Industrial Engineer - Distribution Operations

Job description

The Industrial Engineer - Distribution Operations is an early-career professional role designed for candidates with 0-5 years of experience, including recent Industrial Engineering graduates and professionals with 2-5 years of relevant experience seeking to advance their careers in distribution, warehouse operations, productivity management, labor planning, customer compliance, training, Next Level program ownership, and continuous improvement. This position has a steep learning curve and broad exposure to all areas of Distribution Center operations. The Industrial Engineer will learn customer-specific operating requirements, compliance areas, RF system functionality, labor standards, productivity measurement, labor forecasting, workforce planning, skill acquisition tracking, and operational leadership routines. The role owns training warehouse teammates on RF processes, customer requirements, Next Level skill acquisition, and standard work; develops and maintains productivity standards; measures performance against expectations; supports labor forecasting and management; and improves overall productivity. This position is expected to work directly on the warehouse floor, build credibility with hourly teammates and leaders, and translate data, training documentation, and process observations into practical operational improvements. Principal Responsibilities Customer Requirements & Compliance Learn and become the facility owner for customer-specific operating requirements, compliance expectations, and execution standards. Maintain customer work instructions, standard operating procedures, packaging requirements, labeling standards, routing requirements, quality expectations, and service commitments. Ensure customer requirements are incorporated into new hire training, refresher training, RF training, and standard operating procedures. Conduct operational audits to verify compliance with customer requirements and identify execution gaps. Support investigations involving customer complaints, chargebacks, compliance failures, quality issues, and service failures. Partner with Operations, Quality, Customer Service, Inventory Control, Transportation, Program Management, and Sales to implement corrective actions and improve customer execution. RF Systems & Operational Training Develop into the facility subject matter expert for RF equipment, warehouse system transactions, and system-directed work execution. Train new hires, existing teammates, leads, supervisors, and managers on RF processes, customer requirements, and operational procedures. Audit RF utilization, transaction accuracy, and adherence to required warehouse processes. Identify training gaps and coordinate retraining when teammates are not following RF, customer, quality, safety, or productivity requirements. Maintain training records, process documentation, certifications, and work instructions to ensure requirements remain current and accessible. Next Level Program Ownership & Skill Acquisition Own facility-level Next Level program execution in partnership with Distribution Center leadership, Training, Operations, and HR. Document teammate skill acquisition, training status, proficiency, and advancement readiness using the approved skills matrix, training records, and program tracking tools. Ensure teammates are progressing through the Next Level program by identifying required skills, cross-training opportunities, and gaps that may limit advancement. Use Next Level skill acquisition data to support productivity improvement, workforce flexibility, internal promotion readiness, and teammate retention. Partner with supervisors and managers to confirm proficiency before skill sign-off and ensure training is based on demonstrated capability, not just exposure to the task. Review Next Level progress with DC leaders and recommend actions to improve skill depth, reduce turnover, and build a stronger internal pipeline of trained teammates. Connect Next Level training outcomes to operational needs including RF compliance, customer requirements, safety, quality, productivity, attendance, and labor flexibility. Productivity Standards & Labor Management Learn and apply Industrial Engineering principles to warehouse work measurement, labor standards, and productivity management. Conduct process observations, time studies, work sampling, and workflow analysis to understand warehouse functions and establish practical productivity expectations. Assist in developing, validating, maintaining, and improving labor standards for receiving, putaway, replenishment, inventory control, picking, packing, loading, and value-added services. Measure teammate, department, shift, and facility performance against established productivity standards. Work with supervisors and managers to ensure teammates understand the standard, are coached to the standard, and are held accountable to the standard. Analyze productivity trends, identify performance gaps, and recommend actions to improve labor utilization and operational efficiency. Labor Forecasting & Workforce Planning Support labor forecasting using volume, productivity, staffing, attendance, and operational demand data. Assist Distribution Center leadership with daily, weekly, monthly, and budget labor planning activities. Analyze labor requirements by department and shift to support staffing decisions and workforce allocation. Monitor actual labor utilization against plan and identify opportunities to improve labor management discipline. Prepare reporting that connects volume, standard hours, actual hours, productivity, and labor cost performance. Continuous Improvement & Leadership Support Identify waste, bottlenecks, unnecessary travel, process variation, and non-value-added activity within warehouse operations. Participate in continuous improvement projects, kaizen events, layout reviews, slotting improvements, and workflow redesign activities. Provide data, observations, and recommendations to Distribution Center leadership to improve productivity, quality, compliance, service, retention, and teammate progression. Participate in daily operational reviews and leadership meetings to support fact-based decision making. Build working relationships with hourly teammates, leads, supervisors, managers, and support functions while learning the fundamentals of Distribution Center leadership. Technical Competencies Industrial Engineering aptitude and ability to apply classroom concepts to warehouse operations. Strong Excel and data analysis capability. Ability to learn RF systems, WMS/SAP transactions, labor reporting, productivity reporting, and operational dashboards. Process mapping, time study, work measurement, and workflow analysis fundamentals. Comfort working with volume, staffing, productivity, cost, and performance data. Next Level Program Competencies Ability to manage skill documentation, training completion, proficiency sign-off, and advancement readiness with high accuracy. Strong understanding of how cross-training, skill acquisition, and documented proficiency improve performance, flexibility, and retention. Ability to work with supervisors and managers to hold teammates accountable for progressing through required training milestones. Ability to train and coach hourly teammates in a clear, practical, and professional manner. Ability to influence without direct authority. Strong communication skills with hourly teammates, supervisors, managers, and cross-functional partners. High attention to detail, follow-through, accountability, and ownership. Curiosity, urgency, and willingness to learn in a fast-paced Distribution Center environment. Leadership & Communication Competencies Ability to train and coach hourly teammates in a clear, practical, and professional manner. Ability to influence without direct authority. Strong communication skills with hourly teammates, supervisors, managers, and cross-functional partners. High attention to detail, follow-through, accountability, and ownership. Curiosity, urgency, and willingness to learn in a fast-paced Distribution Center environment. Education / Experience Required Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering required. 0-5 years of relevant experience in industrial engineering, distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, or continuous improvement. Recent college graduates and candidates with 2-5 years of professional experience are encouraged to apply. Strong academic foundation in process improvement, operations management, engineering analysis, statistics, and productivity measurement. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office applications. Ability and willingness to spend significant time on the warehouse floor observing work, training teammates, documenting skill progression, and learning operations. Preferred Internship, co-op, part-time warehouse, manufacturing, supply chain, or operations experience. Exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, Power BI, SQL, Tableau, or similar analytical tools. Strong interest in distribution operations, warehouse leadership, labor management, training, and continuous improvement. What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months Understands customer requirements and compliance expectations across assigned accounts. Is recognized as a reliable facility resource for RF process execution, training, and transaction accuracy. Can independently train teammates on customer requirements, RF processes, Next Level requirements, and standard work. Owns Next Level documentation and skill acquisition tracking so teammates are progressing through the program, developing broader warehouse capability, improving performance, and supporting retention. Supports labor forecasting and workforce planning with accurate data and practical recommendations. Helps maintain and validate productivity standards across warehouse functions. Provides clear reporting that helps leaders understand productivity performance, labor utilization, skill depth, and teammate progression. Delivers measurable productivity, training, compliance, retention, or process improvement results. Builds the foundation for future advancement into Operations Management, Continuous Improvement, Engineering, Training, or Distribution Leadership roles. Career Path This role is intended to serve as an early-career pathway into Distribution Center leadership and operational excellence. The position combines Industrial Engineering discipline with hands-on warehouse execution, teammate training, Next Level program ownership, customer compliance, RF system expertise, productivity standards, and labor management. Strong performance in this role should prepare the teammate for expanded responsibility in Operations, Continuous Improvement, Engineering, Training, or Distribution Leadership. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. If you're looking for a special place to build or grow your career, you've found it. Whether you're an experienced professional, a recent graduate, or somewhere in between, MAT Holdings is where you can apply your skills, learn new ones, and make a real impact. With more than 14,000 employees across 12 countries and over 40 locations worldwide, MAT offers exciting opportunities in engineering, marketing, sales, supply chain, operations, HR, finance, and more. Headquartered in Long Grove, IL, our global footprint includes 2.1 million square feet of U.S. distribution and manufacturing space and 40+ factories across three continents. At MAT, we don’t just make things happen—we ensure it happens with excellence. From engineering and logistics to marketing and customer service, we maintain consistent expertise across the entire supply chain. Join us and be part of a team where your creativity and contributions help shape the future of global manufacturing. Benefits MAT Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries offer a complete benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance after 60 days of employment Paid Time Off (PTO), including paid vacation, sick days, and paid holidays 401k Retirement Plan + Company Match Wellness Programs, including fitness reimbursements and mental health support Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Voluntary Life / AD&D , Employer Provided Life/AD&D and more