Warehouse Lead - Receiving

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Warehouse Manager with a strong emphasis on receiving and inbound operations to lead day-to-day warehouse activities at our California facility.

This role will be responsible for ensuring inbound shipments are received and shipped accurately, efficiently, safely, and on schedule , while maintaining inventory integrity and supporting the overall needs of the warehouse.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on operational leader who is comfortable managing people, priorities, inventory, dock activity, and warehouse processes in a fast-paced environment. This person should be able to identify bottlenecks, improve processes, hold teams accountable, and work closely with other departments to keep inventory flowing efficiently from the receiving dock into available inventory.

Key ResponsibilitiesReceiving & Inbound Operations

• Lead and oversee all daily receiving and inbound and outbound warehouse activities.
• Coordinate the unloading, receiving, inspection, counting, and putaway of inbound shipments.
• Ensure inbound product is received accurately against purchase orders, transfer documents, packing lists, and other receiving documentation.
• Prioritize inbound appointments and workload based on operational needs, inventory requirements, dock capacity, and available labor.
• Monitor receiving productivity and ensure inbound shipments are processed within established service-level expectations.
• Investigate and resolve receiving discrepancies including shortages, overages, damages, incorrect products, and quantity discrepancies.
• Ensure damaged or questionable inventory is properly identified, documented, segregated, and escalated.
• Maintain an organized receiving dock and staging area and prevent inbound inventory from accumulating unnecessarily.
• Coordinate putaway activities to ensure received inventory moves quickly and accurately into storage locations.
• Work with purchasing, inventory, client service, transportation, and other teams to resolve inbound shipment issues.
• Improve receiving procedures to increase throughput, accuracy, visibility, and accountability.

Inventory Control

• Maintain a high level of inventory accuracy throughout receiving and putaway processes.
• Ensure products, lot information, expiration dates, quantities, and other required inventory attributes are accurately recorded.
• Research inventory discrepancies and identify root causes.
• Partner with inventory control personnel to address location, quantity, labeling, and receiving issues.
• Ensure proper inventory rotation and handling practices are followed where applicable.
• Identify recurring inventory errors and implement corrective actions.

Warehouse Operations

• Support overall warehouse operations beyond receiving as business needs require.
• Coordinate labor and resources across receiving, putaway, replenishment, inventory, and other warehouse functions.
• Maintain clean, organized, and clearly defined warehouse work areas.
• Ensure material handling equipment, dock areas, storage locations, and operational spaces are used appropriately.
• Monitor warehouse capacity and identify space, flow, or storage issues before they affect operations.
• Assist with warehouse layout, slotting, process flow, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Team Leadership

• Directly supervise warehouse employees and frontline leads as assigned.
• Plan daily staffing and assign work based on expected workload and operational priorities.
• Establish clear expectations for productivity, accuracy, attendance, safety, and workplace conduct.
• Coach, train, and develop employees and warehouse leads.
• Provide timely feedback and address performance issues consistently.
• Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, urgency, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct daily operational meetings or shift-start discussions to communicate priorities and expected workload.
• Ensure employees are properly trained before performing assigned duties or operating equipment.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor key receiving and warehouse performance indicators, including:
  • Receiving turnaround time
  • Units, cases, or pallets received
  • Receiving accuracy
  • Dock-to-stock time
  • Putaway backlog
  • Receiving discrepancies
  • Inventory accuracy
  • Labor productivity
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement practical solutions.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for receiving and related warehouse functions.
• Use warehouse data and reporting to improve staffing, scheduling, capacity, and workflow decisions.
• Participate in warehouse projects and process improvement initiatives.

Safety & Compliance

• Maintain a safe working environment and ensure employees follow established warehouse safety procedures.
• Ensure receiving docks, aisles, staging areas, and emergency access points remain clean and unobstructed.
• Reinforce proper material handling and equipment operating practices.
• Conduct routine observations of warehouse conditions and immediately address unsafe practices or conditions.
• Ensure compliance with applicable company policies and federal, state, and local requirements.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of warehouse operations experience, with significant experience in receiving, inbound operations, inventory, or distribution .
• 1+ years of warehouse leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience managing high-volume receiving operations strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of warehouse receiving, inventory control, putaway, replenishment, and material flow.
• Experience working with a Warehouse Management System (WMS) or similar inventory system.
• Ability to investigate inventory and receiving discrepancies and determine root causes.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple inbound shipments and operational priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to lead warehouse employees in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or similar reporting tools.
• Experience with palletized freight, LTL, FTL, parcel, and warehouse dock operations preferred.
• Forklift and other material-handling-equipment experience preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to regularly walk and stand throughout a warehouse environment.
• Ability to bend, reach, climb, and perform other activities associated with warehouse operations.
• Ability to safely lift and move materials consistent with company safety policies.
• Ability to work around forklifts, pallet jacks, trucks, loading docks, warehouse equipment, and varying warehouse temperatures.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who owns the operation rather than simply monitors it .

The successful Warehouse Manager will know what is arriving, what is waiting to be received, what is creating a bottleneck, where inventory is going, and what the team needs to accomplish each day.

This person should be comfortable getting onto the warehouse floor, working directly with employees and leads, solving problems in real time, and creating processes that prevent those problems from repeatedly occurring.

The right candidate combines strong receiving knowledge, inventory discipline, people leadership, and operational urgency and takes pride in running a warehouse operation that is organized, measurable, and dependable.

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