North America Fulfillment Manager

Fender is seeking a Senior Manager of North America Fulfillment to own North American order fulfillment performance from finished goods availability through customer shipment, identifying and resolving constraints that threaten OTIF and service commitments.  San Bernardino is the hub of Fender’s global distribution network and is operated by a third-party logistics (3PL) provider under a contract representing approximately $18 million in annual spend. This role owns that site and holds that provider to account.

The North American network includes factory-material imports, transfers between the U.S. and Mexico factories, finished goods moving to San Bernardino, its third-party and FTZ operations, Laredo transloads serving Mexico sales orders, Miami transloads for Latin America fulfillment, and Canadian fulfillment. The role coordinates flow between factories but does not own materials management within them.  The role owns identifying and driving resolution of the operational exception, while Transportation continues to own carrier management and transportation execution. Trade Compliance retains import and export, maquiladora and FTZ compliance governance; this role owns operational adherence to the procedures they set.

This is a hands-on site leadership role for someone who will spend their days on the floor and in the yard, not in a conference room.

Essential Functions

• Own San Bernardino site performance end to end: receiving, inventory accuracy, order fulfillment, shipping, and yard and trailer movement.
• Manage the warehouse and third-party logistics (3PL) contract day to day, including scope of work, service levels, operating reviews, commercial changes with Legal and Finance, and corrective action when performance misses.
• Control approximately $18 million in annual warehouse and third-party spend through budget ownership, invoice validation, productivity analysis and root-cause action on cost variance.
• Run the site scorecard covering service, inventory accuracy, damage, dwell, throughput, capacity and cost per unit, using the metric definitions set by the global team so that San Bernardino is comparable to every other node.
• Execute FTZ operating procedures set by Trade Compliance. Partner with the FTZ team on audit readiness, documentation discipline and corrective action.
• Own transactional execution in SAP for the site, including stock transfer orders, inventory movements and the data accuracy that downstream reporting depends on.
• Coordinate Laredo and Miami transload execution and Canadian fulfillment, resolving shipment handoffs, order readiness, capacity constraints and service exceptions with regional partners.
• Coordinate inbound flow with factories, planning and transportation. Resolve handoff failures and capacity constraints before they reach the customer and escalate the ones that cannot be resolved at site level.
• Lead site continuous improvement to reduce unnecessary handling, storage, transfers, dwell and expedited movement. Build the business case, implement the change, and track the benefit with Finance.
• Support global network redesign with site data, capacity analysis and transition planning, including changes that shift volume away from San Bernardino. Objective analysis of the site’s role in the future network is part of this job.
• Maintain safety, housekeeping and facility readiness at the site in partnership with corporate Maintenance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in logistics, supply chain, operations, engineering or business, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 6 or more years of distribution or warehouse operations experience, including direct ownership of a third-party operated site or equivalent provider accountability.
• Demonstrated contract and cost management: service level agreements, invoice validation, productivity analysis, cost per unit, and corrective action that held.
• Working knowledge of warehouse management systems and ERP transactions, SAP and Manhattan WMS preferred, together with inventory control and cycle counting discipline.
• Working knowledge of FTZ operating procedures, with the judgment to partner with specialist compliance teams rather than interpret regulation independently.
• Demonstrated continuous improvement capability, whether Lean, Six Sigma, 6S or an equivalent applied method, evidenced by results rather than certification.
• Ability to lead through provider accountability rather than direct supervision, and to turn on-site observation and operating data into measurable improvement.
• Experience with transload operations, cross-border U.S. and Mexico movement, or Canadian and Latin American fulfillment preferred.
• Clear communication and relationship-building skills across factory, commercial, compliance and finance stakeholders. Spanish language proficiency preferred.

Location and Travel

Based at the San Bernardino distribution center with daily on-site presence. Regular in-person time at the Corona factory. Periodic travel to the Phoenix office, to Laredo and Miami transload operations, to the Ensenada factory, and to other business locations as required.

About Fender

An American icon, Fender was born in Southern California and has built a worldwide influence extending beyond the studio and the stage. A Fender is more than an instrument; it is a cultural symbol that resonates globally. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors. FMIC offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, 401(k), paid time off, and an equipment purchase program.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, disability, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, or any other protected factor.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors, whose portfolio of brands includes Fender®, Squier®, Gretsch®, Jackson®, EVH®, Charvel®, among others. For more information, visit www.fender.com. FMIC offers a competitive benefits package which includes medical, dental, 401(k), paid time off, and an equipment purchase program to help you get the band back together. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, disability, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, or any other protected factor.

Fender is required by law in certain jurisdictions to include a pay scale in the job posting for this position.  “Pay scale” means the salary or hourly wage range that Fender reasonably expects to pay for this position; it is neither a promise nor a guarantee of the compensation that the successful candidate will receive.  The pay scale for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that Fender considers in making compensation decisions, including, without limitation: skill set, experience, and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.  If this is a remote position, the pay scale disclosed herein may be adjusted further based upon the applicable geographic differential associated with the location from which the successful candidate will work.  Please note that it is not typical for a Fender employee to be at or near the top of the pay scale for their role – especially as a new hire – and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.  Subject to the foregoing, the current pay scale for this position is $120,000 to $160,000 annual salary.