Global Automation Technology Center Site Director

CHEP helps move more goods to more people, in more places than any other organization on earth via our 347 million pallets, crates and containers. We employ approximately 13,000 people and operate in 60 countries. Through our pioneering and sustainable share-and-reuse business model, the world’s biggest brands trust us to help them transport their goods more efficiently, safely and with less environmental impact. 

What does that mean for you? You’ll join an international organization big enough to take you anywhere, and small enough to get you there sooner. You’ll help change how goods get to market and contribute to global sustainability. You’ll be empowered to bring your authentic self to work and be surrounded by diverse and driven professionals. And you can maximize your work-life balance and flexibility through our Hybrid Work Model.

• →Lead the Automation Development team, providing strategic direction and technical expertise to deliver advanced automated solutions.
• →Develop and implement global standards for supply chain automation, ensuring consistency and scalability across regions.
• →Drive digital product innovation initiatives, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to deliver impactful results.
• →Manage a multi-million dollar annual budget, optimising resource allocation and investment in automation technologies.
• →Communicate complex technical concepts across functions and regions, influencing behaviours and facilitating change in a new automated environment.
• →Build and develop a high-performing team, fostering talent growth and ensuring effective leadership across global technical engineering resources.
• →Provide analytical insights and data-driven recommendations to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• →Solve novel engineering challenges in a greenfield setting, proactively identifying opportunities for process optimisation and risk mitigation.

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Global Supply Chain Site Leader to lead our Global Automation Technology Center (GATC) in Grand Prairie, TX USA. 

The GATC serves 3 primary purposes: 

• →Innovation center for global, next-generation automation and digital systems iteration, integration, and testing. Partner with regional engineering teams to successfully transfer technology to the regions. 
• →Be the Global Center of Excellence for training operations, engineering, and other related functions on next generation service center processes and technologies. 
• →Act a “Lighthouse Automation Service Center”; emulate small scale service center; support technical and non-technical aspects of automation and digital deployment readiness.  In short, set the standards for global automated service center operations.  This role will be pivotal in enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and responsiveness in our global service center processes.

• Lead integration and testing of $XX-XXXM of new automation technology; value to the business >$XXXM.
• Responsible for annual site budget:  $X-XXM (est.)
• Responsible for simultaneous testing, improvement, and deployment of multiple, global, next-generation automation and technology systems.
• Act as a global representative for service center operations for both internal and external customers.

• Leadership: Lead and inspire a diverse team of supply chain professionals, fostering a world-class culture of innovation and collaboration.  Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the team and organization.
• Safety and Quality: Understand, develop, and ensure adherence to health, safety, physical and cyber security, and environmental control standards, along with quality control standards throughout the supply chain.
• Automation Mastery: Oversee system design at the technology center, development, integration, testing, and maintenance of next-generation automation technologies.  Work closely with both the internal engineering teams and external partners responsible for the company-specific automation systems.  Gather and analyze operations' voice of the customer (VOC) to inform automation development. Demonstrate a willingness and ability to quickly adapt to new technologies, equipment, test environments, and methodologies.
• Automation System Deployment: Develop and implement protocols for next generation automation systems operations and maintenance to ensure optimal performance. Provide support in the technology transfer of the systems and associated processes to the regional Supply Chain leadership teams. 
• Digital Technology Literacy: Participate in the design, build, and utilization of digital tools and software i.e. Control Towers, to adopt a data-driven approach for analyzing and optimizing supply chain visibility and efficiency.  Possess a working knowledge of IT/OT infrastructure and connectivity.
• Cross-functional Communication: The facility will act as a global marketing hub for both internal and external customers, to be able to share our technologies and capabilities, as well as information about our company and platforms. Oversee facility tours and presentations as needed.
• Automation Training Support: Provide training support for automation initiatives, particularly with the global Supply Chain Learning & Development team.

• Create and maintain a world-class team as measured by employee participation in engagement survey, as well as engagement compared to industry norms.
• Build and maintain a Zero Harm safety culture; measured by Brambles safety leading and lagging metrics.
• Successful integration, testing and deployment of identified technologies for the repair process on time, on budget, at the right level of performance.
• Identification of technologies and partners for all logistics, operations, and facility management processes outside of the automation & digitization workstreams.  Complete successful integration, testing, and deployment of identified technologies for the repair process on time, on budget, at the right performance level.
• Successfully transfer the selected technologies to the identified regional services located globally on time, on budget, and to the right level of performance.
• Contribute to the global value capture expected for the program; ensure each deployed system meets the required business case.

This leader must work independently and be on site daily in the Global Automation Test Center, to lead the team in the selection, testing, and operation of the identified technologies.  Given the highly matrixed nature of the Brambles organization, the leader will make the following typical business decisions, many in conjunction with the associated business partners. This leadership role will be responsible for:

• All site personnel management decisions in coordination with the associated HR business partner and Brambles' policies.
• All technology selection and validation associated with the logistics, plant operations, and facility management processes.  These decisions will be made in conjunction with global partners i.e. logistics technologies vetted with regional logistics and engineering teams.
• Purchasing, including capital decisions, in accordance with Brambles' policies and in conjunction with the financial business partners.
• Technology transfer plans including resource management and equipment validation plans, necessary to ensure business case achievement.

• Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering discipline preferred. Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field may be considered based on experience.
• Master’s degree in an engineering, engineering management, supply chain, or business-related field; equivalent experience considered.

Desirable Qualifications

• Formalized process improvement certification. i.e. Lean Thinking, Six Sigma problem solving.
• Program management certification i.e. PMP, Agile development, etc. desired.