Warehouse Manager Experience in Manufacturing industry

Warehouse Manager Experience in Manufacturing industry from 9 to 14 Years

Job Information

• Department: Warehouse
• Reports To: Factory Manager
• Key Interfaces: Production, Quality, Procurement, Planning, Finance, Inventory & Cost Control
• Supervises: Warehouse Supervisors, Storekeepers, Material Handlers and Warehouse Workers

Job Purpose

To lead and control all physical warehouse operations across raw materials, components, work-in-process, finished goods, spare parts and consumables, ensuring accurate custody, traceability, safe storage and timely material flow to support uninterrupted production. The Warehouse Manager is accountable for the physical and operational integrity of inventory, while inventory valuation, costing, financial reconciliation and independent inventory control remain under the Finance/Costing function.

1. Warehouse Operations & Material Flow

• Manage the complete warehouse cycle: receiving, verification, put-away, storage, picking, issue/transfer, finished-goods receipt and dispatch.
• Ensure materials are available to Production according to authorized requirements without unnecessary delays or uncontrolled movements.
• Control all inter-warehouse and production-floor material movements and ensure no physical movement occurs without approved documentation and system transaction.
• Establish clear custody and responsibility at each stock-transfer point.

2. Storage, Location & Traceability

• Maintain structured warehouse locations, bin coding, labeling and material identification.
• Optimize warehouse layout, racking and space utilization within the approved warehouse structure.
• Ensure segregation of raw materials, WIP, finished goods, rejected, damaged, obsolete, scrap and quarantined materials.
• Maintain required material and component traceability and apply FIFO or other approved rotation rules as applicable.

3. Physical Inventory Accuracy

• Maintain physical stock quantities consistent with authorized warehouse records and transactions.
• Organize and execute cycle counts, periodic counts, surprise counts and annual physical inventory.
• Investigate physical discrepancies, provide documented operational explanations and implement corrective actions for recurring causes.
• Control stock loss, damage, shrinkage and unauthorized movement.

4. ERP & Documentation Discipline

• Ensure timely and accurate execution of warehouse transactions through the approved ERP/Warehouse system.
• Ensure physical movement, supporting documents and system transactions remain synchronized.
• Prevent undocumented or off-system stock movements and maintain complete supporting documentation for receipts, issues, transfers, returns and dispatches.
• Maintain warehouse master/location data under Warehouse responsibility accurately.

5. Production Interface

• Coordinate daily with Production and Planning regarding material requirements, priorities and availability.
• Ensure authorized materials are issued accurately and on time and control the return of unused or excess materials from Production.
• Maintain clear physical custody through raw-material, WIP and finished-goods movements.
• Promptly escalate shortages, abnormal movement patterns or material-flow problems.

6. Quality & Non-Conforming Materials

• Coordinate incoming material handling with Quality and ensure rejected or quarantined materials cannot be issued accidentally.
• Control physical handling and segregation of scrap, damaged and obsolete materials pending authorized disposition.
• Maintain identification and traceability requirements in coordination with Quality.

7. Warehouse Team Management

• Lead Warehouse Supervisors, Storekeepers and warehouse workers; define responsibilities, shifts, workload and custody.
• Train employees on approved procedures, ERP transactions, material handling, traceability and safety.
• Evaluate team performance and take appropriate corrective and development actions.

8. Safety & Warehouse Discipline

• Maintain safe storage, stacking, handling and material-movement practices and ensure compliance with applicable HSE requirements.
• Maintain warehouse housekeeping and 5S standards.
• Control access to warehouse areas and protect company inventory and assets.

9. Systems, Restructuring & Process Improvement

• Participate in warehouse restructuring, system development, ERP implementation and process-improvement projects.
• Provide operational input and warehouse requirements during the design or redesign of warehouse processes and systems.
• Support testing and implementation of approved new processes, controls and system changes.
• Implement and ensure compliance with approved warehouse SOPs and material-flow procedures, and participate in their review and improvement.
• Identify operational gaps, bottlenecks and control weaknesses and escalate them with practical recommendations.
• Provide feedback on the effectiveness of implemented processes and systems and participate in continuous-improvement initiatives.

Critical Role Boundary

Warehouse Manager: Owns physical custody, receiving, storage, issuing, physical stock accuracy, operational warehouse transactions and warehouse execution.

Inventory & Cost Controller: Owns independent inventory control, reconciliation, financial validation, inventory valuation and costing analysis.

Control Rule: The Warehouse Manager shall not independently authorize inventory write-offs or adjustments resulting from discrepancies under his/her custody.

Candidate Profile / Hiring Benchmark

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Commerce, Business Administration, Engineering or a related field.
• Experience: 8–12 years of warehouse experience, including 3–5 years in a supervisory or managerial role, preferably in manufacturing.
• Strong Preference: Automotive components, electrical components, wire harness or high-volume discrete manufacturing.
• Must Have: ERP experience, strong Excel, physical inventory management, cycle counting, documentation discipline, FIFO, traceability, stock variance investigation, team management and warehouse location management.
• Personality: Hands-on, highly organized, process-disciplined, strong shop-floor presence, firm on undocumented movements and capable of effective cross-functional cooperation.

Core KPIs

• Inventory Accuracy %
• Cycle Count Compliance %
• Receiving Accuracy %
• Picking & Issuing Accuracy %
• On-Time Material Issue to Production %
• ERP Transaction Timeliness & Accuracy %
• Stock Variance / Shrinkage %
• Damage Rate %
• Warehouse Space Utilization %
• Warehouse Safety Incidents
• Traceability Compliance %