Director, Operational Design & Engineering

Some of what you will do:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Supply Chain Strategy, Engineering & Sourcing, the Director, Operations Design & Engineering is accountable for how Staples Canada’s distribution and fulfillment facilities are designed, automated, staffed and improved. The role leads the development of facility concepts, layouts, material flow, storage and slotting designs, automation solutions, labour models, capacity plans and operating models that improve service, productivity, scalability and cost.

Staples Canada is modernizing its distribution facilities through automated storage, robotics and modern warehouse systems. The Director serves as the business and technical lead for the engineering work behind this modernization, acting as Staples Canada’s counterpart to integrators and equipment providers and bringing defensible designs and business cases to senior leadership.

This is a hands-on engineering leadership role. Network strategy sits with the broader Supply Chain Strategy team; this role owns the facility and operations designs that make the network plan work.

Specifically, You Will:

Facility and Operations Design

• Lead the design of distribution centres, fulfillment centres and cross-docks, from concept through detailed layout.

• Develop material flow, storage, slotting and material handling designs that balance throughput, density, safety, service and cost.

• Establish the engineering standards and design principles that new facilities and major operational changes must meet.

• Assess current-state operations and quantify opportunities to improve workflow, labour productivity, space utilization and equipment utilization.

• Support facility master planning and long-term capacity requirements for each site.

Automation and Material Handling Systems

• Lead the evaluation, design and implementation of warehouse automation, including goods-to-person storage (AutoStore or similar), shuttle systems, autonomous mobile robots, conveyor, sortation and packaging automation.

• Act as the primary technical and commercial counterpart to automation integrators, engineering consultants and equipment providers: write requirements, challenge vendor designs, and validate simulations and throughput claims before capital is committed.

• Validate the capacity, throughput, labour and financial assumptions behind every automation investment.

• Partner with IT so that WMS and WES design and physical design are delivered as one solution.

Labour, Capacity and Operating Models

• Build and maintain engineered labour standards and labour models for current and future operations.

• Design future-state operating structures, staffing levels, shift patterns and supervisory spans.

• Conduct productivity analysis and operational benchmarking.

• Provide engineering inputs to annual operating plans and long-range operational forecasts.

Capital Projects and Business Cases

• Lead the engineering workstream on major supply chain capital projects, managing scope, schedule, budget, risk and readiness.

• Develop business requirements and partner with IT, Operations, Procurement, Finance and external vendors throughout the project lifecycle.

• Build business cases that quantify capital, labour, service, inventory and operating-cost impacts.

• Track benefits realization after go-live and report results against the approved business case.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify and prioritize opportunities to improve operational performance across warehouse, fulfillment and inbound processes.

• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, industrial engineering and process-improvement methods.

• Partner with site leadership to identify bottlenecks and implement sustainable process improvements.

• Build a culture of fact-based problem solving and operational discipline.

Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop a team of engineers and analysts, building depth in layout design, simulation and labour modelling.

• Lead cross-functional project teams and external engineering resources.

• Build strong partnerships with Operations, IT, Finance, Procurement and Real Estate, and influence decisions without direct authority.

• Communicate recommendations and project outcomes to senior leadership in clear, decision-ready terms.

Some of what you need:

• Experience in retail or multichannel environments serving both store replenishment and e-commerce.
• Direct experience with AutoStore or comparable goods-to-person systems, autonomous mobile robots or packaging automation.
• Working knowledge of WMS, WES and TMS platforms; Manhattan Active WMS an asset.
• Experience at an automation integrator, industrial engineering consultancy or retail engineering group.
• Master’s degree, P.Eng. designation or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt considered an asset.
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Operations Research, Supply Chain, Logistics or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in warehouse or distribution engineering, industrial engineering, operations design or automation, including 3 or more years leading teams.
• Proven track record of leading at least one large automation or facility project from design through go-live and stabilization.
• Hands-on proficiency in facility layout (AutoCAD or equivalent), capacity and throughput modelling, labour standards and engineering economics.
• Strong working knowledge of material handling equipment, conveyor and sortation, automated storage and retrieval systems, and storage and slotting design.
• Experience building business cases for senior leadership and delivering the benefits they committed to.
• Experience managing automation integrators and equipment providers on large contracts.
• Strong analytical and engineering judgment, financial acumen and structured problem-solving skills.
• Excellent executive communication skills and the ability to influence without direct authority.

Physical demands/working conditions:

Office environment - Hybrid, with 4 days onsite in Richmond Hill, subject to the hybrid policy.

Some of what you will get:

• Associate discount

• Health and Dental benefits

• RRSP/DPSP

• Performance bonuses

• Learning & Development programs

• And more...