Warehouse Operations Manager; Inbound

Warehouse Operations Manager (Inbound)

KeHE Distributors – Joliet, IL – Salary: $–$

Overview
Good people, working with good people, for our common good.

KeHE – a natural, organic, specialty, and fresh food distributor – is all about “good” and is growing, so there’s never been a more exciting time to join our team. If you’re enthusiastic about working in an environment with a people-first culture and an organization committed to good living, good food, and good service, we’d love to talk to you!

Primary Responsibilities
As the Warehouse Operations Manager, you will oversee 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.
  • Set clear expectations and foster a culture of collaboration, performance excellence, and accountability.
  • Provide real-time coaching, feedback, and mentorship to develop leadership skills and promote career progression for all associates.
  • Champion workforce development and retention strategies, ensuring a positive and respectful work environment.
• Safety & Compliance Management
  • Lead and manage safety programs, ensuring compliance with safety regulations and company policies.
  • Conduct regular safety audits, inspections, and training, addressing safety concerns to maintain a zero-injury workplace.
  • Promote safety and civility, holding all associates accountable for a safe, clean, and compliant environment.
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
  • Oversee multiple warehouse functions to ensure smooth, efficient operations across all shifts.
  • Lead LEAN and continuous improvement initiatives, identifying areas for improvement and implementing solutions.
  • Collaborate with leadership and cross-functional teams to develop long-term strategies that drive efficiency and reduce costs while maintaining high standards of safety and accuracy.
  • Encourage feedback and ideas from associates to foster innovation and process improvement.
  • Set performance goals, monitor KPIs, and work with teams to achieve high standards of safety, productivity, accuracy, and cleanliness.

Minimum Requirements & Qualifications

• 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 and motivating teams.
• 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
Must be able to lift, move, and carry 30–40 pounds repetitively up to 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 manager 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. 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.