Director, Inventory Governance
Novolex · Lake Forest, IL · 1 mo ago
HybridManagementFull-time
Role Overview
The Director, Inventory Governance, establishes the enterprise-wide strategy, compliance frameworks, and control policies for all physical and financial inventory. Operating at a scale of 23,000 employees, this leader ensures total inventory accuracy across global manufacturing plants, distribution networks, and third-party logistics (3PL) providers. The successful candidate will safeguard margins by minimizing material waste and driving standardized operating procedures (SOPs).
Key Responsibilities
- Governance – Design and enforce global inventory control policies tailored to high-volume manufacturing and distribution facility standards. Track and proactively mitigate obsolescence through DOH/DOS adherence. Establish compliance and controls for material and inventory stocking agreements. Manage distribution space and capacity to ensure efficient operations.
- Strategic Segmentation & Optimization – Standardize and maintain the global ABC analysis framework to systematically categorize items based on annual usage value, production criticality, and cost impact in support of business strategies. Develop advanced product segmentation models that categorize packaging products by demand volatility, customer profile, and commercial margins. Utilize segmentation intelligence to establish optimal safety stock levels, minimum/maximum parameters, and reorder points for distinct product classes to optimize working capital.
- Technology & Systems Integration Analytics – Maximize enterprise data integrity and seamless system integration across ERP platforms. Leverage Blue Yonder and Advanced Planning Systems (APS) to automate and scale ABC classifications alongside demand-driven product segmentation models.
- Strategic Leadership & Collaboration – Partner closely with Supply Chain, Operations, and Finance to reconcile inventory valuation discrepancies. Provide critical inventory health metrics to the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) team to steer capacity planning and strategic decisions. Directly manage, mentor, and cultivate a team of inventory governance managers and analysts.
Qualifications
- 10+ years in global supply chain management, inventory operations, or manufacturing governance.
- 5+ years managing large, geographically distributed teams in an enterprise corporate environment (15,000+ employees).
- Proven experience in high-speed manufacturing or consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.
- Experienced in SAP, Oracle, Blue Yonder or applicable ERP systems. Hands-on architecture experience with Advanced Planning Systems (APS) and diverse WMS platforms.
- Proven track record of successfully implementing or re-engineering ABC inventory controls, SKU segmentation models, and healthy IQR frameworks at an enterprise scale.
- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Logistics, Operations, or Finance (MBA or Master’s degree highly preferred).
- APICS (CPIM/CSCP) or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt credentials are highly advantageous.
Pay
$150,000–$170,000 + bonus + benefits. Individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training; it is not typical to be hired at the top of the range.
Benefits
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible spending and health savings accounts
- Paid vacation and sick days
- Paid parental leave
- Paid holidays
- Wellness program
- Training and development through MyLearning, including skills development, advanced education programs, and tuition reimbursement (non-union)
- Community engagement programs with a Focused Giving Program supporting sustainability and food/hunger initiatives