Warehouse Operations Manager

The Warehouse Operations Manager has overall responsibility for departmental performance and ensures receiving, material movement, warehousing, order fulfillment, packing, shipping, equipment usage, and related support activities are executed safely, accurately, efficiently, and in alignment with business requirements. This position is responsible for managing assigned warehouse departments across applicable shifts and functions.

This position is accountable for operational execution, leadership development, labor and capacity planning, process compliance, inventory integrity, and continuous improvement. The manager establishes operating priorities and performance expectations, aligns resources with business requirements, resolves barriers across departments and shifts, and works with support functions to meet safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost objectives.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Department Leadership

•  Manage assigned areas, including operational execution, staffing, workload prioritization, performance management, employee development, and compliance with company policies and procedures.

•  Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, priorities, and escalation requirements across all areas of responsibility.

•  Develop supervisors and employees through coaching, training, cross-training, succession planning, and consistent leadership practices.

•  Ensure effective communication, coordination, and handoffs across departments and shifts.

•  Maintain visible leadership presence across assigned operations and adjust schedule and hours as needed to support operational requirements.

•  Foster a culture of safe work, accountability, problem solving, consistent standards, and continuous improvement.

Operational Execution & Planning

•  Direct and coordinate receiving, material movement, replenishment, warehousing, order picking, packing, shipping, and related warehouse support activities.

•  Translate business requirements, order demand, inbound schedules, production needs, and shipping commitments into daily and weekly labor, equipment, and capacity plans.

•  Balance staffing and workload across assigned operations to meet throughput expectations, service levels, and operational continuity.

•  Anticipate and resolve workflow constraints, space limitations, equipment issues, staffing gaps, system issues, and competing priorities that may affect safety, quality, or customer service.

•  Establish and sustain effective shift-start planning, daily management, performance follow-up, and end-of-shift communication.

•  Coordinate with Transportation, Manufacturing, Planning, Customer Service, Inventory Control, Quality, Human Resources, Maintenance, Safety, and other support departments to meet operating requirements.

Performance, Safety & Quality Management

•  Own department performance against established safety, quality, service, productivity, throughput, labor efficiency, inventory accuracy, and cost objectives.

•  Review operating data to identify trends, performance gaps, and risks; establish corrective actions and verify sustained results.

•  Ensure operations comply with company safety requirements, work instructions, standard operating procedures, quality expectations, security practices, and applicable regulatory requirements.

•  Lead or support incident, error, service failure, and process deviation investigations; ensure root causes are addressed through effective corrective and preventive actions.

Inventory, Equipment & Facility Control

•  Maintain the integrity and accuracy of inventory, shipments, transactions, documentation, and product flow across assigned warehouse operations.

•  Ensure proper product handling, physical count, reconciliation, location control, and inventory transaction practices.

•  Ensure forklifts, handheld devices, tools, dock equipment, and other operational assets are used properly, inspected, maintained, and reported for repair or replacement when needed.

•  Maintain facility, product, and equipment integrity through housekeeping, storage discipline, security awareness, damage prevention, and protection of company assets.

•  Plan and manage the use of warehouse space, staging areas, labor, equipment, and supplies to support current requirements and changing business needs.

Process Management & Continuous Improvement

•  Develop, standardize, and sustain operating procedures, work instructions, training practices, visual controls, and management routines.

•  Identify and lead improvements that increase safety, quality, inventory accuracy, productivity, throughput, labor efficiency, space utilization, and service performance.

•  Ensure operational, inventory, shipment, equipment, staffing, training, and performance records are accurate, current, and available for reporting and compliance purposes.

•  Lead cross-functional projects and support facility, system, equipment, layout, and process changes affecting warehouse operations.

•  Evaluate operational risks and resource requirements and provide recommendations for labor, equipment, systems, and capital needs.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

•  Support internal and external customer requirements and business priorities as needed.

•  Maintain professional and constructive working relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, carriers, and support departments.

•  Provide leadership support during schedule changes, peak periods, emergencies, and other operational needs.

•  Additional projects or assignments may be identified from time to time.

Qualifications

Experience, Skills & Education:

•  Progressive leadership experience in warehousing, distribution, material handling, shipping, receiving, manufacturing logistics, or a related operational environment; experience managing departments or multiple operating teams preferred.

•  Demonstrated knowledge of receiving, material movement, replenishment, inventory control, warehousing, order picking, packing, shipping, and product flow processes.

•  Ability to establish accountability, manage performance, coach leaders, and develop employees.

•  Working knowledge of warehouse safety, quality, inventory control, productivity, labor planning, capacity planning, service-level, and cost-management practices.

•  Familiarity with Lean principles and the practical application of standard work, visual management, 5S, waste reduction, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement methods preferred.

•  Ability to analyze operating data, identify root causes, prioritize corrective actions, and drive measurable, sustained improvement.

•  Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and cross-functional coordination skills.

•  Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to changing operational requirements, and make timely, well-informed decisions in a multi-shift distribution environment.

•  Experience with warehouse management or business systems, handheld devices, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and related operational reporting tools preferred.

•  Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred; relevant experience may be considered in place of a degree.

•  Must be able to adjust schedule and hours as needed to support assigned operations

Work Environment and Schedule:

• This is an onsite position in a manufacturing and warehouse environment and requires regular presence on the production floor.

• The role supports a two-shift manufacturing operation and requires flexibility to support both shifts including overtime when needed.

• The work environment may include moving machinery, noise, dust, production materials, and varying temperatures.

• Must be able to respond to facility emergencies during off-hours when necessary.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to stand and walk throughout the manufacturing facility for extended periods.

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds occasionally.

• Ability to climb ladders, access equipment, work around moving machinery, and follow required safety procedures.

• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment in designated areas.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other status protected by applicable law.