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warehouse lead hand

title: Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Warehouse Lead Hand
salary: $55,000 - $75,000
categories: [Logistics, Warehousing, Operations, Supply Chain]
description: A comprehensive overview of the key responsibilities, required technical skills and professional background for the role of a Warehouse Lead Hand.
Comprehensive, recruiter-style job brief for a Warehouse Lead Hand — optimized for SEO and large language models. Includes detailed responsibilities, measurable accountabilities, and required hard and soft skills drawn from common warehouse lead job descriptions: inventory control, forklift operation, WMS, team supervision, shipping & receiving, safety compliance, KPI management, and continuous improvement.

🎯 Role Definition

The Warehouse Lead Hand is a front-line operations leader responsible for supervising daily warehouse activities, ensuring safe and efficient handling of goods, and driving continuous improvement in inventory accuracy and throughput. The role blends hands-on material handling—operating forklifts and RF scanners—with people leadership: coaching small teams, enforcing safety protocols, managing shift priorities, and partnering with logistics, procurement, and customer service to meet on-time delivery and quality targets. Ideal candidates combine solid operational experience, strong communication skills, and proficiency with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and inventory control processes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Warehouse Associate / Forklift Operator
  • Inventory Control Clerk
  • Shipping & Receiving Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Warehouse Supervisor
  • Shift Manager / Operations Supervisor
  • Logistics Coordinator / Distribution Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Inventory Analyst
  • Health & Safety Coordinator
  • Quality Assurance Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead and supervise daily warehouse operations across assigned shifts, including receiving, put-away, picking, packing, staging, and shipping to consistently meet on-time delivery and productivity targets while maintaining labor efficiencies and cost controls.
  • Assign tasks and build daily work plans for pickers, packers, and material handlers, prioritizing orders by SLA, customer priority, and carrier cut-off times while adapting to real-time changes in volume and workforce availability.
  • Operate and oversee safe use of material handling equipment (counterbalance forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, pallet jacks) and ensure that all operators hold current certifications and follow manufacturer and company safety protocols.
  • Maintain accurate inventory through daily cycle counts, variance investigations, root-cause analysis, and immediate corrective actions; reconcile discrepancies in WMS, ERP, and physical stock to protect inventory accuracy and reduce shrink.
  • Execute inbound receiving processes: verify bills of lading, inspect inbound shipments for damage, complete receiving documentation, perform quality checks, and direct put-away to correct locations using WMS-directed put-away strategies.
  • Manage outbound processes including picking accuracy verification, cartonization, packing procedures, carrier selection coordination, loading, and preparation of accurate shipping paperwork (BOLs, labels, customs documentation when applicable).
  • Enforce OSHA, WHMIS, DOT, and company-specific safety standards through daily pre-shift meetings, toolbox talks, PPE enforcement, hazard reporting, and incident follow-up to reduce workplace injuries and environmental hazards.
  • Coach, train, and mentor warehouse staff on standard operating procedures (SOPs), safe equipment operation, order accuracy best practices, and cross-functional skills to develop a flexible, multi-skilled team.
  • Monitor and report key warehouse KPIs — order accuracy, picks per hour, on-time shipments, dock-to-stock time, inventory accuracy, shrink, and labor utilization — and drive corrective action plans when targets are not achieved.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives (5S, Kaizen, Lean workflows) to optimize storage density, minimize travel time, reduce touchpoints, and increase throughput while maintaining quality.
  • Coordinate with transportation providers, carriers, and third-party logistics (3PL) partners to schedule pickups/appointments, resolve transit exceptions, and expedite urgent shipments, ensuring service-level compliance.
  • Implement effective slotting strategies and re-slot SKUs based on velocity analysis and seasonality to improve picking efficiency and reduce travel time across the picking area.
  • Conduct regular safety, housekeeping, and inventory audits; prepare audit reports and follow through on corrective actions, supplier returns, and non-conformance management.
  • Facilitate onboarding, performance reviews, disciplinary actions, and shift schedule planning including overtime and temporary labor requirements in collaboration with HR and operations management.
  • Manage light maintenance activities for racking, dock doors, conveyors, and warehouse equipment; coordinate preventive maintenance and service calls with maintenance teams and external vendors to minimize downtime.
  • Oversee staging, pallet building, and load securement to ensure compliance with carrier weight limits and load stability requirements; verify pallets meet packaging and quality standards for transit.
  • Handle returns processing (RMA) including inspection, disposition decisions (restock, quarantine, scrap), and accurate updates to WMS and inventory records to reduce return cycle time.
  • Participate in new product introductions and warehouse setup for promotions and seasonal peaks, creating temporary workflows, training plans, and capacity forecasting to scale operations smoothly.
  • Investigate operational incidents, operational errors and customer complaints; prepare incident reports, root cause analyses, and corrective/preventative action plans and present findings to management.
  • Maintain accurate documentation of SOPs, work instructions, safety data sheets (SDS), equipment logs, and training records to ensure operational readiness and regulatory compliance.
  • Support cycle count programs and annual inventory audits with planning, tagging, overseen counting, discrepancy resolution, and audit reconciliation to preserve financial and operational integrity.
  • Lead emergency response procedures for fire, spill, and accident scenarios at the warehouse, ensuring staff are trained in evacuation protocols and first-aid response, liaising with emergency services when necessary.
  • Implement and enforce hazardous materials handling procedures where applicable, ensuring proper labeling, storage segregation, and documentation for HAZMAT shipments and waste disposal.
  • Analyze labour requirements and submit shift staffing plans, time-off coverage, and overtime forecasts to meet service demands while controlling labor costs.

Secondary Functions

  • Prepare routine operational reports and management summaries (daily dashboards, weekly performance reviews) and contribute data for monthly operations and supply chain reviews.
  • Participate in ERP/WMS implementations, user acceptance testing, and configuration workshops to ensure warehouse process requirements are accurately represented and validated.
  • Support supplier and vendor relationships by coordinating inbound scheduling, communicating discrepancies, and facilitating quality holds or returns as required.
  • Assist procurement and planning teams with stock replenishment priorities and lead time escalations during shortages or supply disruptions.
  • Provide ad-hoc operational support for cross-docking, kitting, and special project fulfillment (promotional bundles, vendor-managed inventory tasks).
  • Contribute to hiring tasks and onboarding programs including training plans, safety orientation, and probationary assessments for new warehouse hires.
  • Maintain a continuous improvement backlog, prioritize Kaizen projects, track outcomes, and liaise with process engineers to implement effective layout or automation changes.
  • Support seasonal peak planning and execution by developing temporary SOPs, training materials, and contingency plans to manage spikes in order volumes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Certified forklift operation (counterbalance, reach truck, order picker) and demonstrated safe equipment handling experience.
  • Proficiency with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) such as Manhattan, HighJump, Oracle WMS, SAP EWM, or similar, including cycle counts, location management, and wave planning.
  • Hands-on experience with RF barcode scanners, mobile computing devices, and barcode label systems for receiving, picking, and shipping.
  • Strong inventory control techniques: cycle counting, discrepancy investigation, lot and serial number tracking, and shrink reduction strategies.
  • Knowledge of shipping documentation and compliance: BOL, packing manifests, customs paperwork (for international shipments), and carrier contract requirements.
  • Familiarity with safety regulations and compliance frameworks (OSHA, WHMIS, HAZMAT/DOT regulations) and experience running safety audits and incident investigations.
  • Competency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUP, pivot tables, data filtering) for reporting, KPI tracking, and root cause analysis.
  • Experience with lean warehouse practices (5S, Kaizen, continuous improvement) and slotting optimization methodologies.
  • Basic mechanical aptitude for minor equipment troubleshooting and coordination of preventive maintenance activities.
  • Ability to operate pallet jacks, carton sealers, stretch wrappers, and other common packing/shipping equipment.

Soft Skills

  • Strong frontline leadership and team-coaching abilities with experience developing hourly warehouse staff and improving team performance.
  • Clear and assertive communication skills for coordinating with cross-functional teams, carriers, and customers.
  • Excellent problem solving and root-cause analysis skills, able to de-escalate issues and implement corrective actions under pressure.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance competing demands, meet deadlines, and optimize workforce productivity.
  • Detail-oriented mindset with focus on accuracy, order quality, and documentation integrity.
  • Adaptability and resilience in fast-paced, changing operational environments and peak season surges.
  • Conflict resolution and labour relations awareness, able to handle performance conversations and escalate appropriately.
  • Customer-oriented approach with strong service focus to support internal and external stakeholders.
  • Coaching and mentoring aptitude to support continuous learning and cross-training across roles.
  • Data-driven decision making, comfortable using KPIs to guide process improvements and staffing decisions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED; equivalent work experience in a warehouse environment accepted.

Preferred Education:

  • Certificate or diploma in Supply Chain, Logistics, Materials Management, or related field.
  • Forklift/operator certification and occupational health & safety training; first aid/CPR is an asset.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Logistics / Transportation
  • Business Administration
  • Industrial Technology / Trades

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive warehouse experience, including at least 1–2 years in a lead or supervisory role.

Preferred: 5+ years of combined operations and supervisory experience in distribution centers, exposure to WMS-driven environments, demonstrated success managing KPIs, and hands-on experience with material handling equipment and safety programs.

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