{"id":4078303,"url":"https://alion.io/job/staples-director-operational-design-engineering","title":"Director, Operational Design & Engineering","company":{"id":1754708,"name":"Staples","domain":"staples.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/staples-com","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Oracle","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":77,"open_postings":44,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.909,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":23,"computed_at":"2026-11-11T05:49:22Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"head","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Richmond Hill, Canada"],"countries":["CA"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AutoCAD","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-11T15:37:54Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-11","last_verified_at":"2026-11-11T16:13:49Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Some of what you will do:\nReporting 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.\nStaples 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.\nThis 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.\nSpecifically, You Will:\nFacility and Operations Design\nLead the design of distribution centres, fulfillment centres and cross-docks, from concept through detailed layout.\n\nDevelop material flow, storage, slotting and material handling designs that balance throughput, density, safety, service and cost.\n\nEstablish the engineering standards and design principles that new facilities and major operational changes must meet.\n\nAssess current-state operations and quantify opportunities to improve workflow, labour productivity, space utilization and equipment utilization.\n\nSupport facility master planning and long-term capacity requirements for each site.\n\nAutomation and Material Handling Systems\nLead 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.\n\nAct 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.\n\nValidate the capacity, throughput, labour and financial assumptions behind every automation investment.\n\nPartner with IT so that WMS and WES design and physical design are delivered as one solution.\n\nLabour, Capacity and Operating Models\nBuild and maintain engineered labour standards and labour models for current and future operations.\n\nDesign future-state operating structures, staffing levels, shift patterns and supervisory spans.\n\nConduct productivity analysis and operational benchmarking.\n\nProvide engineering inputs to annual operating plans and long-range operational forecasts.\n\nCapital Projects and Business Cases\nLead the engineering workstream on major supply chain capital projects, managing scope, schedule, budget, risk and readiness.\n\nDevelop business requirements and partner with IT, Operations, Procurement, Finance and external vendors throughout the project lifecycle.\n\nBuild business cases that quantify capital, labour, service, inventory and operating-cost impacts.\n\nTrack benefits realization after go-live and report results against the approved business case.\n\nContinuous Improvement\nIdentify and prioritize opportunities to improve operational performance across warehouse, fulfillment and inbound processes.\n\nApply Lean, Six Sigma, industrial engineering and process-improvement methods.\n\nPartner with site leadership to identify bottlenecks and implement sustainable process improvements.\n\nBuild a culture of fact-based problem solving and operational discipline.\n\nLeadership\nLead, coach and develop a team of engineers and analysts, building depth in layout design, simulation and labour modelling.\n\nLead cross-functional project teams and external engineering resources.\n\nBuild strong partnerships with Operations, IT, Finance, Procurement and Real Estate, and influence decisions without direct authority.\n\nCommunicate recommendations and project outcomes to senior leadership in clear, decision-ready terms.\n\nSome of what you need:\nExperience in retail or multichannel environments serving both store replenishment and e-commerce.\nDirect experience with AutoStore or comparable goods-to-person systems, autonomous mobile robots or packaging automation.\nWorking knowledge of WMS, WES and TMS platforms; Manhattan Active WMS an asset.\nExperience at an automation integrator, industrial engineering consultancy or retail engineering group.\nMaster’s degree, P.Eng. designation or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt considered an asset.\nBachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Operations Research, Supply Chain, Logistics or a related field.\nMinimum of 7 years of progressive experience in warehouse or distribution engineering, industrial engineering, operations design or automation, including 3 or more years leading teams.\nProven track record of leading at least one large automation or facility project from design through go-live and stabilization.\nHands-on proficiency in facility layout (AutoCAD or equivalent), capacity and throughput modelling, labour standards and engineering economics.\nStrong working knowledge of material handling equipment, conveyor and sortation, automated storage and retrieval systems, and storage and slotting design.\nExperience building business cases for senior leadership and delivering the benefits they committed to.\nExperience managing automation integrators and equipment providers on large contracts.\nStrong analytical and engineering judgment, financial acumen and structured problem-solving skills.\nExcellent executive communication skills and the ability to influence without direct authority.\nPhysical demands/working conditions:\nOffice environment - Hybrid, with 4 days onsite in Richmond Hill, subject to the hybrid policy.\nSome of what you will get:\nAssociate discount\n\nHealth and Dental benefits\n\nRRSP/DPSP\n\nPerformance bonuses\n\nLearning & Development programs\n\nAnd more...","description_format":"text","description_chars":6147,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":3,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Canada","iso":"CA","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["B2B Commerce","Office Supplies & Stationery"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-11T16:13:49Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":23,"reasons":["conf:4","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-11T20:45:41Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/staples-director-operational-design-engineering","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/staples-director-operational-design-engineering.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-11T20:45:41Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per 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