Shipping & Receiving Supervisor

Pharma Logistics; Libertyville (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Pharma Logistics in Libertyville, IL seeks an experienced operations leader to oversee returns processing, credit workflows, and compliance in a regulated pharmaceutical environment. You will supervise supervisors and technicians, forecast staffing, and assure accuracy and on-time performance.

Responsibilities include owning QoS metrics, driving continuous improvement, partnering with Quality, IT, and Transportation to optimize workflow, and maintaining strict records and audits readiness.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of operations experience with 2+ years supervising a team.
• Experience in regulated environments with procedures, recordkeeping and audits.
• Able to meet productivity, accuracy, cycle time and cost targets.
• Strong Excel skills and ability to build operational reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily intake, sorting, verification, and disposition of returned products.
• Manage credit processing workflow end to end with 14-day turnaround.
• Coordinate returns to manufacturers and destruction of non-returnables per SOP.
• Monitor queues, aging, and backlog; reallocate staffing to prevent bottlenecks.
• Maintain accurate inventory control and reconcile discrepancies promptly.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and SOPs; own records.
• Lead supervisors and technicians; manage staffing and training.
• Track metrics and present performance summaries to leadership.
• Collaborate with IT, Transportation and others to optimize systems.

Skills

Operations leadership

Team supervision

Inventory management

Excel

Data analysis

Communication

Job description

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Direct daily intake, sorting, verification, and disposition of returned pharmaceutical product across all shifts, ensuring work is completed within established service-level agreements.

• Manage the credit processing workflow end to end, from product receipt through submission to manufacturers and wholesalers, driving customer credit turnaround toward the 14-day standard.

• Coordinate the return of product to manufacturers and authorized returns processors, and schedule destruction of non-returnable product in line with company procedure.

• Monitor queue volume, aging, and backlog daily; reallocate staffing and adjust priorities to prevent bottlenecks and missed commitments.

• Maintain accurate inventory control and reconciliation for all product held in the department, investigating and resolving discrepancies promptly.

Compliance & Quality

• Ensure all processing activity complies with applicable federal and state regulations governing controlled substances, pharmaceutical distribution, and hazardous waste, as well as company standard operating procedures.
• Own departmental documentation and recordkeeping, including receipt records, inventories, transfer and destruction records, and chain-of-custody documentation.

• Enforce security controls over controlled substances, including restricted access, dual-employee verification where required, and timely reporting of discrepancies, losses, or thefts.

• Serve as the operational point of contact for internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections; prepare records and respond to findings with documented corrective action.

• Partner with the Quality and Compliance functions to investigate deviations, complete root-cause analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and processing technicians; set clear performance expectations and conduct regular one-on-ones and formal reviews.

• Own staffing for the department - forecasting labor needs, participating in hiring, and managing schedules, overtime, and temporary labor against budget.

• Design and maintain onboarding and ongoing training programs covering processing procedures, controlled substance handling, safety, and quality standards; maintain complete training records.

• Build a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement, and act decisively on performance and conduct issues.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Define, track, and report departmental metrics including throughput per labor hour, processing accuracy, credit cycle time, error and rework rates, and safety incidents.
• Analyze process and system data to identify constraints, then design and implement workflow, layout, and procedural improvements.
• Partner with IT and systems teams on enhancements to processing and inventory platforms, including testing and change management.
• Prepare and present operational performance summaries to leadership, with clear explanation of variances and corrective plans.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Coordinate with Transportation and Warehouse teams on inbound receipt scheduling and outbound manufacturer shipments.
• Support Sales and Account Management on customer questions, site visits, and reporting requests related to returns processing.

Required Education, Skills and Experience:

• Five or more years of operations experience, including at least two years directly supervising or managing a team in a distribution, warehouse, laboratory, manufacturing, or pharmacy environment.
• Demonstrated experience working in a regulated environment with documented procedures, recordkeeping requirements, and external audits or inspections.
• Proven ability to manage to measurable performance standards - productivity, accuracy, cycle time, and cost.
• Strong working knowledge of inventory management systems and Microsoft Excel, with the ability to build and interpret operational reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write clear procedures and communicate effectively with frontline staff, executives, customers, and auditors.
• High level of personal integrity and sound judgment; must be able to pass a background check and drug screen, and meet all requirements for handling controlled substances.