Continuous Improvement Manager

Primary Function:

This role will work in a team environment with a focus on driving operational processes in a way that will help Zoro drive product line expansion and provide our customers the most attractive and profitable product offering in the industry. This role requires a strategic mindset and the ability to leverage technology resources and automation to problem solve and drive results.

This role will be responsible for identifying and implementing process improvements within the Category Management team. This role will collaborate closely with cross functional partners to identify what’s most important and impactful to the business, and will be responsible for leading change and establishing new processes within those areas of focus. This role will leverage tools and data to streamline and automate new and existing processes, and will act with urgency to implement solutions while building long term solutions that will scale with our growing portfolio.

This role will drive key strategic priorities for the Zoro Category Management team including, but not limited to, cost management and supplier and sku lifecycle initiatives.
 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Supply Chain, PIM, Pricing, Merchandising and other internal teams to identify, scope, prioritize and implement continuous improvement initiatives
• Partner closely with the Category Management team to identify pain points within the supplier and sku lifecycle experiences and prioritize work to drive continuous improvement in those areas
• Drive the development of business cases and roadmaps to communicate and manage improvement initiatives cross functionally
• Continually monitor business activity and pain points to identify opportunities for centralizing transactional work, while driving technological enablements for long term solutions
• Leverage technology and collaborate with IT partners to build out efficiencies within our processes, with a goal of continuous improvement
• Lead prioritization and escalation efforts as needed to consistently achieve continuous improvement with urgency
• Partner with internal teams on audits as necessary
• Ensure that work instructions and training materials are updated as processes are improved

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 7+ years of experience in a related field with a strong track record of driving continuous improvement preferred
• Experience in distribution, online marketplaces, wholesale, e-commerce preferred
• Experience leading change through cross functional collaboration in process-driven environments
• Knowledge of change management and continuous improvement methodologies
• Familiarity with programming languages, with experience in enabling automation to problem solve

Skills and Competencies:

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment
• Ability to operationalize and scale solutions along with our growing assortment
• Experience analyzing data, building presentations and communicating effectively through data
• Preferred Technical Skills including SQL, Looker, BigQuery