Assistant Warehouse Manager
Huali Floors USA Assistant Warehouse Manager
Position Summary
The Assistant Warehouse Manager supports the daily leadership of warehouse operations, with primary accountability for safety, inventory accuracy, inbound and outbound shipments, and team development. This is a hands-on leadership role: the candidate is expected to work alongside the team, model expected behaviors, and directly perform warehousing tasks as needed while coordinating staff, resources, and material flow across receiving, storage, and shipping.
Success in this role requires working effectively across every department in the organization and thinking ahead of the operation. This means anticipating constraints before they become disruptions and executing and adjusting quickly as business needs shift.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Safety and Compliance
- Ensure the work environment is safe, secure, and healthy, including the proper use of all required PPE.
- Ensure all safety practices and procedures are being followed by all personnel within the warehouse.
- Report potentially unsafe conditions and take appropriate corrective action.
Warehouse Operations
- Oversee daily warehouse operations by managing staff, coordinating resources, and monitoring inventory to ensure efficiency and accuracy in receiving, storage, and shipping.
- Assist in leading, organizing, and directing the daily operations of the warehouse.
- Understand basic process and material flow within a warehouse management system (WMS) and MRP system.
- Maintain a clean, uncluttered, and organized warehouse.
Inventory Accuracy
- Ensure daily checks and cycle counts are completed to maintain inventory accuracy.
- Assist in the investigation and correction of inventory issues, including root cause identification and corrective action.
Team Leadership and Development
- Serve as a role model for all other employees on safety, quality, attendance, conduct, performance, and efficiency.
- Coach and mentor warehouse personnel to build a competent and empowered team.
- Foster an environment that values teamwork as well as personal responsibility and accountability.
- Demonstrate authentic, hands-on leadership by performing warehouse tasks alongside the team.
- Ensure all other employees meet performance expectations.
Standard Work and Training
- Assist in the development of standard work instructions.
- Assist in the development of training for all associates in the efficient and proper completion of all warehousing activities
Cross-Functional Collaboration, Communication, and Continuous Improvement
- Maintain constant communication with the Warehouse Manager, following the established escalation process.
- Work effectively with all departments, including production, planning, procurement, quality, customer service, and finance, to align warehouse activity with broader business requirements.
- Anticipate upcoming demands on the warehouse, such as inbound volume, shipping surges, space constraints, and labor needs, and plan rather than react.
- Execute quickly and adjust priorities, staffing, and workflow as business needs change, without loss of accuracy or safety discipline.
- Support and assist in continuous improvement activities.
- Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned to this position at the manager's discretion.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfy each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Required
- Forklift certified with a clean operating record.
- Working knowledge of warehouse management systems (WMS) and MRP systems.
Competencies
Analytical: Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs workflows and procedures.
Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves problems promptly; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
Project Management: Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities.
Technical Skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; pursues training and development opportunities; strives to build knowledge and skills continuously; shares expertise with others.
Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; builds morale and group commitment to goals and objectives; supports everyone's efforts to succeed.
Change Management: Develops workable implementation plans; communicates changes effectively; builds commitment and overcomes resistance; prepares and supports those affected by change; monitors transition and evaluates results.
Planning / Organizing: Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources; sets goals and objectives; organizes and schedules other people and their tasks; develops realistic action plans.
Safety and Security: Observes safety and security procedures; determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; reports on potentially unsafe conditions; uses equipment and materials properly.
Adaptability: Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; deals effectively with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
Cross-Functional Partnership: Builds effective working relationships across departments; communicates clearly with both floor personnel and office staff; understands how warehouse decisions affect upstream and downstream functions; resolves conflicting priorities between groups without escalation where possible.
Forward Thinking and Execution: Looks ahead of current conditions to identify constraints, risks, and opportunities before they affect the operation; translates direction into action quickly; adjusts plans, resources, and priorities in response to changing business needs while maintaining accuracy and safety standards; operates with urgency and follows through to completion.
Attendance / Punctuality: Is consistently at work and on time; ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; arrives at meetings and appointments on time.
Education and Experience
Minimum associate degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school; ten years of related experience and/or training; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Skills and Abilities
Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization.
Mathematical Skills: Ability to perform the practical calculations required to run warehouse operations accurately, including:
- Unit conversions across the packaging hierarchy (pieces to cartons, cartons to pallets, pallets to containers), and conversion between square feet, linear feet, and piece counts.
- Calculation of area, volume, and cube utilization for storage planning, rack capacity, and trailer or container loading.
- Calculation of weight totals against pallet, rack, forklift, and trailer capacity limits.
- Percentages, ratios, and proportions applied to cycle count accuracy, inventory variance, fill rate, scrap and damage rates, and productivity measures.
- Ability to compute and interpret variance between system quantities and physical counts, and to quantify the dollar or unit impact of a discrepancy.
- Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry to layout, capacity, and material flow problems.
Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Computer Skills: Must be comfortable working in a Microsoft Office 365 environment, including Outlook, Word, and Excel. NetSuite experience strongly preferred.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical Demands
- Regularly stands and walks; frequently reaches hands and arms.
- Occasionally climbs or balances; stoops, kneels, crouches, or crawls; occasionally sits.
- Occasionally lifts a maximum of 50 pounds.
Vision
- Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment
- Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and with risk of electrical shock.