Warehouse Manager

RELOcruitment Ltd; Ware; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

RELOcruitment Ltd is seeking a hands-on Warehouse Manager to take ownership of two fine art warehouse sites in Ware, with regular travel to Royston. You will lead a small team, packing, moving and handling valuable art, sculptures and furniture, while managing day-to-day operations on site.

This is a hands-on, growth-focused role with split shifts and starting around 6am. You will drive safety, processes and continuous improvement across both locations.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Warehouse Supervisor or similar, ready to step up into a Warehouse Manager role.
• Physically fit and genuinely happy to be hands-on — packing, moving and handling goods day to day.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and team development experience with a small team.
• Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Solid understanding of warehouse processes, inventory management and efficiency.
• Experience implementing process improvements and driving change.
• Strong Health & Safety knowledge and a track record of promoting a positive safety culture.
• Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail.
• A confident communicator, comfortable engaging across all levels of the business.
• Able to work independently, make decisions and take ownership.
• Full, valid driving licence essential — regular travel between Ware and Royston.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operation of two warehouse sites, ensuring safe, efficient and high-performing environments
• Get hands-on with packing, moving and handling valuable art, sculptures and furniture alongside your team
• Lead, coach and develop your small team, building accountability, professionalism and teamwork
• Manage workforce planning, resource allocation and operational priorities to hit business requirements and project deadlines
• Own warehouse processes end-to-end, identifying opportunities to improve productivity, accuracy and service delivery
• Manage goods in, goods out, inventory movements and location control through accurate digital systems
• Lead inventory audits and stock accuracy, investigating discrepancies and implementing corrective action
• Optimise warehouse layout, space utilisation and future capacity planning
• Ensure artworks and high-value assets are stored, handled and protected to the highest standards
• Act as Health & Safety ambassador across both sites — promoting a proactive safety culture and ensuring full compliance with policy, procedure and legislation
• Oversee incoming and outgoing shipments, resolving operational issues and ensuring exceptional service delivery
• Work flexibly and travel regularly across both warehouse locations as required

Job description

Are you a Warehouse Supervisor ready to take the next step up? We're recruiting for a Warehouse Manager to take ownership of two fine art warehouse sites — based primarily in Ware, with regular travel to Royston.

This is a genuinely hands-on role. You'll be packing, moving and handling valuable art, sculptures and furniture alongside your team, as well as overseeing the day-to-day running of both sites. It's a small, close-knit operation — you'll be leading a team of 3–4 permanent staff, not managing a large operation from behind a desk. If you've worked your way up managing 100+ staff in a primarily strategic, desk-based capacity, this probably isn't the right fit — we need someone who wants to graft alongside their team just as much as lead it.

You'll need to be fit, physically capable and genuinely happy getting stuck in day to day, while also bringing the leadership skills to coach your team, manage workflow and drive standards across both locations. Art experience would be lovely, but it's not essential — what matters most is your hands-on warehouse leadership and your willingness to work at the coalface.

Full-time, permanent role on a 45-hour contract with split shifts (earliest starts around 6am, varying with workload).

The Role

You’ll take full day-to-day ownership of both sites — inventory, space, workflow, people and Health & Safety — building a culture of accountability, ownership and continuous improvement within your team.

Key responsibilities:

• Oversee the day-to-day operation of two warehouse sites, ensuring safe, efficient and high-performing environments
• Get hands-on with packing, moving and handling valuable art, sculptures and furniture alongside your team
• Lead, coach and develop your small team, building accountability, professionalism and teamwork
• Manage workforce planning, resource allocation and operational priorities to hit business requirements and project deadlines
• Own warehouse processes end-to-end, identifying opportunities to improve productivity, accuracy and service delivery
• Manage goods in, goods out, inventory movements and location control through accurate digital systems
• Lead inventory audits and stock accuracy, investigating discrepancies and implementing corrective action
• Optimise warehouse layout, space utilisation and future capacity planning
• Ensure artworks and high-value assets are stored, handled and protected to the highest standards
• Act as Health & Safety ambassador across both sites — promoting a proactive safety culture and ensuring full compliance with policy, procedure and legislation
• Oversee incoming and outgoing shipments, resolving operational issues and ensuring exceptional service delivery
• Work flexibly and travel regularly across both warehouse locations as required

About You

We’re looking for a hands-on warehouse leader who’s just as comfortable on the warehouse floor as they are managing people and processes.

• Proven experience as a Warehouse Supervisor or similar, ready to step up into a Warehouse Manager role
• Physically fit and genuinely happy to be hands-on — packing, moving and handling goods day to day
• Strong people leadership, coaching and team development experience with a small team
• Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Solid understanding of warehouse processes, inventory management and efficiency
• Experience implementing process improvements and driving change
• Strong Health & Safety knowledge and a track record of promoting a positive safety culture
• Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail
• A confident communicator, comfortable engaging across all levels of the business
• Able to work independently, make decisions and take ownership
• Full, valid driving licence essential — this role requires regular travel between Ware and Royston
• Experience within fine art, logistics or specialist storage
• Knowledge of art handling principles or the care of high-value items
• Experience working within a project-based environment
• Experience using warehouse management or inventory systems

If you're a hands‑on people leader who takes ownership, enjoys getting stuck in, and wants a genuine step up into your first Warehouse Manager role, we'd love to hear from you.