Supply Chain & Logistics Leader (Fractional)

Location: Remote, United States
Job Type: Fractional / Contract / Advisory
Work Arrangement: Remote
Department: Operations / Supply Chain / Logistics / Strategic Advisory
Reports To: COO / CEO / Operations Director / Managing Partner

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Supply Chain & Logistics Leader (Fractional) to provide strategic advisory and practical leadership across supply chain optimization, sourcing, logistics performance, and operational efficiency. This role is responsible for reviewing current supply chain structures, identifying inefficiencies, improving procurement and logistics flows, and guiding the business on how to scale operations with stronger resilience, visibility, and cost control.

The ideal candidate brings senior-level supply chain or logistics leadership experience and is comfortable advising businesses on how to improve end-to-end operational performance. This person should be able to assess procurement models, inventory movement, vendor coordination, warehousing, fulfillment, and transport structures, then recommend practical improvements that align with business growth, service expectations, and operating realities.

This is a remote USA-based fractional role, well suited for a senior operator or advisor who can work at both strategic and execution-support levels across supply chain and logistics transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Supply Chain Review & Diagnostic Assessment

• Review current supply chain structures, sourcing models, procurement workflows, logistics operations, and inventory practices to identify inefficiencies and improvement areas
• Assess end-to-end operational flow across suppliers, purchasing, warehousing, transportation, fulfillment, and internal handoffs
• Identify bottlenecks, waste, delays, service gaps, cost leakage, and resilience risks within the supply chain model
• Evaluate current operating maturity, process discipline, vendor performance, and planning effectiveness
• Provide a clear view of where process, structure, technology, or operating model changes can improve performance

Procurement, Inventory & Logistics Optimization

• Improve procurement, inventory, warehousing, or logistics flows to support cost efficiency, continuity, and service delivery
• Recommend better approaches for sourcing, supplier coordination, replenishment planning, inventory control, order flow, and shipment movement
• Help reduce inefficiencies related to overstocking, stockouts, lead time issues, fragmented procurement activity, or inconsistent logistics processes
• Support improvements in vendor management, purchasing controls, planning routines, and operational accountability
• Guide the business toward more efficient and scalable supply chain operations

Operational Strategy & Planning

• Support operational strategy by aligning supply chain and logistics decisions with business goals, demand realities, and growth plans
• Advise on supply chain design, operational planning, sourcing strategies, and service delivery models
• Help leadership prioritize short-term improvements and longer-term structural changes across operations
• Provide strategic recommendations that improve continuity, cost management, responsiveness, and execution discipline
• Support planning activities related to sourcing capacity, logistics capability, supplier diversification, and operational readiness

Process Improvement & Efficiency Enhancement

• Identify process optimization opportunities across procurement, inbound flow, inventory movement, warehousing, distribution, transportation, and vendor coordination
• Recommend practical process improvements to simplify operations, improve accuracy, and reduce friction across the supply chain
• Help standardize workflows, reporting practices, control points, and escalation paths
• Support implementation planning for operational improvements where needed
• Contribute to a more disciplined and data-informed supply chain operating environment

Scale, Resilience & Risk Planning

• Guide scale planning to ensure supply chain and logistics operations can support business growth without unnecessary disruption or cost exposure
• Assess operational resilience and recommend improvements related to supplier dependency, logistics continuity, inventory risk, and planning flexibility
• Support scenario planning for volume growth, sourcing disruptions, delivery variability, and changing demand patterns
• Help the business build more robust supply chain structures that can adapt to expansion, market changes, and operational risk
• Advise leadership on balancing efficiency with resilience and control

Cross-Functional Advisory & Leadership Support

• Work with leadership, operations, procurement, finance, warehousing, and commercial teams to align supply chain strategy with broader business priorities
• Provide executive-level guidance while also supporting operational teams with practical recommendations
• Translate supply chain issues into business-focused decisions and clear action plans
• Help leadership understand trade-offs between speed, cost, inventory levels, sourcing models, and service expectations
• Contribute as a trusted advisor on operational improvement, supply chain design, and logistics decision-making

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred
• Proven senior-level experience in supply chain leadership, logistics leadership, operations leadership, procurement transformation, or operational advisory roles
• Strong process and operations background
• Experience scaling, optimizing, or redesigning business operations across supply chain and logistics functions
• Strong understanding of sourcing, procurement, inventory management, warehousing, transportation, fulfillment, and operational planning
• Ability to identify inefficiencies and recommend practical, business-ready solutions
• Strong analytical, strategic, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent stakeholder communication and advisory capability
• Ability to work independently in a fractional leadership capacity while influencing cross-functional teams
• Experience supporting operational transformation, growth-stage scaling, or performance improvement initiatives

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in manufacturing, distribution, retail, e-commerce, consumer goods, healthcare, industrial, or multi-site operational environments
• Familiarity with ERP systems, inventory planning tools, procurement platforms, WMS, TMS, or supply chain reporting tools
• Experience in supplier management, sourcing strategy, demand planning, network optimization, or service-level improvement
• Exposure to operational KPI design, supply chain dashboards, and performance measurement frameworks
• Experience supporting business turnaround, cost optimization, or post-growth process stabilization
• Knowledge of risk management, continuity planning, and supply chain resilience strategies
• Consulting or fractional leadership experience is a strong plus
• Professional certifications such as CSCP, CPIM, CPSM, Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent are advantageous

Core Skills

• Supply chain optimization
• Logistics strategy
• Procurement improvement
• Inventory management
• Operations efficiency
• Sourcing strategy
• Process improvement
• Vendor management
• Fulfillment and distribution
• Operational planning
• Scale planning
• Resilience planning
• Cost optimization
• Cross-functional advisory
• Supply chain diagnostics

Key Competencies

• Strategic and operational thinking
• Strong leadership presence
• Ability to diagnose inefficiencies quickly
• Commercial and operational awareness
• Strong process discipline
• Clear communication and executive advisory skills
• Practical problem-solving ability
• Decision-making under operational complexity
• Ability to balance efficiency with resilience
• Strong ownership and accountability

Success Metrics

• Improved efficiency across procurement, inventory, and logistics workflows
• Reduced operational bottlenecks, delays, and cost leakage
• Stronger supply chain resilience and continuity planning
• Better alignment between operational strategy and business growth needs
• Improved vendor, sourcing, and logistics performance
• Clear and practical optimization recommendations adopted by leadership
• Positive business impact on service, cost, control, and scalability

Working Conditions

• Fully remote role based in the United States
• Fractional engagement with flexible structure based on business needs and project scope
• Frequent collaboration with leadership, operations, procurement, finance, and logistics stakeholders through virtual meetings and working sessions
• May support strategic reviews, transformation initiatives, or targeted operational improvement programs simultaneously