Warehouse Operations Manager

Strive Supply Chain; Worcester; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Strive Supply Chain is recruiting a Warehouse Operations Manager for its Worcester site. You will lead day-to-day warehouse activity, driving continuous improvement across people, processes and systems while ensuring safety, service and cost targets are met.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will oversee ~120 FTEs, develop an improvement roadmap, lead Shift Managers and Supervisors, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to sustain end-to-end service levels.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a sizeable FMCG warehouse operation.
• Track record of delivering daily targets while leading sustainable improvements.
• Experience with continuous improvement methodologies (Lean/Six Sigma advantageous).

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of day-to-day warehouse activity and meet targets for safety, service, quality, cost and productivity.
• Build and maintain a practical improvement roadmap using data and frontline insight.
• Lead, coach and develop Shift Managers, Supervisors and colleagues with accountability.
• Establish a disciplined operating rhythm: daily reviews, KPI analysis and action tracking.
• Review inbound, storage, picking and despatch processes to improve flow and stock accuracy.
• Manage labour and costs within budgets and track improvement benefits.
• Embed standard operating procedures and sustain improvements across shifts.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety and company standards.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical capability

Change leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Tools

Lean

Six Sigma

Job description

Strive are a UK wide Supply Chain & Logistics management recruiter. Please visit strive . co . uk for additional roles across engineering, production, warehouse & transport operations.

Warehouse Operations Manager

c 55k + Excellent Benefits

Worcestershire

Strive Supply Chain are a leading management recruitment consultancy, specialising in Supply Chain, Production, Planning, Logistics, Transport & Warehouse Operations, please visit our website for further vacancies and information.

Our client is a leading FMCG distributor seeking a Warehouse Operations Manager to lead day-to-day activity at its Worcester site while delivering a structured programme of continuous improvement across people, processes, systems and performance.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will lead Warehouse Shift Managers and Supervisors and have overall responsibility for an operation of approximately 120 FTEs. The role has an equal focus on operational delivery and improvement: ensuring safe, reliable and cost-effective performance today, while identifying, prioritising and implementing changes that improve productivity, service, quality and cost over the longer term.

Key Accountabilities as Warehouse Operations Manager:

• Operational management: Take full ownership of day-to-day warehouse activity, ensuring customer, service, safety, quality, cost and productivity targets are consistently achieved.
• Continuous improvement: Build and maintain a practical improvement roadmap, using operational data and frontline insight to identify opportunities, define priorities and deliver measurable benefits.
• People leadership: Lead, coach and develop Shift Managers, Supervisors and warehouse colleagues, setting clear expectations, strengthening capability and creating an accountable, customer-focused culture.
• Performance management: Establish a disciplined operating rhythm of daily reviews, KPI analysis and action tracking; address performance gaps quickly and remove recurring causes of failure.
• Process optimisation: Review inbound, storage, replenishment, picking and despatch processes to improve flow, labour utilisation, stock accuracy and customer service.
• Financial control: Manage labour, consumables, assets and other warehouse costs within agreed budgets, developing robust business cases and tracking the benefits of improvement activity.
• Standardisation and sustainability: Develop, document and embed standard operating procedures so that improvements are sustained, shared and understood across all shifts.
• Safety and compliance: Ensure all legal, audit, health and safety and company standards are met or exceeded, with effective corrective actions and a culture of proactive risk reduction.
• Change leadership: Lead the implementation of operational changes, engaging colleagues early, communicating the rationale and expected benefits, and adapting delivery to secure adoption.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the General Manager, other depots and cross-functional teams to resolve constraints, share best practice and maintain end-to-end service levels.

The Ideal Person for the Warehouse Operations Manager role:

• Proven experience leading a sizeable, fast-paced FMCG warehouse operation, ideally across multiple shifts.
• A strong record of delivering daily operational targets while also leading sustainable improvements in productivity, service, quality, safety or cost.
• Practical experience of continuous improvement methodologies and structured problem-solving; Lean or Six Sigma exposure would be advantageous.
• Strong analytical capability, with the confidence to interpret KPIs, identify root causes, quantify opportunities and track realised benefits.
• Effective budget, labour and resource management skills, with sound commercial judgement.
• An engaging and visible leadership style, with evidence of coaching managers, developing teams and building accountability.
• Excellent planning, communication and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to lead people effectively through change.
• A pragmatic, hands-on approach: equally comfortable managing immediate operational priorities and driving longer-term transformation.