EVP, Operations Greater St. Louis, MO Area

The EVP, Operations is the senior operational leader responsible for enterprise merchandising and retail execution strategy, service delivery, financial performance, workforce capability, client outcomes, and continuous improvement. The role establishes scalable operating standards; aligns field, client, commercial, finance, human resources, technology, analytics, and shared-services partners; and ensures that programs are delivered safely, consistently, profitably, and in accordance with client and retailer requirements.

The executive translates enterprise strategy into operating plans, governance, performance measures, resource decisions, and leadership routines. The position has accountability for operational effectiveness and assigned profit-and-loss results and builds a high-performing leadership team capable of supporting growth, integration, and changing retailer and client needs.

The EVP has enterprise accountability for the National Logistics Distribution Center (NLDC), Operations Support Center (OSC), Training, Talent Acquisition, Field Execution, 360 Execution/Governance, Sales Operations, and Retail Execution Technology. The role integrates these functions into one operating system that connects workforce readiness, operational support, technology, logistics, governance, commercial priorities, and in-store execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Enterprise strategy and operating model

• Develop and execute the enterprise operations strategy in alignment with corporate growth, client, financial, and people priorities.
• Establish a scalable operating model, decision rights, governance, and leadership routines across merchandising and retail execution operations.
• Translate strategic priorities into annual and multi-year operating plans, resource requirements, performance measures, and accountable owners.
• Identify operational risks, capacity constraints, and growth opportunities; recommend investments, corrective actions, and organizational changes.
• Lead integration and harmonization of processes, systems, roles, and service standards across operating companies, programs, and geographies.

Integrated operations portfolio leadership

• Provide executive leadership and clear decision rights across NLDC, OSC, Training, Talent Acquisition, Field Execution, 360 Execution/Governance, Sales Operations, and Retail Execution Technology.
• Create an integrated operating system that connects demand planning, recruiting, onboarding, training, job build, logistics, field deployment, execution validation, reporting, issue resolution, and continuous improvement.
• Establish enterprise service-level agreements, handoffs, escalation paths, performance measures, and governance routines across all assigned functions.
• Align functional roadmaps, budgets, capacity plans, technology investments, and talent strategies to enterprise priorities and client commitments.

Execution excellence and service delivery

• Oversee recurring merchandising, resets, remodels, new-store openings, surveys, promotional execution, product placement, and other in-store service programs within the assigned portfolio.
• Establish enterprise standards for quality, safety, compliance, productivity, reporting, escalation, and issue resolution.
• Ensure field execution aligns with approved client objectives, retailer requirements, planograms, service schedules, and program specifications.
• Drive improvements in product availability, speed to shelf, display and promotional compliance, data accuracy, and quality of execution.
• Create mechanisms to identify execution gaps, address root causes, share best practices, and sustain corrective actions.
• Oversee enterprise field execution through consistent planning, deployment, validation, recovery, and performance-management practices across operating companies and client programs.
• Establish 360 execution governance that connects client commitments, job design, field instructions, training, technology, reporting, quality assurance, and corrective action.
• Hold functional leaders accountable for end-to-end execution outcomes rather than isolated departmental measures Financial and workforce leadership.
• Own assigned operating budgets, forecasts, profit-and-loss results, productivity objectives, and expense controls.
• Balance service quality, labor capacity, cost, risk, and growth when making resource and investment decisions. 
• Establish workforce planning, labor management, deployment, and capacity practices that support program requirements and changing demand.
• Review financial and operating performance, identify variances, and hold leaders accountable for timely recovery plans.
• Partner with Finance and commercial leaders on pricing assumptions, operating models, business cases, and margin-improvement opportunities.
• Integrate recruiting demand, training capacity, field labor plans, support-center workload, distribution requirements, and technology capacity into a single enterprise workforce and readiness plan.
• Oversee budgets and investment priorities across logistics, support operations, training, talent acquisition, field execution, governance, sales operations, and retail execution technology.

Client, retailer, and growth partnership

• Serve as executive sponsor for strategic client and retailer relationships within the assigned portfolio.
• Participate in executive business reviews, joint planning, commercial proposals, and resolution of significant service or execution issues.
• Align operational capabilities and commitments with contracts, statements of work, client expectations, and enterprise priorities.
• Partner with Sales and Business Development to assess opportunities, design executable solutions, and support responsible growth.
• Maintain awareness of merchandising, retail, consumer, labor, and technology trends that may affect clients or operations.
• Lead Sales Operations capabilities that strengthen business planning, opportunity governance, forecasting, pricing and labor assumptions, pipeline visibility, executive reporting, and cross-functional accountability.
• Ensure proposed client solutions are operationally executable, financially responsible, supported by appropriate talent and training plans, and enabled by scalable technology and support processes.

Analytics, technology, and continuous improvement

• Establish scorecards, key performance indicators, service-level measures, and review cadences that support fact-based decisions.
• Use operational, financial, workforce, safety, quality, and client data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Sponsor process improvement, automation, technology adoption, and reporting enhancements that simplify work and improve execution.
• Ensure appropriate controls, documentation, and data governance support reliable reporting and operational decisions.
• Measure the impact of operational changes and adjust plans based on results.
• Provide executive sponsorship for the retail execution technology roadmap, including workforce management, routing, territory design, job build, field platforms, reporting, analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence.
• Establish 360 governance for data, workflows, labor standards, platform adoption, execution reporting, and operational controls.
• Use sales, workforce, training, support center, distribution, technology, financial, and field-execution data to identify enterprise risks and improvement opportunities.

People leadership and organizational capability

• Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of senior operational and functional leaders.
• Establish clear accountabilities, performance expectations, succession plans, and development priorities for the operations organization.
• Promote a culture of safety, inclusion, integrity, accountability, collaboration, recognition, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Human Resources on organizational design, workforce strategy, talent reviews, leadership development, associate engagement, and change management.
• Communicate enterprise priorities and operating expectations clearly across corporate, client-facing, and field teams.
• Build an integrated leadership team across NLDC, OSC, Training, Talent Acquisition, Field Execution, 360 Execution/Governance, Sales Operations, and Retail Execution Technology.
• Create shared goals and incentives that reinforce enterprise outcomes, cross-functional ownership, and effective handoffs across the full execution lifecycle.

Safety, compliance, and risk management

• Ensure operations are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, Company policies, client and retailer requirements, and delegated authority.
• Champion workplace safety and ensure leaders maintain appropriate training, reporting, prevention, and response practices.
• Oversee operational readiness, business continuity, and escalation practices for significant service, workforce, technology, client, or safety events.
• Partner with Legal, Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, Security, and other functions to identify and manage operational risk.
• Maintain accurate and timely executive reporting on performance, material risks, and corrective actions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
• Duties and responsibilities may change to support business needs, and this job description may be updated at Acosta Inc.'s sole discretion.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Retail Management, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant executive experience.
• Fifteen (15) or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in merchandising, retail operations, field execution, consumer-packaged goods, retail services, or a related industry.
• Ten (10) or more years leading large, geographically dispersed operations and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated accountability for significant budgets or profit-and-loss performance.
• Demonstrated experience leading operational transformation, integration, process standardization, and change across complex organizations.
• Experience serving as an executive partner to clients, retailers, or other external stakeholders.
• Master's degree in Business Administration or a related field preferred.
• Executive leadership experience spanning multiple operational functions, such as field execution, logistics or distribution, shared services, training, talent acquisition, sales operations, governance, or operational technology.
• Demonstrated success in integrating functions, systems, data, and leadership routines into an enterprise operating model.

Minimum Qualifications-Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Executive-level strategic planning, operating-model design, financial management, and enterprise decision-making capability.
• Deep understanding of merchandising, retail field execution, client service delivery, labor models, productivity, and store-level operating requirements.
• Ability to lead through influence in a matrixed organization and align leaders with competing priorities around shared outcomes.
• Ability to interpret complex financial, operational, workforce, quality, and client data and convert findings into clear decisions and actions.
• Ability to communicate persuasively with boards, executive leaders, clients, retailers, field teams, and associates.
• Ability to build leadership capability, establish accountability, guide succession planning, and lead organizational change.
• Working knowledge of enterprise systems, workforce technology, business intelligence, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and address sensitive or high-impact issues with appropriate urgency.
• Enterprise knowledge of distribution and inventory operations, field support models, learning and onboarding, talent acquisition, field execution, sales operations, governance, workforce optimization, and retail execution technology.
• Ability to design and lead end-to-end operating systems with clear decision rights, service levels, measures, controls, and escalation paths.
• Strong interpersonal and highly developed writing skills; acute attention to detail.
• Travel as needed.

Physical Requirements:

• Sit for extended periods (typically 6+ hours per day)
• Use a computer, including keyboard and mouse, for prolonged periods
• Lift and carry light items (e.g., files, office supplies, laptops, typically 20+ pounds)
• Reach, bend, or stoop occasionally to access files or office materials
• Maintain focus and attention for long periods of desk-based work
• Follow clear directions
• Perform repetitive motions (e.g., typing, clicking) consistently throughout the day

Work Environment

• Work is performed in corporate, virtual, client, retailer, travel, and field settings.
• The role requires regular computer use, executive meetings, presentations, and interaction with internal and external stakeholders.
• Field and store visits may involve retail traffic, noise, dust, moving equipment, active receiving areas, crowds, or varying temperatures typical of retail operations.
• Work schedules and travel may vary based on client, retailer, operating, and business needs.
• Required safety practices and personal protective equipment must be followed at applicable work locations.

Performance Expectations

• Enterprise operating performance, client outcomes, and service-level attainment.
• Revenue, profitability, productivity, cost, and budget performance within assigned authority.
• Workforce capability, leadership effectiveness, succession readiness, engagement, and retention.
• Quality, safety, compliance, risk management, and timely corrective action.
• Integration, standardization, simplification, innovation, and sustained operational improvement.
• NLDC service, inventory accuracy, fulfillment quality, delivery performance, safety, and cost efficiency.
• OSC responsiveness, issue resolution, execution validation, quality assurance, and field productivity support.
• Talent acquisition, onboarding, training effectiveness, workforce readiness, and leadership capability.
• Field execution, 360 governance, sales operations effectiveness, technology adoption, data quality, and end-to-end accountability.

Core Behavioral Expectations

• People Minded: Treats all people with dignity and respect and creates an inclusive environment.
• Integrity: Demonstrates ethical, responsible, and transparent conduct.
• Results Oriented: Establishes clear outcomes and demonstrates accountability for sustainable results.
• Trust: Communicates honestly, protects confidential information, and follows through on commitments.
• Teamwork: Builds constructive, cross-functional relationships and aligns others around enterprise priorities.
• Innovation: Applies strategic insight, curiosity, and practical judgment to improve business outcomes.
• Balance: Maintains perspective, resilience, and a constructive approach during change and complexity.

Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. Applicants and associates may request accommodation through the Company's established accommodation process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Acosta provides equal employment opportunities to associates and applicants in accordance with applicable law.