Director, Innovation & Systems Testing

What You'll Do

• Strategic Leadership & Program Execution
• Partner closely with executive leadership to ensure Stord Labs’ roadmap, priorities, and investments align with the company’s long-term strategic and commercial objectives.
• Develop scalable reference architectures, operating playbooks, and deployment frameworks for both greenfield and brownfield fulfillment sites.
• Establish governance and stage-gate processes that accelerate the transition from lab validation to production pilots and network-wide implementation.
• Own the planning and execution of automation initiatives, including budgeting, capital allocation, vendor selection, risk management, and project delivery.
• Drive solutions that deliver measurable productivity gains and network margin improvements of 2.5%–10%+
• Build compelling business cases and communicate recommendations to senior leadership through data-driven storytelling, including operational diagnostics, ROI analyses, payback models, TCO assessments, and simulation results.

Stord Labs Operations & Team Leadership

• Lead the day-to-day operation of a 10,000-square-foot micro-fulfillment facility that processes both live and simulated customer orders across receiving, storage, picking, packing, value-added services, shipping, and returns.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing multidisciplinary innovation team. Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and rapid execution through coaching, knowledge sharing, and capability development.
• Establish a rigorous, hypothesis-driven testing framework to evaluate operational technologies and process innovations. Measure outcomes against predefined success criteria and quickly scale, refine, or discontinue initiatives based on results.

Automation, Robotics & AI Innovation

• Technology Evaluation: Assess and validate a broad range of automation solutions, including AMRs, AGVs, goods-to-person systems, sortation, AS/RS, shuttle systems, and emerging robotics technologies. Leverage simulation, throughput modeling, and OEE metrics to inform investment decisions.
• Vendor & Partnership Management: Lead RFP processes and strategic engagements with automation, robotics, and technology providers. Identify, evaluate, and cultivate long-term partnerships with best-in-class vendors.
• AI & Software Integration: Collaborate with internal product and engineering teams, as well as external AI partners, to evaluate machine-learning applications, orchestration platforms, and intelligent decision-support systems. Provide operational and producibility feedback to influence future product and automation design.
• Operational Enablement: Develop training programs, operating standards, and support models that enable successful adoption of robotics and automation technologies across Stord’s fulfillment network.

External Partnerships & Industry Leadership

• Academic & Research Collaboration: Establish and lead applied research initiatives with leading institutions such as Georgia Tech and other industry partners to accelerate innovation and access specialized expertise.
• Industry Thought Leadership: Represent Stord as a visible leader in supply chain innovation, sharing insights, best practices, and breakthrough results with customers, partners, and the broader logistics community.
• Customer & Commercial Engagement: Partner with Product, Marketing, and Sales to showcase Stord’s innovation capabilities through customer demonstrations, executive briefings, technology showcases, and strategic pursuits.