Operations Supervisor - Milton Keynes

Makeheroes; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Tutti Bambini is part of Making Heroes Ltd, a family-owned operation focused on building a strong, efficient Milton Keynes warehouse team that supports our busy despatch schedules.

We are seeking an Operations Supervisor to lead one of two operational teams, owning the day-to-day shifts, coordinating inbound and outbound activities, and ensuring accurate WMS transactions and daily reporting.

Qualifications

• Experience supervising or leading a team in a warehouse or distribution environment.
• Confident user of a WMS (OrderWise a plus) with good IT skills including Excel.
• Mechanical Handling Equipment experience (Reach truck, Counterbalance, PPT).
• Numerate and literate with strong attention to detail on paperwork and system transactions.
• Excellent communicator who can brief a team clearly and handle difficult conversations.

Responsibilities

• Lead your team on shift, brief targets, allocate work and review performance.
• Flex the team across inbound and outbound operations to meet workload demands.
• Be the first point of escalation for operational, quality and people issues.
• Manage attendance, timekeeping and break rotation in line with policy.
• Deliver on-job training, buddying and cross-skilling; support one-to-one reviews and performance conversations.
• Set standards for behaviour, pace and quality on the floor.

Skills

Team leadership

Warehouse operations

WMS experience

Excel

Communication

Tools

OrderWise

Reach truck

Counterbalance forklift

PPT

Job description

About Tutti Bambini

Tutti Bambini is a family-owned nursery furniture company founded over 30 years ago by Michael and Debra Samuel with the goal of supporting new mothers and fathers during their first steps into parenthood.

After years working in nursery retail, and as parents themselves, Michael and Debra realised that nursery furniture available on the market often didn’t offer the versatility, value, and safety that new parents needed for their little ones. Drawing on a background in technical design, and on their own parenting experiences, Michael and Debra created Tutti Bambini: a nursery furniture range combining elegance and beauty with innovation and practicality.

From its beginnings in a little London store, the Tutti Bambini brand has grown to become a feature in nurseries across the UK, and includes ranges of cots, cot beds, nursing chairs, highchairs, and more. Crafted to the highest standards of quality and safety, every piece of Tutti Bambini furniture is designed to be loved, and used, by families for years to come.

Tutti Bambini has been acquired by Heroes in 2023, and is now part of Heroes' family of brands.

About the role

Making Heroes Ltd, the owner and operator of the beloved British nursery brand Tutti Bambini, is looking for an Operations Supervisor to lead one of the two operational teams at our Milton Keynes warehouse.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, you'll take the daily plan and make it happen on the floor. You'll lead your team across both inbound and outbound, flexing people between goods-in, picking, packing and despatch as the workload demands, and acting as the first point of escalation for your shift.

As well as leading the team, you'll take ownership of the day-to-day administration that keeps the operation running — shift paperwork, WMS accuracy and daily reporting. This is a great opportunity for a strong team leader who wants real accountability for a team's performance and a clear route to develop.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership:

• Lead your team on shift - brief targets and priorities at the start, allocate work through the day, and review performance at the end.
• Flex the team across inbound and outbound as workload and priorities change, making sure resource is always on the critical task.
• Act as the first point of escalation in the warehouse for operational, quality and people issues, resolving what you can and escalating what you can't.
• Manage attendance, timekeeping and break rotation in line with company policy, reporting absence to the Operations Manager.
• Deliver on-job training, buddying and cross-skilling so the team is capable across all areas of the operation.
• Support the Operations Manager with 1-2-1s, probation reviews and performance conversations, providing accurate input on individual performance.
• Set the standard for behaviour, pace and quality - leading by example on the floor.

Inbound Operations:

• Supervise container and vehicle unloading, ensuring early starts are covered and unloading is completed safely and to plan.
• Ensure goods received are checked, counted and booked into the WMS accurately and on the day of receipt.
• Oversee put-away, ensuring stock is located correctly and locations are accurate in the system.
• Report discrepancies, shortages and damages the same day, with supporting evidence.

Outbound Operations:

• Supervise picking, packing, quality checking and despatch, ensuring all orders received before the daily cut-off go out the same day.
• Manage load planning and marshalling so carrier collections depart on time and correctly documented.
• Drive order accuracy through in-process checks, addressing errors with individuals immediately.
• Support spares (SRN) and returns activity as required, working with the Returns Supervisor and Ops Administrator.

Administration & Systems:

• Complete shift paperwork and daily reporting - volumes processed, hours worked, exceptions and outstanding work.
• Ensure all WMS (OrderWise) transactions are completed accurately and in real time by the team.
• Support cycle counts and stock checks, investigating and reporting variances.
• Raise MHE and equipment defects promptly and maintain the associated daily check records.
• Handle routine administrative tasks for the team, freeing the Operations Manager to focus on the wider site plan.

Health, Safety & Housekeeping:

• Ensure your team works safely and in line with all site health and safety procedures, challenging unsafe behaviour immediately.
• Complete safety checks, toolbox talks and equipment checks as required.
• Report all incidents and near misses on the day they occur.
• Ensure loading areas and aisles are clear at the end of each shift and MHE is returned to its charge point.

Efficiency & Improvement:

• Monitor team performance against daily targets and take action where output or quality drops.
• Identify bottlenecks, wasted movement and recurring problems, and put forward practical improvements.
• Support the trial and roll-out of new processes and ways of working within your team.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance in the role will be measured across the following areas:

Output: Team productivity against daily targets / same-day despatch of orders received before cut-off

Accuracy: Picking and despatch accuracy / goods-in booking and put-away accuracy

Inbound: Containers unloaded and booked in to plan / discrepancies reported same day

People: Team attendance and timekeeping / cross-skilling and training completion

Safety: Incidents and near misses reported / safety and housekeeping standards maintained

Administration: Shift paperwork and daily reporting completed accurately and on time

About you

• Experience supervising or leading a team in a warehouse or distribution environment — or an experienced operative ready to take the step up.
• Comfortable working across both inbound and outbound operations.
• Confident user of a WMS (experience with OrderWise is a plus), with good general IT skills including Excel and email.
• Mechanical Handling Equipment experience (Reach truck, Counterbalance & PPT); a current licence is a strong advantage.
• Numerate and literate, with strong attention to detail on paperwork and system transactions.
• Good communicator who can brief a team clearly, give feedback and have difficult conversations when needed.
• Able to work at pace, prioritise under pressure and stay calm when the plan changes.
• A practical, problem-solving mindset and a willingness to get stuck in alongside the team.

If you're a team leader who wants genuine ownership of a team and the chance to develop, we want to hear from you!

NOTE: This Job Description is not intended to be all inclusive. You may be required to carry out other tasks within your capabilities to meet the ongoing needs of the business.