Warehouse Manager

[Company name], a logistics or distribution operation [industry, e.g. freight forwarding, wholesale, e-commerce fulfillment, industrial logistics, food distribution] based in [city], [X] employees, [X] square meters of warehouse area, [one- / two- / three-] shift, is looking for a Warehouse Manager to run the entire warehouse site.

Your mission

As Warehouse Manager you run the warehouse site (shifts, zones, pick productivity, OTIF, safety) for a crew of [30-200] operators and forklift drivers, led through [2-8] shift supervisors or foremen. You report to the [logistics lead / plant lead / management] and work in close partnership with the functional leads in IT logistics, QM and SCM, as well as with the Betriebsrat.

Key responsibilities

• Run the daily warehouse operation through daily shopfloor management (10-15 min, at the board, all shift supervisors plus IT logistics plus SCM): pick productivity per zone and shift, inbound actual against plan, dispatch cut-off adherence, OTIF, damage rate, staffing status.
• Lead [2-8] shift supervisors or foremen: weekly 1:1s, support with operator and forklift-driver conflicts and difficult shift decisions, annual development reviews, coaching on Lean and KPI literacy.
• Design and steer the structuring warehouse-optimization and layout projects (slotting, pick-path optimization, multi-order picking, pick-by-light or pick-by-voice, 5S, a shift-handover standard) with measurable pick-productivity, damage and travel-time targets.
• Take responsibility for safety and occupational protection with a particular focus on forklift traffic: a daily safety briefing, a monthly safety meeting with the safety officer, company doctor and Betriebsrat, the annual mandatory training of Staplerschein holders under DGUV Vorschrift 68 and BetrSichV, the preparation and support of the BG inspection.
• Steer the interfaces with IT logistics (WMS configuration, master-data upkeep, pick strategies, interfaces to ERP and TMS), QM (inbound inspection, complaint 8Ds, first-pass yield) and SCM (distribution planning, dispatch cut-off, OTIF delivery reliability).
• Steer co-determination and Tarifvertrag interpretation with the Betriebsrat (BetrVG Paragraph 87 on the shift plan, piece-rate pay, break rules, the introduction of technical performance-monitoring equipment such as pick-by-voice or forklift telematics); regular advance information ahead of conflict.
• Steer the warehouse KPIs and the monthly site reporting to logistics leadership: OTIF trend, pick productivity, damage rate, inventory accuracy, maintenance and forklift availability, accident frequency, operator and forklift-driver attrition, sickness rate.
• Take part in strategic site topics: investment projects (WMS migration, conveyor systems, pick-by-light, automated small-parts storage), capacity planning, staffing planning for growth or peak-season phases, new-build or expansion projects where relevant.

Profile

• Required: 4-10 years of experience in the warehouse or logistics operation of a German site with at least [30] operators and forklift drivers, of which at least [2] years of direct shift-supervisor or foreman leadership; demonstrable Lean or warehouse-optimization practice with quantified results (pick lines per hour, travel time, damage rate); command of at least one common WMS (SAP EWM, Reflex, Manhattan, Mecalux or comparable); a valid authorization to operate industrial trucks (Staplerschein under DGUV Vorschrift 68) as a prerequisite for the supervising-person role; experience with Betriebsrat communication and Tarifvertrag interpretation.
• Desired: demonstrable WMS-migration experience (e.g. SAP EWM roll-out, Reflex implementation); Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt; experience in the target industry (e.g. freight forwarding, e-commerce fulfillment, industrial logistics, pharma or food logistics); experience with Industry 4.0 topics (networked conveyor systems, forklift telematics, real-time OEE visualization); GDP, HACCP or ADR knowledge where relevant.
• Disqualifying: no direct operator or shift-supervisor leadership (a pure IT-logistics or consulting profile); a lack of experience with the Betriebsrat and Tarifvertrag context; refusal of the required shift presence (early, late, occasional weekend walk-through); no Staplerschein or no willingness to take on the supervising-person function; a string of 12-month stints with no plausible explanation.

What we offer

• Gross annual compensation: fixed [42-72] k€ by experience, shift model, warehouse size and industry. [If an AT-Vertrag in a tariff-bound warehouse: a note on the applicable Tarifvertrag (ver.di logistics or the freight and logistics Tarifvertrag) and on any function allowances.] A possible annual bonus of 5-8 % on achieved KPIs (delivery reliability, pick productivity, inventory accuracy).
• Model: full-time, on-site in [city], with regular shift presence on the early and late shift, occasional weekend walk-through [if applicable].
• Benefits: [company pension, capital-forming benefits, a job ticket or bike leasing, a meal subsidy or warehouse canteen, vacation days above the statutory minimum, a training budget for WMS or Lean certifications, a company car depending on site size where relevant].
• Warehouse stack: [WMS (SAP EWM / Reflex / Manhattan / Mecalux), ERP, TMS, pick strategies (single-order / multi-order / wave), pick-by-voice or pick-by-light where relevant, the forklift and conveyor fleet, safety and audit systems].