What does a director of distribution do?
A distribution director spearheads and oversees an organization's distribution procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to coordinate with different departments to identify and understand the distribution needs, set goals and guidelines, manage budgets and schedules, delegate tasks among managers, develop strategies to optimize operations, and present reports to the executives and shareholders. They must also liaise with externals parties, building positive relationships with them. Moreover, a distribution director must lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals while monitoring the progress of operations.
Director of distribution responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of distribution resumes:
- Manage a staff of 80 in many healthcare locations.
- Lead the development of operational and transportation KPIs to cover cost, quality and service.
- Manage logistics operations issues that include branch logistics plan implementation, warehouse and delivery personnel management, inventory management and security/safety/housekeeping.
- Enhance and publish procedures for FDA product recall requirements.
- Improve communications with foreign vendors to reduce and improve upon FDA holds.
- Orchestrate selection, acquisition and implementation of agile ERP and WMS technologies.
- Oversee order-picking operation that runs across multiple ERP systems (BPCS/BCA/MAS500) and WMS.
- Maintain lowest injury rate on record in 2009 by guiding broad safety program and enforcing strict OSHA regulations.
- Establish and maintain adherence to customer and internal KPIs through daily, weekly and monthly reporting which measure results and trends.
- Develop and implement OSHA compliant safety training program.
- Process distribution center's payroll; investigate discrepancies between payroll and employees; reconcile payroll report bi-weekly to ensure accurate disbursements.
- Rank 5th in the healthcare market.
- Contract, legal, budget, service transition, SLA's, service renewals, service reviews, and continuous improvement.
- Install two bin KANBAN systems for smaller parts.
- Risk-Analyze commodities and suppliers to prioritize supply contracts, initiate changes to the approved supplier list, and assure supply.
Director of distribution skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Directors Of Distribution are proficient in Continuous Improvement, Project Management, and Distribution Operations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Distribution that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Continuous Improvement, 9%
Championed the continuous improvement initiative that resulted in a $7m decrease in reconciliation variances between inventory management and billing system.
- Project Management, 7%
Maintained favorable communication pathways with project management team of Kentucky DOE, essential to promoting effective, timely two-way correspondence.
- Distribution Operations, 6%
Worked cross functionally to develop strategic requirements from distribution operations including consolidating distribution of 21 regional centers to one national location.
- Distribution Centers, 5%
Managed distribution, warehousing, and operations for multiple sites; directly responsible for daily operations of four distribution centers nationwide.
- Direct Reports, 4%
Direct reports include 2 Operations Managers, Facility Manager, Inventory Control Manager, Transportation Manager, 13 Operational Supervisors.
- Process Improvement, 4%
Assisted company in designing and implementing leading edge transportation as well as warehousing solutions through process improvement initiatives.
Most directors of distribution use their skills in "continuous improvement," "project management," and "distribution operations" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of distribution responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a director of distribution to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Directors of distribution often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "improved communications with foreign vendors to reduce and improve upon fda holds. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director of distribution duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." According to a director of distribution resume, here's how directors of distribution can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "recruited by senior leadership team to assist with all distribution operations and activities. "
Problem-solving skills. director of distribution responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." This resume example shows what directors of distribution do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "implement company-wide warehouse management system solutions. "
Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in director of distribution job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what directors of distribution do. Director of distribution responsibilities rely on this skill because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." You can also see how director of distribution duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "project manager for implementation of software system for 18 distribution centers on time and under budget. "
The three companies that hire the most director of distributions are:
- Meta54 directors of distribution jobs
- The Independent Traveler50 directors of distribution jobs
- Uline23 directors of distribution jobs
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Compare different directors of distribution
Director of distribution vs. Shipping manager
A shipping manager is responsible for monitoring the shipment procedures of a distribution center, ensuring the quality and quantity of the merchandise before release to avoid delays and client conflicts. Shipping managers evaluate staff performance on their productivity in meeting timely deliveries and operational efficiency. They handle and track shipping activities through software tools and implement strategies for better optimization. A shipping manager also responds to clients' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints immediately by conducting item replacements or payment refunds.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, director of distribution responsibilities require skills like "continuous improvement," "project management," "distribution operations," and "distribution centers." Meanwhile a typical shipping manager has skills in areas such as "on-time delivery," "logistics," "shipping receiving," and "iso." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Shipping managers really shine in the professional industry with an average salary of $54,687. Comparatively, directors of distribution tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $119,935.shipping managers tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of distribution. In fact, shipping managers are 9.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director of distribution vs. Shipping receiving manager
A shipping receiving manager is responsible for overseeing the logistics of goods and supplies in a warehouse or retail setting. Most of the time, they must verify and handle all outgoing and incoming packages, monitor the inventory, evaluate staff progress, and keep track of the flow of operations, ensuring its accuracy and timeliness. They may also be responsible for performing administrative tasks such as producing progress reports, reaching out to clients, and handling correspondence. Furthermore, as a manager in the field, it is essential to encourage staff and implement all company policies.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, director of distribution responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "continuous improvement," "project management," "distribution operations," and "distribution centers." Meanwhile, a shipping receiving manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "shipping receiving," "safety procedures," "safety regulations," and "purchase orders." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Shipping receiving managers tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of distribution. In fact, they're 9.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of distribution vs. Warehouse manager
Warehouse managers oversee the overall operations of a company's warehouse. They manage the inventory by ensuring that the inventory records are updated and accurate. They tend to deliveries and check all items. They ensure that items in the warehouse are appropriately stored and secured. They also supervise the shipping of items from the warehouse and ensure that the correct products are delivered. Warehouse managers continuously find ways to improve the efficiency of warehouse operations. Warehouse managers manage warehouse personnel as well, ensuring that they are trained well and motivated to work.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from director of distribution resumes include skills like "continuous improvement," "project management," "distribution centers," and "process improvement," whereas a warehouse manager is more likely to list skills in "safety regulations," "safety procedures," "logistics," and "shipping receiving. "
Warehouse managers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $64,453. On the other hand, directors of distribution are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $119,935.Most warehouse managers achieve a lower degree level compared to directors of distribution. For example, they're 8.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of distribution vs. Logistics manager
The person in charge of coordinating, purchasing, and distributing products in a supply chain is called logistics manager. Logistic managers are supply specialists that are responsible for the overall supply chain management. They supervise employees to maintain safety in the workplace, resolve customer's issues and complaints, and develop strategies for operations. Also, they are responsible for collaborating and negotiating with manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, and consumers. These highly-detailed professionals maintain precise records of inventory and ensure that supply chain processes are regularly operating.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between directors of distribution and logistics managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a director of distribution might have more use for skills like "project management," "distribution operations," "excellent interpersonal," and "kpis." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of logistics managers require skills like "supply chain," "on-time delivery," "logistics support," and "purchase orders. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for logistics managers, with average annual pay of $84,622. Comparatively, the highest director of distribution annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.logistics managers reach similar levels of education compared to directors of distribution, in general. The difference is that they're 2.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of director of distribution
Updated January 8, 2025
