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General Manager - Cold Storage Operations

Joliet, IL | $145,000 to $165,000 base salary + up to $24,000 annual bonus

This is a floor-present, operationally hands-on general manager role within a growing temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics organization in Joliet, IL. The facility runs a 7-day operation across first, second, and weekend shifts, with approximately 80 total employees and an active import and export flow centered on food products moving through temperature-controlled storage and out to international markets. The incoming leader will bring demonstrated experience exporting food from a cold storage environment, stabilize and develop the supervisory team, improve the permanent-to-contingent labor ratio, and drive disciplined execution in safety, inventory accuracy, and labor performance.

Schedule 7-day operation; first shift, second shift, and weekend shifts are all active. The General Manager is expected to maintain regular floor presence across shifts as operational needs require.

Compensation Base Salary: $145,000 to $165,000 annually Annual Performance Bonus: Up to $24,000, tied to safety metrics, inventory accuracy, and labor performance targets

What You'll Do

You will lead day-to-day warehouse operations for a temperature-controlled food logistics facility, overseeing throughput, container turns, and service flow while adjusting staffing weekly based on KPI performance. The operation uses a proprietary labor management tool that calculates required labor hours against actual hours by role, and you will present weekly performance updates to senior leadership covering safety, damage and property incidents, labor performance, and inventory accuracy.

Export planning and execution for food products is a defining responsibility of this role. You will own compliance with U.S. food export regulations and trade documentation requirements, coordinate international inbound and outbound cold chain freight, and maintain temperature integrity and flow consistency for floor-loaded container activity moving product out of the United States. Candidates without direct experience exporting food from a cold storage or refrigerated warehouse environment will not be considered for this position.

Direct reports include two Operations Managers, a Documentation Team, an Office Manager, and a Maintenance Manager, with a dotted-line relationship to HR. A near-term priority for this role is evaluating and strengthening supervisor capability, building clear accountability standards, and improving cohesion across the leadership bench. The facility is currently transitioning toward a target of 80% direct employees and no more than 20% contingent labor, and the General Manager will partner closely with HR and regional leadership to advance that goal.

You will also oversee a boxing and re-boxing room operation and work within a proprietary WMS platform. The organization measures performance against structured KPIs, and success in this role is defined by operational discipline and execution consistency.

Required Qualifications

• 7 to 10 or more years of warehouse or cold storage operations leadership experience
• Direct experience managing the export of food products from a cold storage or refrigerated warehouse facility to international markets (required; candidates without this background will not be considered)
• Working knowledge of U.S. food export documentation, compliance requirements, and cold chain integrity standards for international shipments
• 5 or more years in transportation, logistics, or supply chain operations
• Experience managing supervisory and management-level direct reports
• Working knowledge of warehouse KPIs, throughput metrics, and labor productivity measurement
• Experience operating within a WMS platform
• Comfort in a data-driven environment where labor performance is tracked and managed on a weekly basis

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience coordinating FDA, USDA, or other regulatory requirements specific to international food export from temperature-controlled facilities
• Background in startup, high-growth, or operationally transitional environments
• Experience with floor-loaded container operations across multiple international lanes
• Familiarity with labor management systems that calculate volume-based staffing requirements
• Boxing, repack, or value-added services experience in a cold storage context
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) communication skills

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary of $145,000 to $165,000 annually
• Annual performance bonus up to $24,000 tied to safety, inventory, and labor KPIs
• Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates (flat support structure)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (confirm plan details with employer)
• 401(k) retirement plan (confirm contribution details with employer)
• Paid time off (confirm accrual schedule with employer)

To apply, submit your resume and a brief description of your cold storage export experience, including the food product categories, international markets, and regulatory requirements you have worked with directly.