What are the responsibilities and job description for the Warehouse Lead position at HiPo Talent Partners?
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