| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Logistics and Warehousing |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Vice President Logistics |
| Direct reports | Distribution Centre Manager, Warehouse Manager, Inventory Control Supervisor |
| Experience | 12+ years in warehousing with 4 years leading multiple sites |
Head of Warehousing job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Head of Warehousing
Department: Logistics and Warehousing
Reports to: Vice President Logistics
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Head of Warehousing owns the storage and fulfilment network: distribution centres, warehouses and their people, layout, systems and safety. They plan space, set productivity and accuracy standards, approve material handling equipment, and keep the cost per pallet and per order in check. The role sits under logistics leadership and focuses only on what happens inside the four walls, from receiving to dispatch, leaving transport to the transport team. A good one runs clean, safe, accurate warehouses that ship on time even at peak.
Key responsibilities
- Plan storage capacity and layout across the warehouse network so space matches current and forecast volume.
- Set productivity, accuracy and safety standards for receiving, put-away, picking, packing and dispatch.
- Approve racking, forklifts, conveyors and other material handling equipment, and track utilization and payback.
- Own the warehouse management system, keep master data clean, and lead process changes across sites.
- Review each site monthly on throughput per man-hour, inventory accuracy, dock-to-stock time and cost per order.
- Drive warehouse safety, fire readiness, housekeeping and statutory records at every location.
- Plan peak-season manpower and space with distribution centre managers so surges ship without delay.
- Cut ageing and dead stock with inventory teams and agree write-off and liquidation plans with finance.
- Standardise the physical and system process so a new warehouse can be opened to a known template.
- Develop distribution centre and warehouse managers, and build cover for every critical site role.
Requirements
- Graduate, with an MBA in operations or supply chain preferred
- Deep experience in distribution centre and warehouse operations
- Warehouse safety or lean certification is an advantage
- 12+ years in warehousing with 4 years leading multiple sites
KRAs and KPIs for a Head of Warehousing
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Storage cost | Cost per pallet position or per order shipped reduced against the annual target |
| Throughput | Lines picked per man-hour at or above the standard for each site |
| Inventory accuracy | Stock accuracy above 99.5 percent verified by cycle counts |
| Space use | Warehouse space utilization held within the 80 to 90 percent working range |
| Dispatch speed | Dock-to-stock and order-to-dispatch times within the agreed hours |
| Safety | Reportable warehouse incidents reducing year on year with audits passed |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Warehouse management systems, Barcode and RF scanners, SAP WM or EWM, Advanced Excel, Slotting and layout tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Logistics, Vice President Logistics, Director Supply Chain
Interview questions for a Head of Warehousing
- How do you decide a warehouse layout and slotting plan for a fast-moving catalogue?
- What levers do you pull to raise picking productivity without hurting accuracy?
- How do you plan warehouse space and manpower for a festival-season peak?
- Walk me through how you would investigate a drop in inventory accuracy at one site.
- Which safety controls do you insist on in every warehouse you run?
- How do you open a new distribution centre to a repeatable template?
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What does a Head of Warehousing do?
A Head of Warehousing owns the distribution centres and warehouses in a network. They plan space and layout, set productivity and accuracy standards, approve material handling equipment, run the warehouse system, and keep cost, safety and inventory health in line. They lead distribution centre and warehouse managers and prepare the network for seasonal peaks.
What is the difference between a Head of Warehousing and a Head of Logistics?
A Head of Warehousing is responsible for what happens inside the warehouse, from receiving to dispatch, including space, people, accuracy and safety. A Head of Logistics owns the wider function including transport, network design and carriers. Warehousing is one large part of the logistics remit, focused on storage and fulfilment.
What qualifications does a Head of Warehousing need?
A graduate degree is expected and an MBA in operations or supply chain is common. The real requirement is years of hands-on distribution centre and warehouse operations, a strong grasp of warehouse systems, slotting and material handling, and a record of running safe, accurate, high-throughput sites. Lean or safety certifications add weight.