data and make informed decisions. 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Experience managing 3PL relationships and temp labor as needed
• Experience with ERP and shipping systems and software.
• Passionate and skilled at recruiting, training and coaching team members. 
• o well in a high-urgency environment with competing priorities and a strong desire to give best-in-class service to the end customer through exceeding stated SLA’s and consistently shipping out a finished product that is up to brand standards. 
• Schedule can be variable when overtime is needed but most working hours will be Monday-Friday. Some evenings and weekends may come up if SLA is not being reached. 
• Job requires the ability to stand for long periods of time in a warehouse environment. Lifting up to 50lbs on a regular basis. 

Benefits

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits (medical, vision, and dental insurance)
• Employee discount program
• Fully stocked kitchen
• 401K plan
• FSA & commuter benefits

This is a full-time role based in Portland, Oregon.

Interested parties are encouraged to include a cover letter detailing why you think you could be a great fit, along with an updated resume. Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Veterans strongly encouraged to apply.

Lazarus Naturals is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.