Section Leader

East Midlands Shared Services; Leicester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car lease scheme

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Job summary

ESPO is recruiting a Warehouse Team Leader at its Leicester site. The role involves actively managing core and seasonal staff on shift, coordinating across Goods In, Replenishment, Picking and Goods Out to ensure smooth flow and KPI achievement.

You will lead first-line supervision, motivate teams, and maintain accurate WMS and Excel records. The position offers permanent employment with shifts and onsite benefits in a convenient location near Fosse Park.

Qualifications

• NVQ 2 or equivalent and ILM level 3 accreditation.
• Experience in a large fast-moving distribution warehouse (≈5,000 SKUs) with planned loads and zone picking.
• Proven ability to motivate staff as a first line manager to achieve targets (KPIs).
• Strong verbal communication for liaising with fellow managers and staff.
• Numerate and literate for basic maths and report writing; competent keyboard skills for WMS and Excel.
• Good time management to handle shift peaks and troughs.

Responsibilities

• Manage core staff and seasonal staff on shift, sharing supervision duties with other Section Leaders.
• Coordinate staff across Goods In, Replenishment, Picking and Goods Out to balance across the shift.
• Ensure efficient movement of product and achievement of shift objectives.
• Liaise with other managers to meet overall targets and KPI expectations.
• Support continuous improvement in warehouse processes and documentation.

Skills

Staff leadership

WMS experience

Excel

Numeracy

Verbal communication

Time management

First line supervision

Education

NVQ 2 or equivalent

ILM level 3 or equivalent

Tools

WMS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Organisation: ESPO

Work Location: Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 1ES

Salary: £29,550 - £32,055 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)

Working Hours: 37 hours per week alternative shifts 6-2/2-10

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 13th September 2026

ESPO is responsible for the supply of goods and services to the Consortium Members of Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Leicester City, Lincolnshire, Peterborough City, Warwickshire, Norfolk and other public bodies within the area and nearby. As a means of providing part of the service, ESPO maintains a 120,000sq ft. warehouse at Grove Park for the storage and distribution of a wide range of educational stationary and cleaning materials and other goods to schools, offices, homes and other establishments and distributes goods to a planned schedule using a fleet of its own, contractor and courier vehicles.

About the Role

To actively manage both core staff and additional seasonal staff on shift, sharing the management of staff across the warehouse in conjunction with the other Section Leaders (be they Goods In, Replenishment, Picking or Goods Out). This is in order to balance the staff across all sections to satisfy the overall requirements of the shift and ensure the efficient flow of product throughout the warehouse in accordance with the required objectives.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• NVQ 2 or equivalent - Able to achieve relevant accreditation for study in respect of first line supervisory skills (ILM level 3, or equivalent)
• Proven relevant practical experience in a large fast‑moving Distribution Warehouse (5,000 SKUs), working with planned vehicle loads and zone picking
• Good motivator of staff as first line manager, to achieve required output and KPI targets
• Good verbal communication (talking and listening) skills for liaising with colleague first line managers to achieve overall targets, as well as dealing with own and shared staff
• Numerate, for accurate use of numbers and ability to carry out basic maths (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication) correctly and Literate, to write and develop reports, procedures and working practice
• Competent keyboard skills for use of WMS computer system and use of (including creating and amending) Excel spreadsheets and general use of Microsoft Office
• Good time management to deal with short‑term peaks and troughs of workload within shifts

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our customers. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

What we offer

• Flexible working opportunities and access to employee benefits portal with car lease scheme.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service), and a scheme to buy additional leave.
• Local Government Pension Scheme with a generous employer contribution.
• Opportunities for learning and development,
• Great office location next to Fosse Park, with free on-site parking and easy access to M1 and M69.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact

Neil Tompkins – Operation Manager

Email: [e-mail]

About ESPO

We're a unique organisation, owned by the public sector and sharing their values and ethos, but operating with a commercial edge. As a specialist procurement body, we pride ourselves on establishing procurement solutions that save money for the public sector. View our prospectus to find out more.

We have modern, open-plan offices with excellent transport links and a friendly workplace environment. We offer flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory pension scheme, training (including professional CIPS qualification) and opportunities to develop your career.

ESPO is supported by wide range of roles across many different disciplines including sales, marketing, IT, procurement, finance, operations (warehouse management and transport planning) and customer services. So whether you are interested in a public-facing role or playing your part behind the scenes, ESPO could be the place for you.

To learn more about working for ESPO please visit www.espo.org.