IT Director, Business Systems - WMS

Job Description

Job Description

Company Overview:

NRS is a leading provider of transportation & supply chain management services, and a family-owned and operated company that has been providing smart logistics solutions for the world's leading retailers and manufacturers for 70+ years. Whether it’s NRT, Keystone, Keystone Fresh, or Keystone Capacity, our innovative energy drives us towards new and valuable solutions for our clients, even as we continuously grow and strengthen our network. We are dedicated to creating a culture that empowers the individual and offers our associates the opportunity to apply their unique skill to the challenges facing our clients. In the office, the warehouse, or on the road, it is this commitment to our innovative spirit that unites us in common mission to push boundaries in the logistics industry.

Job Overview:

This is currently an individual-contributor role with a clear path to building and leading a team of WMS analysts, and/or device support technicians as the program matures. The ideal candidate brings direct warehouse operations experience — they've used a WMS on the floor, not just configured one from behind a desk — along with the technical fluency to translate between IT and the business and advocate for business's needs within IT.

Duties and responsibilities:

Platform Selection & Solution Design

• Act as the primary liaison between IT and warehouse operations, customers, and executive stakeholders to define business and functional requirements for the new WMS.
• Lead or co-lead vendor evaluation and selection, including demos, reference checks, fit/gap analysis, and total-cost-of-ownership comparisons.
• Translate operational workflows (receiving, putaway, inventory management, wave/pick/pack, replenishment, cycle counting, shipping, yard management, billing) into system configuration and design decisions.

Implementation & Customer Migration

• Own the implementation project plan, budget, and timeline; manage the implementation partner/systems integrator where one is engaged.
• Design and execute the customer migration strategy — sequencing, cutover planning, data migration/validation, parallel-run testing, and rollback plans — in partnership with operations leadership.
• Coordinate user acceptance testing, training, and documentation for warehouse and customer-facing teams.

Integrations

• Inventory and prioritize every existing integration between the legacy WMS and downstream/upstream systems (TMS, order management, EDI, customer portals, billing/invoicing, labor management, ERP, BI/reporting, etc.).
• Define integration requirements and acceptance criteria; work with internal engineers and/or vendor professional services to rebuild each interface on the new platform.
• Establish testing and monitoring standards so integration issues are caught after they affect customers.

Ongoing Product Ownership & Support

• Serve as the permanent product owner for the WMS post go-live: maintain the roadmap, prioritize enhancement requests, and manage the relationship with the software vendor.
• Own production support escalations for the WMS, working with IT and the vendor to resolve issues and minimize warehouse downtime.
• Continuously evaluate new WMS functionality against business needs and lead rollout of upgrades and new features.

Device & Hardware Fleet Management

• Own the lifecycle of WMS-connected hardware across all warehouse sites: RF scan guns, mobile/label printers, conveyor and sortation system controls, and related peripherals.
• Manage procurement, deployment, configuration, maintenance, and vendor/repair relationships for this device fleet.
• Partner with warehouse operations to right-size device counts and standards as sites are migrated to the new WMS.

Team Leadership

• Operate as a hands-on individual contributor during selection and early implementation.
• Build the business case for, and eventually hire and lead, a team that may include WMS analysts and device/hardware support technicians.
• Support and promote the company values, culture, and HR processes
• Establish and track KPIs, metrics, and reporting for team activities
• Recruit, reward, and recognize employees
• Provide the necessary training opportunities, tools, and resources to ensure team success
• Provide clear direction in weekly team checkpoints
• Manage frequent performance feedback
• Establish a training & adoption plan for process changes across IT and business stakeholders.

Qualifications:

Required

• 7+ years of experience working directly with a Warehouse Management System, including meaningful time in warehouse/3PL operations (not solely IT/systems-side experience).
• Demonstrated experience with at least one full WMS implementation or major platform migration, ideally in a multi-customer 3PL or multi-site distribution environment.
• Working knowledge of the integration landscape around a WMS (TMS, EDI, ERP, order management, billing) and enough technical fluency to scope and validate integration work with engineers.
• Experience managing warehouse hardware such as RF scanners, mobile printers, or conveyor/sortation controls.
• Strong project management skills — able to run a multi-workstream implementation with hard deadlines and multiple customer stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills and the credibility to act as a trusted translator between operations/customers and IT/engineering.
• Willingness and ability to travel to warehouse and customer sites as needed (est. 30–40%).

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Direct experience with one or more major WMS platforms (e.g., Manhattan, Blue Yonder, Synapse, HighJump/Körber, SnapFulfil, or similar).
• Prior experience in a 3PL specifically, including multi-tenant/multi-customer configuration considerations.
• Experience standing up or scaling a team (analysts, engineers, or device support technicians).
• Familiarity with EDI standards and common carrier/customer integration patterns in trucking and warehousing.

Physical Demands:

• This position may require travel to various company locations on the East and West Coast.
• Extended Sitting: Primarily desk-based with prolonged computer use.
• Computer Use: Frequent operation of computers and office equipment, requiring manual dexterity.
• Eye Strain and Repetitive Motion: Risk from continuous screen use and repetitive tasks like typing.
• Office Navigation: Light walking and standing for meetings and tasks within the office.
• Light Lifting: Occasional handling of objects up to 20 pounds.

EEO Statement:

NRS is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

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