Warehouse Operations Manager (18 Month FTC)

The Sterling Choice; England; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Completion bonus

Job summary

The Sterling Choice is seeking a Warehouse Operations Manager in Surrey for an 18-month fixed-term contract. This on-site role runs Monday to Friday with a defined relocation project and a completion bonus as the contract concludes.

You will keep the existing operation running while guiding the team through the move to a new facility, supervising a small warehouse team and handling tasks from stock checks to weighing calculations.

Qualifications

• Experience working in agriculture, fresh produce, food manufacturing or a closely related environment.
• Previous involvement in a site or warehouse relocation project.
• Comfortable with systems, spreadsheets and numbers; SAP experience would be helpful, though not essential.

Responsibilities

• Maintain operational stability during the relocation process.
• Plan and coordinate the transfer to the new facility with senior leadership and project stakeholders.
• Document essential processes and ensure operational knowledge carries over to the new site.
• Establish clear responsibilities, SOPs, performance measures and systems discipline for the future operation.
• Hands-on leadership: participate in day-to-day tasks and workload sharing with the team.

Job description

Warehouse Operations Manager

Surrey

18-month Fixed Term Contract

Monday to Friday Five days on site

GBP65,000 - GBP75,000 + Completion bonus

Some contracts are designed to fill a gap.

This one gives you a defined project to deliver and a team that will genuinely value your support.

You will be joining a charming, well-established business with a rich history and a group of loyal people who care deeply about what they do. Several members of the warehouse team have been there for many years, know the operation inside out and take real pride in keeping it moving.

The business is now entering an exciting new chapter as it prepares to relocate into a new facility.

They need a Warehouse Operations Manager who can keep the existing operation running effectively while supporting and guiding the team through that move.

This is a small, hands-on warehouse team operating in a traditional and largely manual environment. It will not suit someone who expects extensive automation or wants to lead from behind a desk.

You will be a genuinely hands-on part of the team, sharing the workload rather than simply directing it.

On any given day, that could mean picking and packing stock, working through weight calculations, resolving a stock issue, arranging transport or ordering skips ahead of the move.

Nothing is considered beneath the Warehouse Operations Manager; if something needs doing, you will be expected to get involved alongside everyone else.

The Project

The business is preparing to relocate its warehouse operation into a new facility at the end of 2027 or early 2028.

Your role will be to maintain operational stability throughout that transition while helping prepare the team, stock, systems and processes for the move. Customer service, stock integrity, safety, quality and compliance must all be protected while the relocation work progresses.

Working with the senior leadership team and wider project stakeholders, you will provide the practical warehouse expertise required to plan the transfer, document essential processes and ensure operational knowledge is carried into the new site.

You will also help establish the operating framework for the future warehouse, including clear responsibilities, practical SOPs, reliable performance measures and stronger systems discipline.

The aim is not to transform the existing warehouse before leaving it. It is to keep the current operation and its people on track while helping create a modern, well-organised and sustainable operation at the new facility.

What You ll Need

There are two essential requirements for this assignment:

• Experience working within agriculture, fresh produce, food manufacturing or another closely related environment
• Previous involvement in a site or warehouse relocation project, whether commissioning a new facility, transferring stock and equipment between sites or supporting the closure of one operation and the launch of another

You will also need to be comfortable with systems, spreadsheets and numbers. The business uses SAP, so previous experience would be helpful, although it is not essential.

More important will be your ability to build trust.

This is a good group of people entering a period of significant change. They need someone who will listen, communicate clearly and give them confidence, while still providing the practical direction required to complete the move successfully.

In return, you will receive a rewarding 18-month assignment with a clear purpose, good people around you and a completion bonus at the end of the contract.

You will help an established business protect what is already special about it while preparing its operation and people for the future.