WHAT DOES A DIRECTOR OF DISTRIBUTION DO?

Published: Dec 3, 2024 – The Director of Distribution oversees distribution center operations to ensure timely product delivery, compliance with customer specifications, and adherence to quality and cost-efficiency goals. This position manages inventory levels, labor costs, and workflow coordination while maintaining effective communication across departments and ensuring asset security. The director also develops and monitors KPIs, provides performance reports, and implements training systems to enhance operational efficiency and quality standards.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Director of Distribution

1. Director of Distribution Key Accountabilities

  • Collaboration: Work collaboratively with the North American team to develop and execute innovative and creative sales strategies across all platforms in the Territory for both new and catalog titles.
  • Opportunity Identification: Proactively identify new growth opportunities, both with existing clients, new entrants, and changing technology and/or delivery systems.
  • Content Strategy Planning: Work closely with AVOD partners and the FAST channel internal team to plan content roll-out strategies in the market.
  • Negotiation and Deal Closure: Negotiate and close deals to ensure that each title exceeds its targeted level of revenue across all sales windows.
  • Contract and Post-Sales Support: Oversee contract drafting and post-sales delivery/support.
  • Market Analysis: Create market analysis, prepare and contribute to sales forecasts, producer sales reports, and sales and Territory presentations tailored to meet specific targets.
  • Cross-Department Collaboration: Work with internal departments such as Marketing, PR, Finance, Programming, Material Ops, and Legal to progress deals to completion and support at all stages of the deal.
  • Post-Sales Support: Initiate post-sales support to maximize best placement, ratings, and promotional opportunities.
  • Marketing and PR Management: Create and/or manage local marketing and PR initiatives to support key content in the territory.
  • Performance Tracking: Track the performance of FM Content and market/programming trends.

2. Director of Distribution Roles and Details

  • Workplace Safety: Provides a safe, healthy, and secure work environment for employees by continually addressing all ergonomic and security issues.
  • Budget Management: Prepares budget and maintains efficient cost control by operating within the operational budget set for the distribution center.
  • Product Movement Compliance: Ensures the accuracy, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and DOT/FAA compliance of product movement for all customer and/or store orders.
  • Inventory Management: Maintains accurate, efficient, current “receiving” status, and accurate inventories.
  • Shrink Control: Performs cycle counts and/or conducts an annual physical inventory, controls and minimizes inventory shrink.
  • Warehouse Integrity: Ensures the integrity of all warehouse inventories with compliance with all ICC rules and policies.
  • Shipping Status Management: Maintains accurate, efficient, and current “shipping” status.
  • Employee Training and Development: Develops and maintains training, educational programs, and career advancement opportunities for employees.
  • Employee Relations: Accountable for employee relation concerns including payroll, recruiting, performance reviews, policy communication and enforcement, and conflict resolution.
  • Union-Free Workplace: Provides a positive workplace environment to maintain a union-free environment.
  • Customer and Stakeholder Communication: Ensures good communications with customers, field, and corporate office.
  • Vendor Purchase Order Management: Works with Merchandising on vendor Purchase Order discrepancies.
  • Warehouse System Development: Assists in Warehouse Management System development/upgrades.
  • Freight Cost Management: Assists the Transportation Manager in achieving the lowest possible freight cost for a specified service level.

3. Director of Product Supply and Distribution Duties

  • Team Management: Manage an internationally based team of quality professionals.
  • Global Quality Oversight: Lead teams located in regions and country affiliates that ensure quality oversight of Kite’s global product distribution and transportation.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Enable regulatory-compliant receipt, release, and use of autologous cell therapy products across all international regions.
  • Quality Systems Implementation: Responsible for the implementation, execution, and maturation of Quality Systems for cell therapy products to be compliant with specific country CGMP/ATMP requirements.
  • Supplier Oversight: Oversee local suppliers involved in the distribution of Kite products.
  • Apheresis and Infusion Center Qualification: Oversee Global program to qualify apheresis and infusion centers for compliance and quality, and provide monitoring and oversight of qualified centers.
  • Quality Leadership: Responsible for leadership and coordination of quality across business partners, sites, and corporate business units.
  • Collaborative Quality Systems: Build collaborative and cell therapy-based quality systems with company affiliates.
  • Out-License Relationships: Build and maintain collaborative relationships with joint venture and out-licensed cell therapy companies.
  • Quality Agreement System: Build a standard Quality Agreement system for apheresis/treatment centers, joint ventures, and outsourced manufacturing centers.
  • Global Quality System Execution: Build and execute the end-to-end global quality system to manage cell therapy product complaints, BPDRs, and product recalls.
  • Collaboration with Safety Teams: Assure close collaboration with company product safety teams globally.
  • Technical Team Management: Manage a team of technical experts who are responsible for Product quality-related activities and represent quality on product operations teams.
  • Quality Planning and Metrics: Collaborate with the Kite Quality Management Systems teams to develop and implement appropriate quality planning and metric reporting.
  • Inspection Support: Provide inspection support to the US FDA, EU EMA, and other country boards of health.
  • Talent Management: Responsible for talent management including recruitment, selection, development, training, and retention of quality staff.

4. Director of Distribution and Sales Functions

  • Strategy Development: Establish and deliver a three-year Distribution and Sales strategy.
  • Market Intelligence: Ensure the company remains well informed of the landscape in which it operates and reports on what needs to be done to keep products and services competitive.
  • Business Growth: Deliver growth with quality new business sales.
  • Product and Service Review: Regularly review existing products and services to ensure that they remain competitive and recommend changes based on a sound business case.
  • Distributor Relationship Management: Ensure relationships with distributors remain strong and profitable for the business.
  • Adviser Engagement: Ensure engagement within the Adviser base remains high.
  • Business Relationship Development: Develop a clear vision relating to the development of existing and new business relationships and structures with Directly authorized Financial Advisers, Networks and Network Advisers, and other Advisers.
  • Alternative Distribution Exploration: Explore alternative methods of distribution and produce a business case to support changes to existing arrangements.
  • Warehouse Operations Management: Oversee day-to-day operations of 1.2 million square feet, multi-building warehouse space stocking over 38,500 packagings, shipping, industrial, and janitorial products.
  • Team Leadership: Lead and develop a team of 200+ warehouse employees to deliver unparalleled service and same-day shipping.
  • Operations Oversight: Responsible for oversight of all operations including Freight, Returns, Receiving, Parcels, Transfers, Customer Pick-Up, Safety, Inventory Control, and Transportation.
  • Productivity and Accuracy Management: Manage daily plans to exceed expectations for productivity and order accuracy.
  • Strategic Execution: Develop and execute strategic plans to support double-digit growth including labor planning, staffing, and capital requirements.
  • Warehouse Safety: Maintain a clean, safe warehouse environment.

5. Director of Distribution Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Supply Chain Coordination: Works directly with Supply Chain Management to ensure the timely and complete delivery of ordered products at specification.
  • Operations Management: Maintain effective operations through communicating, organizing, scheduling, and training supervisors and personnel to meet deadlines, turnaround times, and quality specifications.
  • Customer Order Fulfillment: Complies with customer needs and specific requirements for the fulfillment of orders.
  • Warehouse Organization: Responsible for all aspects of the organization and cleanliness of the DC.
  • Production Flow Management: Manage the flow of internal production, corporate markets, and repair, with emphasis on quality and quantitative goals.
  • Employee Scheduling: Creates a master daily schedule of deployment of employees based on workload mandates.
  • Employee Relations: Maintains and improves the effectiveness of the company’s employee relations activities and implementation of Human Resources policies, including performance management.
  • Labor Cost Control: Maintain and control all labor costs (basic headcounts), overtime hours, and other related expenses to ensure an efficient and cost-effective operation.
  • Cross-Department Communication: Maintain effective communications with all departments needed to ensure an efficient workflow process within the Distribution Center.
  • Inventory Control: Works directly with Finance and Inventory Control to ensure that proper inventory levels are maintained and accurate.
  • Asset Protection: Works with Finance and Operations to secure all physical assets of the Company in the DC.
  • Budget and Headcount Management: Responsible for headcount and budget management of the Distribution Center.
  • Operational Reporting: Provides management with monthly reports commenting upon efficiencies, compliance issues, exceptions to normal operations, quality issues, and budgetary considerations.
  • KPI Monitoring: Establishes and monitors KPIs on a regular reporting basis, as well as ensures site quality training system is effective.