Warehouse Operations Manager (Inbound)

Warehouse Operations Manager

At KeHE, we're obsessed with creating solutions, unboxing potential, and serving others – and it all starts with you. As an employee-owned distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products, we're committed to making a positive impact and scaling our success together. With a culture that fosters development and opportunity, you'll be embarking on a career that's moving forward. When you join KeHE, you're becoming part of a team that is a force for good.

Primary Responsibilities

As the Warehouse Operations Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing multiple departments within a single distribution center (DC), ensuring that all operations meet or exceed performance targets.

Your leadership will drive operational excellence through a hands-on approach, fostering a high-performance culture, improving efficiency, and ensuring adherence to safety standards. You will lead your teams in achieving optimal performance across the warehouse, focusing on productivity, safety, accuracy, and cleanliness.

Essential Functions

Leading and Developing Team Members

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of warehouse supervisors and associates across multiple shifts, ensuring they have the resources, tools, and training to meet performance goals and succeed in their roles
• Set clear expectations and foster a culture of collaboration, performance excellence, and accountability, inspiring a team mentality and commitment to team goals
• Provide real-time coaching, feedback, and mentorship to develop leadership skills within the team and promote career progression for all associates
• Champion workforce development and retention strategies, ensuring a positive and respectful work environment that motivates associates to continually improve and perform at their best

Safety & Compliance Management

• Lead and manage safety programs, ensuring compliance with safety regulations and company policies, and instilling a safety-first mindset across all teams
• Conduct regular safety audits, inspections, and training, actively addressing safety concerns to ensure a zero-injury work environment
• Promote safety and civility, making sure all associates are held accountable for maintaining a safe, clean, and compliant work environment where safety is a top priority for everyone

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee multiple warehouse functions to ensure smooth and efficient operations across all shifts, balancing productivity and operational quality
• Lead and champion LEAN and continuous improvement initiatives across warehouse operations, identifying areas for improvement and implementing solutions to enhance efficiency and reduce waste
• Collaborate with leadership and cross-functional teams to develop and implement long-term strategies that drive operational efficiency, improve throughput, and reduce costs while maintaining a high standard of safety and accuracy
• Encourage feedback and ideas from associates to foster innovation and process improvement, ensuring that the warehouse operations evolve and adapt to meet changing demands
• Set performance goals, monitor KPIs, and work with teams to achieve high standards of safety, productivity, accuracy, and cleanliness

Minimum Requirements, Qualifications, Additional Skills, Aptitude

• Associate’s degree required; additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
• 3-5 years of experience in warehouse operations, with at least 3 years in a leadership role
• Excellent problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a proven track record of successfully managing & motivating teams and driving operational excellence
• Experience with LEAN or other continuous improvement methodologies
• Strong proficiency with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and other operational software

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Six Sigma certification or similar continuous improvement qualification
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential warehouse functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Must be able to lift, move, and carry 30-40 pounds repetitively upwards of 1,000 times per day. Must be able to lift, move, and carry larger items up to 75 pounds less frequently. The Warehouse Operations Manager is frequently required to stand, walk, climb and sit at times in the warehouse. While performing the duties of this position, the supervisor is subject to a warehouse environment where temperatures can vary from very cool to very warm. Freezer temperatures: (-20°F) | Refrigerator temperature (25-35°F). The manager is also exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise levels in the warehouse work environment are typically low to moderate.

Equal Employer Opportunity Statement: KeHE Distributors provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion or faith, sex, gender, age, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training as well as the administration of all Human Resources and Talent Acquisition processes.