General Manager – Temperature Controlled Facility

Joliet, IL

This Role Is About Leadership, Not Just Operations

A rapidly growing, temperature-controlled logistics organization is seeking a proven and confident General Manager to lead its Joliet, IL facility. The site is now entering its next phase of leadership maturity. The operation is stable but requires a strong, visible leader who can unify the team, establish credibility quickly, and drive disciplined execution across safety, inventory accuracy, and labor performance. This is not a corporate, P&L-heavy role. This is a hands-on, floor-present operational leadership position. We are looking for someone who has successfully led a warehouse operation before, and understands how to walk into a facility, earn respect, and clearly establish leadership without leading by force.

What This Role Is — And Is Not

This General Manager is responsible for running the warehouse operation.

You will not carry full P&L responsibility.

Primary focus areas include:

• Safety
• Inventory accuracy
• Labor performance
• Team development
• Export execution
• Operational consistency

Success is measured by operational discipline and execution, not financial modeling.

The Operation

• Approximately 80 total employees
• 7-day operation (1st, 2nd, and weekend shifts)
• ~35 temporary/contract workers currently
• Long-term goal: 80% direct employees / ≤20% contingent labor
• Import and export flows
• Floor-loaded container operations (labor-intensive)
• Boxing / re-boxing room (experience a plus)
• Proprietary labor management tool
• Proprietary WMS platform

This facility operates on measurable productivity standards and structured KPIs.

Labor & KPI Accountability

The operation utilizes a proprietary labor management system that:

• Calculates required labor hours based on volume and activity
• Tracks actual vs. expected hours by role
• Provides real-time visibility for staffing adjustments

General Managers present weekly performance updates to senior leadership covering:

• Safety metrics
• Damage/property incidents
• Labor performance
• Inventory accuracy

This role requires comfort operating in a data-driven environment where labor performance is actively measured and managed week-to-week.

Leadership Profile Needed

The facility has experienced leadership transitions and now requires:

• A proven warehouse leader with demonstrated operational credibility
• A visible, on-the-floor presence (not office-bound)
• Confidence to lead experienced managers and strong personalities
• Ability to unify supervisors during a reorganization
• A leader who earns respect through competence and consistency
• A people-focused mindset that understands workforce stability drives performance

You must be comfortable walking the floor daily and leading by presence.

Current Reorganization

The incoming General Manager will:

• Evaluate and strengthen supervisor capability
• Partner closely with HR and regional leadership
• Establish clear expectations and accountability standards
• Build a cohesive leadership bench early

Stabilizing and developing the leadership team is critical to long-term success.

Key Responsibilities

Warehouse Operations Leadership

• Lead day-to-day warehouse operations
• Drive measurable performance in safety, inventory accuracy, and labor
• Monitor throughput, container turns, and service flow
• Adjust staffing weekly based on KPI performance

Import & Export Execution (Critical)

• Oversee export planning and execution (required experience)
• Ensure compliance with U.S. trade and documentation standards
• Coordinate international inbound/outbound freight
• Maintain flow integrity for floor-loaded container activity

Team Development & Workforce Stability

• Develop operations managers and supervisors
• Improve permanent-to-contingent labor ratio over time
• Build workforce engagement and accountability
• Reinforce culture through consistent leadership presence

Cross-Functional Leadership

Direct reports include:

• Documentation team
• Two Operations Managers
• Office Manager
• Maintenance Manager
• HR (dotted-line relationship)

Success will depend on building a tightly aligned leadership team.

Required Experience

• 7–10+ years of warehouse or cold storage leadership experience
• Strong export experience (non-negotiable)
• 5+ years in transportation, logistics, or supply chain operations
• Supervisory management experience
• Deep understanding of warehouse KPIs and throughput metrics
• Experience working with WMS platforms
• Comfort operating within proprietary KPI systems
• Experience in startup or high-growth environments preferred

Bilingual capability is a plus but not required.

Compensation & Relocation

• Base Salary: $145,000 – $165,000
• Annual Bonus: Up to $24,000
• Tied to Safety, Inventory Accuracy, and Labor Performance
• Local candidates preferred
• Relocation assistance available (flat support structure)

Bonus structure aligns leadership incentives with operational performance.

Culture & Environment

This organization operates with a startup-like environment:

• Hands-on leadership
• Non-hierarchical structure
• Data-driven decision making
• Fast-moving operations
• Leaders who are present on the floor

If you prefer corporate distance and office-based management, this is not the right fit.

If you want to build something durable, stabilize a team, and lead from the warehouse floor, this opportunity is designed for you!