Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Distribution Operations Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Distribution Operations Coordinator oversees and optimizes the end-to-end execution of distribution center activities — receiving, putaway, inventory control, order picking, packing, staging, shipping and carrier coordination. This role is the operational glue between warehouse personnel, transportation providers, customer service and inventory planning teams. Success requires proficiency with warehouse management systems (WMS), shipment tracking, KPI reporting, and the ability to lead continuous improvement initiatives that improve on-time delivery, reduce costs, and maintain inventory accuracy.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Warehouse Associate / Material Handler
Logistics Coordinator / Shipping & Receiving Clerk
Inventory Control Specialist

Advancement To:

Distribution/Operations Supervisor
Distribution Center Manager
Logistics Manager / Supply Chain Manager

Lateral Moves:

Transportation Coordinator / Carrier Manager
Inventory Planner / Demand Planner

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate daily distribution center operations including receiving, cross-dock, putaway, order picking, packing, staging and shipping to meet service-level agreements and delivery schedules.
Manage and monitor inbound and outbound shipping activities, create and verify shipping documentation (BOLs, packing lists, customs paperwork) and ensure compliance with carrier requirements.
Maintain accurate inventory records through cycle counts, physical inventories and reconciliation using the WMS; investigate and resolve variances, discrepancies and root causes.
Plan and prioritize workloads by shift, assigning resources to picking, packing and staging functions to meet daily shipping windows and order cutoffs.
Communicate with carriers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and freight brokers to schedule pickups, manage exceptions and negotiate routing when needed to minimize costs and delays.
Track and report daily KPIs such as on-time shipments, order accuracy, inventory accuracy, dock-to-stock time, pick productivity and freight cost per unit; provide actionable insights to leadership.
Investigate and resolve delivery exceptions, short shipments, damaged goods and customer claims; coordinate returns and disposition with customer service and quality teams.
Operate and maintain distribution equipment including forklifts, pallet jacks, conveyor belts and scanning devices; ensure equipment is used safely and report maintenance issues promptly.
Implement and enforce warehouse safety policies, OSHA guidelines and company-specific procedures, conducting regular inspections and safety briefings to reduce incidents.
Ensure accurate order picking through cycle count programs, audit checks, and randomized order verification to maintain high fill rates and customer satisfaction.
Support cross-functional teams (procurement, demand planning, customer service) by providing shipping data, inventory trends and distribution capacity updates for planning decisions.
Execute continuous improvement projects (5S, Lean, Kaizen, process mapping) to reduce lead times, minimize handling steps and improve operational throughput and cost-efficiency.
Manage exceptions and inventory holds in the WMS/TMS, escalating unresolved issues to management and coordinating corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Prepare and present weekly and monthly distribution performance reviews, summarizing trends, issues, corrective actions and improvement opportunities to stakeholders.
Coordinate seasonal and promotional distribution planning, scaling workforce, temporary storage and transportation plans to meet peaks in volume.
Ensure compliance with hazardous materials shipping rules, DOT/FAA/IATA regulations (as applicable) and company quality standards for special shipments.
Support new product introductions and SKU onboarding by setting up item master data, bin locations, and first-article handling procedures within the WMS.
Schedule and oversee returns processing, quality inspection, disposition decisions and reverse logistics flows to recover value and maintain accurate inventory records.
Lead and train front-line distribution staff on operating procedures, picking strategies, safety protocols and WMS/TMS best practices to build a high-performing team.
Manage relationships with carriers, vendors and internal partners to continually evaluate service levels, capacity and contract terms for optimal network performance.
Coordinate cross-dock and consolidation activities to reduce handling and transit days while maintaining order accuracy and reducing freight spend.
Monitor shipment lead times and transit performance, performing route analysis and recommending routing optimizations to accelerate delivery and reduce costs.
Support outage and contingency planning for labor, equipment or system failures by creating backup workflows and coordinating emergency resources.
Assist with budgeting and cost-control initiatives in distribution operations through freight optimization, packaging improvements and productivity enhancements.
Maintain and update operational documentation, SOPs, and WMS/TMS configuration notes to ensure continuity and knowledge retention across shifts.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc reporting and exploratory data analysis related to distribution performance, collaborating with analysts to build dashboards for leadership.
Participate in cross-functional projects to implement WMS/TMS upgrades, integrations with ERP systems, or process automation tools.
Contribute to the organization's distribution strategy and roadmap by sharing operational insights and recommending capacity or tech investments.
Collaborate with procurement and demand planning to translate inventory and shipping needs into operational requirements and resource plans.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies where distribution, automation or reporting improvements are being developed.
Support vendor audits and compliance reviews by providing shipping records, inventory snapshots and process documentation.
Help with pilot programs for new equipment, picking technologies (e.g., pick-to-light, voice), and packaging initiatives, measuring impact and scaling successful pilots.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) such as Manhattan, Blue Yonder (JDA), SAP EWM, Oracle WMS or similar platforms.
Experience with Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and carrier tracking tools for scheduling, tendering and shipment visibility.
Strong Excel skills: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data cleansing, and reporting; familiarity with Power BI or Tableau is a plus.
Familiarity with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) for order and inventory transactions, and ability to coordinate master data updates.
Hands-on knowledge of shipping documentation and regulatory compliance (BOLs, customs paperwork, DOT, IATA/IMDG for hazardous goods as applicable).
Experience conducting cycle counts, physical inventories and using barcode/RFID scanning devices for inventory accuracy.
KPI development and performance monitoring skills (OTD, order accuracy, dock-to-stock, cost-per-shipment).
Basic SQL or data-querying ability to extract distribution metrics from operational databases is highly valuable.
Understanding of Lean, Kaizen, 5S or Six Sigma principles applied to warehouse and distribution optimization.
Familiarity with route planning, carrier selection and freight cost optimization strategies.

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication: clear, concise updates to operations teams, carriers and senior stakeholders.
Analytical problem solver with an ability to diagnose root causes, synthesize data and propose practical corrective actions.
Prioritization and time management skills to balance competing operational demands and tight shipping windows.
Leadership and people management: coach, train and motivate warehouse staff and coordinate cross-shift transitions effectively.
Adaptability and resilience in fast-paced, high-volume distribution environments and during seasonal peaks.
Attention to detail to ensure order accuracy, correct documentation and compliance with safety rules.
Customer-service orientation: proactive in resolving delivery issues, exceptions and customer escalations.
Collaboration and cross-functional influence: work effectively with procurement, planning, customer service and IT.
Decision-making under pressure to triage problems and maintain service levels during disruptions.
Continuous improvement mindset with curiosity to test and scale operational enhancements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required.

Preferred Education:

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management / Logistics
Business Administration / Operations Management
Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering
Information Systems / Data Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of experience in distribution, warehouse operations, logistics or related roles.

Preferred:

3–5+ years coordinating distribution operations with hands-on experience using WMS/TMS, supervising front-line teams, and driving measurable process improvements.
Experience in multi-shift distribution centers, high-volume e-commerce or retail distribution environments is a strong plus.