Operations Manager — Cold Storage Warehouse (New Facility)
Monday–Friday, day shift; on-call availability required for after-hours receiving or alarms, and weekend receiving as volume dictates.
About Us
Superior Cold Storage is a brand-new public cold storage opening on the I-510 corridor in St. Bernard Parish, minutes from New Orleans. Purpose-built for the Gulf Coast seafood and food distribution market, the facility features three dedicated freezer rooms, 4,168 racked pallet positions, standby generator power, and 24/7 refrigeration monitoring.
We provide frozen and refrigerated storage plus 3PL: order picking, pallet consolidation, cross-docking, etc.
The Opportunity
This is a rare ground-floor role. You will not be inheriting someone else's warehouse — you will be building this operation from an empty building forward. The Operations Manager is our senior on-site leader, responsible for standing up the facility, hiring and developing the team, co-writing the procedures we'll run on for the next twenty years, and then executing against them every day.
If you have run a cold storage floor and have opinions about how it should be done, this is the job where those opinions actually get built.
What You'll Do
Startup & Commissioning
- Partner with ownership to accomplish the following:
- Build the initial staffing plan, then recruit, hire, and train the full warehouse team — supervisors, lift operators, selectors, etc.
- Select, configure, and implement the warehouse management system (WMS), including item setup, location schemes, lot and date-code control, and customer reporting
- Write standard operating procedures for receiving, put-away, picking, staging, loading, cycle counting, and sanitation
- Establish the food safety and quality program, including HACCP-aligned controls, temperature monitoring and recording, sanitation schedules, and pest control; support FDA food facility registration and future GFSI certification (SQF or BRCGS Storage & Distribution)
Daily Operations
- Own day-to-day warehouse performance: inbound receiving, put-away, order selection, cross-dock turns, outbound loading, and dock scheduling
- Maintain inventory accuracy through disciplined cycle counting, lot traceability, and prompt reconciliation of discrepancies
- Manage labor scheduling, productivity standards, and overtime against volume
- Ensure product integrity through continuous temperature control, proper rotation (FIFO/FEFO), and documented condition-on-arrival reporting
- Oversee refrigeration system performance in coordination with service vendors; respond to alarms and coordinate emergency repairs
- Manage material handling equipment: forklifts, reach trucks, pallet jacks, batteries and chargers, and preventive maintenance schedules
Safety & Compliance
- Own the facility safety program: cold-environment protocols, powered industrial truck certification and training, lockout/tagout, and OSHA recordkeeping
- Maintain compliance with FDA/FSMA requirements including FSMA 204 traceability recordkeeping
- Serve as a point of contact for regulatory and third-party audits
Customer & Business
- Act as the operational point of contact for warehouse customers
- Support billing accuracy by ensuring accessorial services, handling, and storage renewals are captured and documented
- Track and report operational KPIs: dock turn times, order accuracy, on-time shipping, inventory accuracy, labor cost per pallet, and energy usage
- Work directly with ownership on budgeting, capital planning, and growth initiatives as the facility scales
What You Bring
Required
- 5+ years of warehouse or distribution operations experience, with at least 3 years in a supervisory or management role
- Demonstrated ability to lead, hire, and develop an hourly workforce
- Working knowledge of warehouse management systems and inventory control practices
- Strong command of receiving, picking, shipping, and cross-dock workflows
- Comfortable working in and around freezer environments at temperatures down to −10°F
- Solid computer skills: WMS, Microsoft Excel and Office, and reporting
- Excellent written and verbal communication, and the judgment to make decisions on the floor without waiting for permission
- High school diploma or equivalent
Strongly Preferred
- Direct experience in public/third-party cold storage, refrigerated warehousing, or food distribution
- Familiarity with the Gulf Coast seafood, meat, or poultry supply chain
- Experience with HACCP, SQF, BRCGS, AIB, or similar food safety programs
- Prior experience opening a new facility or leading a WMS implementation
- Knowledge of industrial refrigeration systems and basic troubleshooting
- Understanding of IARW/GCCA warehouse practices and warehouse receipt terms
- Forklift certification and/or trainer certification
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, logistics, business, or a related field
Work Location
On-site at 5501 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA 70043. Easy access from I-510, Chalmette, Arabi, Meraux, Violet, New Orleans East, and the West Bank.
Superior Cold Storage, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
Pay: $65,000.00 - $105,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
