Warehouse Lead

HiPo Talent Partners is partnering with a growing food manufacturer in the northern suburbs of Chicago to identify a Warehouse Lead . This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on leader who enjoys building efficient warehouse operations, leading teams, and driving continuous improvement in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

The Warehouse Lead will oversee daily warehouse and fulfillment operations, ensuring accurate inventory management, efficient order fulfillment, and timely shipments across direct-to-consumer (DTC), retail, and distribution channels. This role works closely with Production, Customer Operations, Purchasing, and Leadership to support the company's continued growth while maintaining a safe, organized, and high-performing warehouse.
What You'll Do
Warehouse & Fulfillment Operations

• Lead daily warehouse activities, including receiving, picking, packing, shipping, returns, and inventory movement
• Ensure customer orders are shipped accurately and on time across DTC, parcel, and LTL channels
• Maintain a clean, organized, and efficient warehouse using 5S and continuous improvement principles

Inventory Management

• Own inventory accuracy through cycle counts, reconciliations, and root cause analysis
• Ensure raw materials and finished goods are accurately received, stored, and available to support production
• Maintain accurate inventory transactions within the ERP system

Team Leadership

• Coach, train, and develop warehouse team members while establishing daily priorities and performance expectations
• Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, and workplace safety
• Assist with staffing and scheduling to meet changing business demands

Shipping & Logistics

• Coordinate parcel and LTL shipments, carrier scheduling, and shipping documentation
• Partner with carriers and vendors to resolve shipping or delivery issues
• Help ensure customer orders and production schedules remain on track

Process Improvement

• Partner with Customer Operations, Production, Purchasing, and Leadership to improve warehouse efficiency and material flow
• Monitor key performance metrics, including inventory accuracy, order accuracy, and on-time shipments
• Identify opportunities to improve warehouse processes, systems, and overall operational performance

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years of warehouse, fulfillment, or distribution experience, including at least one year in a leadership or supervisory role
• Experience managing direct-to-consumer (DTC), parcel, and LTL shipping operations
• Strong inventory management experience, including cycle counts and inventory control
• Experience using ERP, warehouse management (WMS), or inventory systems (Microsoft Business Central preferred)
• Strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing or production environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and warehouse technology

Preferred Qualifications

• Food manufacturing, consumer products (CPG), or production environment experience
• Experience with Shopify, Microsoft Business Central, or similar business systems
• Forklift certification or experience operating warehouse equipment
• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies
• Experience working with third-party logistics (3PL) providers and carrier management