Associate Director, Distribution & Final Mile Strategy

Role Summary

This role drives strategic global distribution and strategy initiatives and partners with Strategic Management Office (SMO) leadership to propel the business towards being prepared for the future of Supply Chain. The Associate Director (AD) partners closely with leadership to ensure the SMO delivers on its vision and goals, providing strategic guidance and fostering a culture of performance, collaboration, and excellence. This role leads the design and ongoing optimization of the global distribution network, aligning supply chain operations with long-term business plans and evolving regional priorities.

Responsibilities

• Partner with SMO and Global Supply Chain Leadership to design and optimize the global distribution network strategy, ensuring alignment with long-range organizational plans and regional priorities.
• Partner with and advise Distribution Managers and Regional Leads to implement strategic vision and change initiatives (e.g. automation, advanced capabilities, and/or other applicable technology), ensuring alignment across the network
• Coordinate with cross-functional supply teams to align on strategies or opportunities to monitor or optimize inventory levels across the distribution network (e.g. Supply Planning)
• Lead and drive strategic initiatives and special projects focused on enhancing storage, warehousing capabilities, and capturing value, with continued assessment of distribution network effectiveness.
• Proactively assess and communicate trade-offs between cost, service, and risk across global distribution nodes to enable agile, informed decision-making and to ensure operational excellence.
• Manage key suppliers and internal relationships to identify, implement, and optimize innovative partnership strategies for enhanced supply chain resilience.
• Define, track, and analyze KPIs to measure distribution efficiency, inventory performance, and supply chain health, ensuring data-driven improvements to processes and outcomes.
• Engage cross-functionally and externally to foster strategic partnerships that promote best practices, facilitate innovative supply chain solutions, and strengthen connectivity across business units and with external providers.
• Oversee business management routines, including performance metrics, operating reviews, and management reviews, and brings in specialized partners when necessary to ensure efficient, compliant, and scalable operations.
• Maximize opportunities for continuous improvement by sharing best practices, supporting capability building, and facilitating value creation through targeted supply chain initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, in preferred fields in Supply Chain, Business Management, or other applicable degrees.
• At least 10 years of experience in Operations, Supply Chain, Transformation, or similar fields, with experience in Supply Chain Network Design or Optimization required.
• Pharmaceutical industry experience preferred.
• Objective strategic thinker with a demonstrated drive for results.
• Analytical orientation and comfortable with ambiguity and complexity.
• Dependable, trusted leader who is used to dealing with confidential information.
• Ability to connect the dots and influence across a complex organization.
• Excellent Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills and relationship building experience.
• Strong leadership, negotiation, and mentoring / coaching skills.
• Strong communication skills, oral and written, great at packaging information depending on audience.
• Good understanding of project management practices, portfolio review, finance, and budgeting.