First Line Manager

Kuehne+Nagel; Telford; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Contributory pension scheme

Route 2 Rewards programme

Wellbeing resources

Job summary

Kuehne+Nagel in the UK is seeking a First Line Manager to lead from the front at our Telford site, ensuring safe, efficient delivery of services and continuous improvement across warehouse operations. You will manage a team of Team Leaders and Warehouse Operatives, drive performance, plan resources, and maintain stock integrity while delivering outstanding service to customers.

This is a pivotal leadership role with rotating shifts 06:00-14:00 and 14:00-22:00, requiring strong people leadership,

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams in fast-paced logistics or warehousing environments.
• Strong people leadership and communication skills.
• Knowledge of warehouse operations and inventory management.
• Proactive approach to continuous improvement and problem solving.
• Ability to balance customer expectations with business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Team Leaders, Warehouse Operatives and Administrators, creating a positive and high-performing working environment.
• Take ownership of warehouse performance, ensuring stock integrity, productivity, accuracy and service levels.
• Monitor and drive key operational KPIs, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and quality.
• Plan and coordinate resources effectively, communicating changing priorities and ensuring smooth daily activities.
• Ensure full compliance with health and safety, quality standards and company policies.
• Develop and support your team through regular feedback, performance reviews and coaching.

Skills

People leadership

Team management

Operational excellence

Analytical thinking

Communication

Stakeholder management

Tools

JDA Dispatcher

WMS

Microsoft Office

Job description

It's more than a job

As part of the Contract Logistics team at Kuehne+Nagel, you will play a key role in designing, managing, and optimizing solutions that keep goods moving efficiently. Whether you’re leading a team, engineering processes, or driving projects, your work ensures that our customers’ products are stored, handled, and delivered with precision. From everyday essentials to seasonal items, what we do in Contract Logistics impacts businesses and communities around the world. At Kuehne+Nagel, your contribution goes far beyond the warehouse—it helps shape the flow of global trade.

It's more than a job

As part of the Contract Logistics team at Kuehne+Nagel, you will play a key role in designing, managing, and optimizing solutions that keep goods moving efficiently. Whether you’re leading a team, engineering processes, or driving projects, your work ensures that our customers’ products are stored, handled, and delivered with precision. From everyday essentials to seasonal items, what we do in Contract Logistics impacts businesses and communities around the world. At Kuehne+Nagel, your contribution goes far beyond the warehouse—it helps shape the flow of global trade. At the heart of our operations are our First Line Managers, who lead from the front to ensure the safe, efficient, and successful delivery of services at our Telford site. This is a pivotal leadership role, offering the opportunity to take ownership of day-to-day warehouse operations while driving performance, productivity, and service excellence for our customers. Leading a team of Team Leaders and Warehouse Operatives, you will create a positive and high-performing culture where colleagues are engaged, supported, and empowered to succeed. You will be responsible for operational planning, resource management, and continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance processes, improve efficiency, and deliver outstanding results. Through strong leadership, effective communication, and a proactive approach, you will ensure the highest standards of safety, compliance, quality, and operational performance are consistently achieved. Working a rotating shift pattern of 06:00-14:00 and 14:00-22:00, this role presents an excellent opportunity for an experienced people leader with a passion for logistics and operational excellence to make a meaningful impact within a fast-paced, supportive, and customer-focused environment.

How you create impact

• Lead, motivate and develop a team of Team Leaders, Warehouse Operatives and Administrators, creating a positive and high-performing working environment.
• Take ownership of warehouse performance, ensuring stock integrity, productivity, accuracy and service levels consistently meet customer expectations.
• Monitor and drive key operational KPIs, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, performance and overall operational excellence.
• Plan and coordinate resources effectively, communicating changing operational priorities and ensuring the smooth delivery of daily activities.
• Build strong customer relationships, providing an exceptional service experience while operating within agreed budgets and service requirements.Champion continuous improvement initiatives, reviewing processes and implementing smarter ways of working to enhance productivity and quality.
• Ensure full compliance with health and safety, quality standards, company policies and industry regulations, promoting a safe and well-organised workplace.
• Develop and support your team through regular feedback, performance reviews, succession planning and coaching to help individuals reach their full potential.

What we would like you to bring

• Experience leading teams within a fast-paced logistics, warehousing, or operational environment, with the ability to drive performance and deliver results.
• Strong people leadership skills, with a proven ability to motivate, develop and engage colleagues to achieve shared goals.
• Good understanding of warehouse operations, inventory management and warehouse management systems, with confidence using Microsoft Office applications.
• Commercially aware with the ability to balance operational priorities, customer expectations and business objectives.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills and a focus on delivering efficiencies.
• Effective communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to build positive relationships at all levels.
• Commitment to maintaining high standards of health, safety, quality and compliance within a busy operational environment.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and adaptable, with the ability to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines and respond positively to changing business needs.
• Experience of JDA (Dispatcher) or similar warehouse management systems would be advantageous, but is not essential as training can be provided.

What's in it for you

Join Kuehne+Nagel and build your future with us. We believe in recognising and rewarding the commitment, expertise and passion our people bring every day. In return, you'll enjoy a competitive benefits package, including 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, with the opportunity to earn additional leave through length of service. You'll also have access to our contributory Kuehne+Nagel pension scheme and our Route 2 Rewards programme, offering employee discounts, recognition initiatives, wellbeing resources and a dedicated wellbeing centre to support you both professionally and personally. As a proud holder of the Gold Armed Forces Covenant Award, we are committed to being a forces friendly employer and actively welcome applications from service leavers, reservists and veterans. We recognise the valuable skills, experience and perspectives they bring to our business and are proud to support their transition into civilian careers. Please be aware that by applying for this role, you are agreeing to participate in the employment screening process. This process will include criminal record checking and identity validation. This means that KN will ask successful applicants to provide certain information and documentation to enable these checks to be conducted. Any appointment will then be strictly conditional upon, and subject to, the receipt of satisfactory results of these checks

Who we are

Logistics shapes everyday life - from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world. As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life-saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine.