Director of Supply Chain in Beltsville, Maryland at DISTRICT PHOTO INC

At District Photo, our employees are the heart of our company. District Photo is seeking a Director of Supply Chain to support our multi-site facilities.

Position Overview

The Director of Supply Chain is a strategic position, accountable for the company’s Procurement & Logistics (in & -outbound); responsible for delivering the latest supply chain solutions, applying strategic thinking in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, while understanding customer requirements and driving the strategic direction of the business.

The incumbent will lead the performance and continuous improvement of the company’s procurement and supply chain with organizational focus on reliability, innovation, service, cost and quality, and demonstrate the ability to successfully reach company goals in an environment in which a wide degree of creativity and latitude is required.

This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for developing and executing a world-class procurement strategy across paper, printing materials, packaging, production supplies, equipment, components, and other direct and indirect materials. The ideal candidate combines strong people leadership with deep procurement expertise, exceptional negotiation skills, technology fluency, and a data-driven approach to supply chain management.

The Director will partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Finance, Sales, and Executive Leadership to ensure the company has the right materials, at the right cost, quality, and time, while continuously improving working capital, supplier performance, and operational efficiency.

Experience in digital printing, commercial printing, photo products, paper, print finishing, packaging, or related manufacturing environments is highly desirable.

Benefits

401K, paid vacation, paid holidays, sick and safe leave, life insurance, medical, dental, vision, and short/long term disability benefits.

Culture

At DPI, our success is powered by our people and its client’s satisfaction ratings. Our culture allows employees to be engaged, empowered, and rewarded. We are a diverse and inclusive company who seeks to expand our brand by hiring collaborative individuals who think outside of the box. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all of our employees and visitors. Check Us Out

District Photo Inc.

Founded in 1949 by Melvin Cohen as a small black & white photo lab, the business grew during the last half of the 20th century into a large wholesale photofinishing lab serving mid-Atlantic retailers and a national mail order film business. In the late 1990's under Neil Cohen’s leadership, DPI acquired a photo business in the UK and has transitioned from a mid-Atlantic film developing lab to multiple state-of-the-art digital labs shipping millions of photos worldwide every day.

Today, District is one of the largest variable data printing companies in the world as their facilities comprise over a million square feet of manufacturing space with a global reach that sets them apart in the digital printing market. With 7 production fulfillment facilities located in the United States (MD, PA, KY, AZ), England, the Czech Republic & Australia, District Photo is the leader in creating photo-based products as they deliver millions of prints, greeting cards, books, calendars, blankets, mugs, and other gift items yearly.

Apply today and join our team during one of the most exciting times of the year!

Supply Chain, Procurement & Logistics Leadership

• Own the company's overall procurement and supply chain strategy across three facilities in three states (AZ, KY, and MD).
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable the procurement, supply chain and logistics team.
• Establish consistent procurement processes, policies, controls, and best practices across all locations.
• Develop purchasing strategies that balance cost, quality, availability, lead times, inventory levels, and supplier risk.
• Partner with plant and operations leadership to ensure uninterrupted supply of critical materials.
• Proactive and strong collaboration with other District Photo departments as well as the Procurement, Logistics, Supply Chain Departments globally at related entities
• Establish appropriate purchasing authority, approval processes, and controls.
• Develop and monitor supply chain KPIs, including purchase price variance, supplier performance, inventory turns, stock-outs, lead times, delivery times and working capital.

Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives and supplier selection for major categories.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, payment terms, rebates, freight arrangements, lead times, minimum order quantities, assuring excellent service-level agreements.
• Build strong long-term relationships with key domestic and international suppliers.
• Conduct regular supplier reviews and develop corrective action plans where performance does not meet expectations.
• Develop multiple sourcing strategies for critical materials to reduce supply disruption and single-source dependency.
• Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation, volume leverage, cost reduction, and improved terms.
• Manage supplier risk, including international sourcing, tariffs, logistics, geopolitical considerations, and extended lead times.
• Develop resilient supply chains, optimize tariffs and minimize landed costs strategy

Material Procurement

The Director will have significant responsibility for sourcing and managing materials unique to the digital printing and custom print on demand industry, including:

• Paper and specialty paper products
• Printing and imaging materials
• Inks, toners, coatings, and other consumables
• Photo-product components and substrates
• Wall art and special gifting categories
• Packaging materials
• Printing and finishing supplies
• Production equipment and related components
• Custom-manufactured materials
• Other direct and indirect manufacturing supplies

Experience working with print vendors, paper mills/distributors, specialty material suppliers, packaging suppliers, and Asian manufacturers is preferred.

Supplier Management

• Develop and manage relationships with national and international suppliers, particularly in Asian markets.
• Negotiate directly with overseas suppliers and manufacturers.
• Evaluate landed cost, MOQ, tooling, freight, duties/tariffs, payment terms, and lead times.
• Work closely with logistics and freight partners to optimize international purchasing and inbound transportation.
• Establish appropriate quality-control and inspection processes for overseas suppliers.
• Identify opportunities to source products directly from manufacturers rather than through intermediaries where appropriate.
• Ensuring legal and regulatory compliance

ERP, Technology & Data

We are looking for a highly technology-savvy supply chain leader who uses systems and data to drive better decisions.

• Serve as akey business owner and power user of the company's ERP and procurement systems.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and/or Epicor is preferred.
• Improve purchasing workflows, item master data, vendor records, purchasing parameters, and inventory planning within the ERP.
• Use ERP data to identify purchasing trends, cost opportunities, excess inventory, shortages, and supplier issues.
• Develop dashboards and reporting that provide management with clear visibility into procurement and supply chain performance.
• Identify opportunities to automate purchasing, forecasting, approvals, reporting, and supplier management.
• Partner with IT and Finance to improve system integration and data accuracy.

Inventory & Working Capital

• Establish appropriate inventory strategies across all three facilities.
• Balance inventory availability with working capital requirements.
• Reduce excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
• Improve forecasting, replenishment, safety stock, and purchasing parameters.
• Develop strategies for sharing or repositioning inventory between facilities when appropriate.
• Work closely with Operations and Finance to establish inventory targets and working-capital objectives.

Team Leadership

• Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing procurement and logistics organization.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, goals, and performance expectations.
• Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional development.
• Develop procurement & logistics talent and succession plans.
• Ensure consistent processes and communication across geographically dispersed facilities.
• Lead through influence and effectively partner with plant managers, operations leaders, finance, and executive management.

In- and outbound Logistics

• Optimize our own in and outbound logistics through strong partnerships
• Negotiate best in class rates for our unique shipping profiles across all facilities
• Be a pioneer in launching new methods and utilizing leading edge technology and suppliers
• Improve the interfaces between the diverse logistics systems
• Ensure timely and seamless integration of our partners logistics systems and partners
• Work in tandem with operations to ensure a seamless logistics experience for our customers as well as a timely pickups

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Business, Operations, or a related field. Master’s degree is preferred
• 10+ years of progressive procurement, logistics and supply chain experience, including significant leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading procurement teams and managing multiple facilities or locations.
• Deep understanding of the complete procurement lifecycle, including:
  • Strategic sourcing
  • RFQs/RFPs
  • Supplier selection
  • Contract negotiation
  • Purchase orders
  • Supplier performance
  • Inventory management
  • Cost analysis
  • Logistics
  • International sourcing
  • Quality management
• Exceptional negotiation and supplier-management skills.
• Strong analytical and financial capabilities.
• Advanced proficiency with ERP systems and supply chain technology.
• Ability to travel periodically between three facilities and to suppliers as needed.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team environment while exhibiting positive behavior
• Ability to drive vision and create a team culture where employees and associates aspire to drive innovation, excellence and take business to new levels
• Experience of managing budgets and delivering cost savings
• Knowledge of ERP platforms essential

Highly Preferred

• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and/or Epicor.
• Experience in digital printing, commercial printing, photo products, packaging, publishing, or related manufacturing.
• Direct experience purchasing paper and print-related materials.
• Experience managing Chinese and/or other Asian raw-material and finished-goods suppliers.
• Experience with international freight, tariffs, duties, and landed-cost analysis.
• Experience managing procurement across multiple manufacturing facilities.
• Experience implementing or optimizing an ERP system.
• Experience with procurement automation, analytics, and business intelligence tools.
• Experienced in delivering complex business change projects

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be:

• A great people leader who can build trust, accountability, and performance across a geographically dispersed team.
• An exceptional negotiator who knows how to create value while maintaining strong supplier relationships.
• Strategic but hands-on —someone who can develop the big-picture supply chain strategy while getting into the details when necessary.
• Highly analytical and financially minded, with the ability to translate procurement activity into measurable business results.
• Extremely comfortable with technology, ERP systems, data, automation, and reporting.
• Decisive and proactive, with a strong sense of urgency when supply issues arise.
• Collaborative, with the ability to work effectively with Operations, Manufacturing, Finance, IT, and Executive Leadership.
• Commercially savvy, understanding that procurement is not simply about getting the lowest price, but about optimizing total cost, quality, service, inventory, and supply continuity.

Success in This Role

Success will be measured by the Director's ability to build a high-performing, technology-enabled procurement organization that delivers measurable improvements in:

• Procurement savings and cost avoidance
• Supplier pricing and contractual terms
• Supplier quality and on-time performance
• Inventory turns and working capital
• Material availability and production continuity
• Forecasting and purchasing accuracy
• ERP utilization and data quality
• Supplier diversification and risk management
• Procurement process consistency across all three facilities
• Team engagement, development, and performance

This is an opportunity for a proven supply chain leader to have a significant impact on the growth, profitability, and operational performance of a multi-site, technology-driven custom on demand printing business.