Senior Manager Distribution Center Quality & Safety

At Movado Group, we are committed to building the strongest brands in the industry and we are passionate about what we do. Our people are fueled by a creative spirit and a drive for excellence that are reflected in every aspect of our business. We offer the watch industry a compelling strategic vision and track record of sustained growth and we offer our employees unparalleled opportunities for career advancement. We invite you to come share in our success. Our people are the cornerstone of business – we invite you to grow your career with us.

The Distribution Center Quality & Safety Manager is responsible for strengthening quality assurance, operational compliance, and workplace safety within the Moonachie Distribution Center. This role owns the processes and controls that help ensure products are received, handled, stored, inspected, picked, packed, and shipped in accordance with established standards. The position is not the primary product inspector, rather, it is accountable for confirming that required inspections and quality controls are being performed by the appropriate teams, identifying gaps, leading root cause analysis, and driving corrective action. The role also serves as the facility lead for safety programs, audits, training, and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate is a hands-on, visible, and collaborative professional who can build structure where processes are still developing. They should be comfortable identifying systemic issues, partnering with operational leaders on solutions, escalating unresolved risks, and holding teams accountable for completing corrective actions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Quality Assurance & Process Compliance

·   Ensure required incoming, in process, and outbound inspections are performed by the appropriate teams and properly documented.

·   Audit receiving, storage, picking, handling, packing, labeling, and shipping processes for compliance with quality standards.

·   Identify control gaps and partner with Distribution leadership to implement corrective actions and stronger preventive controls.

·   Promote consistent product handling, packaging, labeling, and quality practices throughout the facility.

2. Shipment Accuracy & Product Damage

·   Monitor and analyze customer shipment errors, including incorrect SKU shipments, damaged products, packaging issues, and other quality failures.

·   Lead investigations to determine whether product damage originated with a supplier, during transportation, or within Distribution Center operations.

·   Review picking, scanning, verification, handling, packing, and shipping controls to identify root causes and reduce repeat issues.

·   Track corrective actions through completion and verify that improvements are sustained.

3. Quality Audits & Continuous Improvement

·   Develop and execute a risk based audit program covering receiving, handling, storage, inspection, packaging, shipping, workstation protection, cleanliness, and product movement.

·   Analyze inspection results, customer complaints, supplier issues, audit findings, and operational data to identify trends and recurring risks.

·   Lead or facilitate root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action activities.

·   Maintain quality KPIs and a centralized corrective action log with clear owners, due dates, status, and follow up verification.

4. Facility Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS)

·         Serve as the Distribution Center lead for EHS programs, compliance, and continuous improvement.

·         Conduct risk assessments, inspections, and audits, and ensure corrective actions are completed.

·         Coordinate incident and near miss investigations, root cause analysis, emergency preparedness, and preventive actions.

·         Support EHS training, employee communication, and proactive reporting of safety and environmental concerns.

·         Monitor compliance with applicable safety, environmental, PPE, equipment, hazardous substance, waste management, and training requirements.

·         Partner with Distribution leadership, the global EHS lead, and Human Resources to reinforce EHS accountability.

·         Maintain required EHS records and report significant risks, incidents, compliance issues, and overdue actions.

 5. Training, Reporting & Cross Functional Partnership

·   Coordinate quality, product handling, process compliance, and safety training for Distribution Center employees.

·   Maintain procedures, work instructions, standards, audit records, and training documentation.

·   Work across Distribution, Quality, Customer Operations, Customer Service, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and other teams to resolve quality and safety issues.

·   Regularly report quality and safety trends, key risks, open corrective actions, and improvement priorities to leadership.

Responsibilities and Authority

·   Audit Distribution Center processes and documentation for compliance with established quality and safety requirements.

·   Identify and document process, quality, and safety nonconformances and require assignment of corrective actions to appropriate process owners.

·   Recommend increased inspection, additional verification controls, retraining, process changes, or other corrective measures when risks are identified.

·   Escalate significant, recurring, or unresolved quality and safety concerns to Distribution leadership and other appropriate business partners.

·   Verify that agreed corrective actions have been completed and are effective.

Key Competencies

 

Quality & Safety Leadership:

Maintains a strong focus on product quality, compliance, customer outcomes, and employee safety.  Stop or suspend work, equipment use, or activities presenting an imminent or serious risk to worker health or safety or a significant risk of environmental harm, and promptly escalate the matter to Distribution leadership.

 Root Cause & Problem Solving: Looks beyond individual errors to identify process, control, training, supplier, system, or operational causes.

Analytical Thinking: Uses data, audit findings, customer feedback, and operational trends to identify risk and improvement opportunities.

Influence & Collaboration: Works effectively across teams and functions and drives action without relying on direct reporting authority.

Organization & Accountability: Maintains accurate records, tracks corrective actions, and follows through with appropriate urgency.

Continuous Improvement: Proactively strengthens controls, reduces errors, prevents product damage, and improves workplace safety.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• At least 5 years of progressive experience in distribution, warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, quality, EHS, compliance, or continuous improvement.
• At least 3 years of experience in a distribution center, warehouse, manufacturing, or similarly operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience conducting process, quality, safety, or compliance audits.
• Experience leading root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive action plans.
• Experience investigating operational errors, product damage, shipment inaccuracies, workplace incidents, and near misses.
• Working knowledge of OSHA requirements and workplace safety practices, including hazard identification, PPE, ergonomics, emergency preparedness, equipment safety, and employee training.
• Experience developing, implementing, or improving safety and quality procedures, work instructions, audit programs, and training materials.
• Experience tracking corrective actions, assigning owners and due dates, and verifying that actions are completed and effective.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use operational data, audit findings, customer complaints, and incident trends to identify recurring risks.
• Demonstrated ability to influence department managers and frontline leaders without direct reporting authority.
• Strong communication, organization, follow-through, and documentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work on-site at the Moonachie Distribution Center.
• Ability to spend significant time on the distribution center floor, including standing, walking, and observing operational processes.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building or formalizing a site-level quality, compliance, or EHS governance program.
• Experience in jewelry, watches, retail, luxury goods, consumer products, or another high-value product environment.
• Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, or other continuous-improvement experience.
• OSHA 30-hour, ASP, CSP, or similar safety certification.
• Experience with a warehouse management system, quality management system, audit platform, or EHS management system.
• Experience supporting internal, customer, regulatory, or third-party audits.
• Experience working with supplier, transportation, packaging, labeling, or product-damage issues.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills.

The base salary range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000 per year. Base salary is determined by individualized factors such as experience and market location. Depending on company and individual performance, this position also may be eligible for an annual bonus. 

As a benefit eligible position, this role enjoys access to our medical plans, dental plans, vision plan, Life Insurance, Accidental Dismemberment & Death Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement program, 401(k), Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Parental Leave, Legal Plan, Employee Assistance Program, Pet Insurance, Flexible Spending Account, Critical Illness Insurance, Watch Accommodations/Discounts, Paid Time Off and Company Paid Holidays!

Benefits described above are subject to change and/or may be modified at the Company's discretion based on business needs or applicable laws.

DIRECT APPLICANTS ONLY - NO AGENCIES

 
Movado Group, Inc. designs, sources, and distributes MOVADO®, MVMT®, OLIVIA BURTON®, EBEL®, CONCORD®, COACH®, TOMMY HILFIGER®, HUGO BOSS®, LACOSTE®, and CALVIN KLEIN® watches worldwide, and operates Movado company stores in the United States.

Movado Group, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, marital or parental status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any other legally protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

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Movado Group, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, marital or parental status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any other legally protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.