Associate Director, Warehouse and Distribution

About the job

Location: Greenwood, South Carolina
Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across five continents. While we work in science, there is no magic formula to how we do it. Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses improve people's lives.
At Lonza, we respect and protect our people and our environment. Success is achieved because of our people who own their careers, genuinely improve the world around them, and contribute to making a meaningful difference. Join us and be part of a team where your ideas matter and your impact is visible every day.

Lonza is seeking an experienced and strategic Associate Director, Supply Chain Warehousing & Distribution to lead and optimize our Americas distribution network from our Greenwood, SC site. This highly visible leadership role is responsible for developing and executing regional logistics and distribution strategies that ensure exceptional customer delivery performance while driving operational excellence, cost efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
The successful candidate will lead a team of approximately 15 professionals and oversee a logistics network supporting North and South America, including transportation providers, warehouse operators, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics partners. This role owns a logistics budget of approximately $30M and plays a critical role in supporting business growth, customer satisfaction, and supply chain resiliency across the region.

• What You'll be Doing:
• Distribution Strategy & Network Optimization
• Develop and execute the Americas distribution and logistics strategy aligned with business growth objectives.

• Lead network design initiatives including warehouse footprint, inventory positioning, transportation modes, and distribution channel optimization.

• Identify opportunities to improve service levels, reduce complexity, increase flexibility, and lower total landed costs.

• Support acquisitions, portfolio changes, and market expansion initiatives.

• Transportation, Warehousing & Logistics Leadership
• Oversee transportation, warehousing, inventory management, customs compliance, and distribution activities across the Americas.

• Manage product distribution supporting the Greenwood manufacturing site, distribution center, and regional operations.

• Optimize satellite warehouse networks and logistics service models.

• Serve as the primary liaison for international freight movements throughout the Americas region.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with carriers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, warehouse providers, and other logistics partners.

• Customer Service Excellence
• Ensure customer delivery commitments and service expectations are consistently achieved.

• Drive improvements in OTIF performance, shipment visibility, lead times, and overall customer experience.

• Partner closely with Commercial, Customer Service, Planning, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to solve complex supply chain challenges.

• Financial & Operational Performance
• Own and manage a logistics budget of approximately $30M.

• Deliver annual productivity, cost savings, and working capital objectives.

• Establish and monitor KPI performance across safety, service, quality, inventory accuracy, warehousing, and transportation operations.

• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning processes.

• Trade Compliance & Risk Management
• Ensure compliance with U.S. Customs regulations and applicable international trade requirements.

• Maintain compliance with FDA, GMP, Dangerous Goods, controlled substance, and other distribution regulations as applicable.

• Lead business continuity planning and risk mitigation strategies to ensure supply chain resilience.

• Serve as the escalation point for significant logistics and trade compliance issues.

• People Leadership
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of approximately 15 logistics professionals.

• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.

• Drive organizational capability building and change management initiatives supporting future business requirements.

• What We're Looking For
• Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Distribution, Production Operations, or a related field.

• 7 to 10 years of experience within a manufacturing environment with significant exposure to the following; Distribution and logistics; Inventory management, Materials management, Production operations and Supply chain processes

• Minimum 4 years of people leadership or supervisory experience.

• Experience operating within ERP and computer-assisted business systems.

• Strong organizational, planning, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex logistics and distribution networks.

• Preferred Qualifications
• APICS certification.

• Experience managing third-party logistics providers and transportation contracts.

• Lean, operational excellence, or continuous improvement experience.

• Knowledge of international trade compliance and customs regulations.

• Every Day, You'll Make an Impact By:
• Delivering industry-leading customer service performance.

• Strengthening supply chain resilience across the Americas.

• Leading strategic logistics transformation initiatives.

• Driving continuous improvement and digitalization efforts.

• Developing and inspiring high-performing teams.

• Ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient distribution operations.

Why Lonza?
At Lonza, your work directly supports innovations that improve lives around the world. You'll have the opportunity to lead large-scale supply chain operations, influence key business decisions, and collaborate with talented colleagues across a global organization. We empower our people to take ownership, challenge the status quo, and continuously grow their careers.

Every day, Lonza's products and services have a positive impact on millions of people. Be part of a team that's making a meaningful difference.

Lonza is an Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic protected by applicable law.