Chit Chats' vision is to help Canadians deliver their goods to the world with postage at unbelievable prices. We are a fast growing entrepreneurial company making a huge impact to Canadian entrepreneurs and businesses. As ecommerce removes borders, we don’t want high Canadian postal rates to be a barrier to world commerce. We aim to remove these physical and financial restraints to create a seamless, borderless and boundless world of opportunity for Canadians.

If you relate with being Caring, Curious and Cheerful; we are looking forward to having you onboard!

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Area Manager to oversee our business operations in an assigned region. The Area Manager will be responsible for leading and managing daily operations to achieve business goals and maximize profitability. As a Area Manager, your duties also include guiding managers and staff in your region, setting performance objectives, evaluating and optimizing operational performance, ensuring regulatory and company standards are upheld, and preparing operations and financial reports.

To be successful as a Area Manager, you should be able to lead and manage people, ensure operations run smoothly, and achieve revenue targets. Ultimately, a top-notch Area Manager should be able to perform efficiently in a high-pressure environment and demonstrate excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.

As the Area Manager, you are the front runner of our growth mission, responsible for opening new branches, and expanding the network according to the leadership team's strategic plan. You’re responsible for providing leadership, direction and support to Chit Chats’ managers,  branch leads, fleet, fulfillment and increase customer accessibility within your region. You provide oversight of the branches and drop spots in your region to be in line with the business strategy and company culture to achieve organization goals. You plan and drive operations to ensure results are consistent with compliance policies and the overall strategic direction for the organization. You play a key role in protecting the bottom line by owning the hiring, staffing and development and retention of talent in the branches in your purview. 

You report to National Ops and Logistics Director, and manage or oversee Branch Leads, Fleet, Warehouse, Fulfillment, Supplies, as well as other initiatives, assignments and projects Chit Chats’ vision and goals. You will also work or collaborate with Ops Product Owner, Member Experience, Client Success, Compliance and Leadership to provide the support, training and optimizations needed to align your region with Chit Chats’ vision and goals. You are the voice and ear for clients across your region, reporting trends and feedback to management. You plan and drive operational excellence to ensure results are consistent with compliance policies and the overall strategic direction for the organization. 

Under the direction of the National Ops and Logistics Director, the Area Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day processes, resource optimization and systems development related to warehouse sort, and fulfillment process. Key tasks include implementing operations systems and directing personnel to create a lean process improvement. This position will oversee the main operation hub in your regional hub. The individual acts as the dedicated liaison between your warehouse team and all related Chit Chats departments.

We consider every regional warehouse to be a well-oiled machine that operates with a client-centric mentality. To deliver on our promise to clients, we rely on exceptionally talented,
bright, and committed people. This skilled multi-tasker will manage the receiving, handling, storing, picking, and packing activities of the warehouse, ensuring that quality standards are met or exceeded. The Area Manager must achieve inventory accuracy, coordinate order fulfillment, and track shipping times for millions of product orders every year. The ideal candidate is exceptionally detail-oriented and able to manage multiple facets of warehouse operations simultaneously.

Responsibilities 

• Achieving business goals and revenue targets.
• Overseeing daily operations, managing budgets, and setting performance objectives.
• Recruiting, training, and supporting managers and staff in your region, as well as conducting regular performance appraisals.
• Managing internal and external stakeholder relations and negotiating contracts as needed.
• Planning, evaluating, and optimizing operations to be efficient and cost-effective.
• Ensuring company standards and procedures are followed.
• Preparing and presenting monthly, quarterly, and annual statements, analyses, and reports of operations and finances.
• Dealing with and resolving escalated client issues, incident reports, and legal actions.
• Ensure optimal team health and performance in your region. Collaborate with your key stakeholders on hiring, training, onboarding and exit processes. Work closely to maintain high employee engagement, retention, performance, and address staff-related concerns.

• Accountable for your team performance and staffing plan. Review and monitor the performance of individuals in your team. Provide coaching, feedback and recognition in real-time, through regular 1:1s, quality assurance reviews and quarterly performance reviews. 
• Enforce compliance of maintenance, upkeep, cleanliness, appearance and safety of all facilities in your region. Ensure all branches comply with health and safety standards, labor laws and all company policies.

• Expenses/budget: Accountable for your region's  expenses, following protocol and headcount. Oversee the inventory and sales of business supplies and shipping supplies, returns.
• Lead and execute on branch network expansion strategic plan and make recommendations on how to improve the processes standardization and achieve consistent service levels and increase the sales volume with the help of operations excellence and sales teams.
• Cascade up/down communication: Complete daily check-in updates. Maintain open communication lines between leadership, managers and teams to ensure alignment and timely delivery of goals, projects and reports. 

• Generate and compile reports such as scheduling, investigation and escalation logs, shipment turnarounds for your region.
• Ensure that the warehouse operates at peak efficiency - with customer satisfaction the primary goal - by supervising, organizing, and training warehouse employees and establishing, monitoring, and managing operational goals
• Develop warehouse operations systems by determining product handling and storage requirements, equipment utilization, inventory, gate processes, and shipping methods
• Train and manage the warehouse team to solve day-to-day operational issues and reach short and long term performance goals
• Oversee daily operations while controlling and managing inventory and logistics
• Review and prepare workflows, staffing requirements, space allocations, equipment layouts, and action plans that meet company standards for productivity, quality, and client service
• Maintain a safe and healthy work environment by establishing and enforcing standards and procedures and by complying with legal regulations

• Take on extra tasks or projects based on organizational needs, including driver backup.

• Possesses and consistently displays all Chit Chats values and leads by example
• A positive role model and representative of the Chit Chats brand
• Experienced in coaching and developing people and teams
• Excel in a fast paced environment and demonstrate effective time management
• Proven ability to problem solve. Independent thinker who can plan for and respond quickly to unforeseen circumstances
• Proficient in standard business office software and able to compile and review reports to see trends and make recommendations. 
• Able to manage the implementation of strategies from leadership, measure impact and recommend improvements to achieve collective objectives
• Excellent customer management, oral and written communication skills
• Some travel within Canada is required, regular travel within the region is required
• 2-5 Years relevant experience and educational background in Logistic, Transportation, Supply Chain Management, Hub Operations
• Experience in dispatching, resource optimization, coordination, and planning to meet client needs and reduce operational expenses
• Understanding of rules and regulations of cross-border shipping and ability to assist in resolving any issues that might arise in the process
• Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrable ability to lead and manage staff from entry-level to management positions
• Excellent analytical, problem solving, planning and organizational skills, and excel in a fast paced environment and demonstrate effective time management
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple projects in a dynamic fast-paced environment with shifting priorities
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate clearly, effectively and professionally.
• Team player who is willing to help develop the team, processes and protocols
• Strong working knowledge of the Occupational Health And Safety Act
   

Education and Experience

• College or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and/or Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain Management or a related field preferred.
• Minimum 5-7 years industry experience with at least 3 years in a management role.

We thank you for your application, but only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to reference and criminal background checks prior to employment.

As a federally regulated employer, Chit Chats Express fully supports the principles of employment equity and encourages all qualified members of the designated groups to apply.

Chit Chats is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you are contacted by us regarding a job opportunity, please advise if you have any restrictions that need to be accommodated. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

• Class 1 safety shoes required (green triangle patch).
• This is a full-time, permanent position.