Warehouse Manager

Interim Warehouse Manager

Warehouse Transformation Programme & WMS Implementation

Berkshire 6–9 Month Assignment |£500–£550/day + expenses

This isn't a warehouse management role, it's an opportunity to redesign how an entire warehouse operation will work for the next decade.

Our client is a highly respected UK food manufacturer with an enviable portfolio of retail & foodservice customers. They are investing significantly in their manufacturing & supply chain infrastructure and are embarking on one of the most important warehouse transformation programmes in their history.

As part of this investment, they are looking for an exceptional Interim Warehouse Project Manager to become a key member of the transformation team.

This is about challenging existing ways of working, improving systems, strengthening inventory control, designing future warehouse processes and ensuring the business is fully prepared for the next phase of its operational evolution.

If you enjoy walking into a business, asking "why?", building better ways of working & leaving behind a stronger operation than the one you inherited, this could be exactly the assignment you're looking for.

The Challenge

Like many successful manufacturing businesses, the warehouse has evolved over many years, processes work, people know what to do and the operation delivers. But much of that knowledge lives inside the heads of experienced people rather than within consistently embedded systems & processes.

The business is now preparing for a significant warehouse transformation & new build, that creates an opportunity.

Before moving into the next phase, they want to ensure that:

• warehouse processes are robust & repeatable
• inventory is managed through systems rather than tribal knowledge
• operational workflows are future-proofed
• warehouse systems are fully utilised
• governance is strengthened
• operational improvements are embedded
• the warehouse is ready to support the next generation of manufacturing.

The Opportunity

Working as part of the warehouse transformation steering group, you'll become the operational voice of the programme.

You'll work across Warehouse, Operations, Supply Chain, Inventory, Manufacturing & Project teams to help shape how the future warehouse should operate.

Rather than taking over day-to-day warehouse management, your focus will be on helping the business move from "how we've always done it" to "how we'll operate in the future."

You'll influence strategic decisions whilst remaining close enough to the operation to understand what really happens on the warehouse floor.

This is a role for someone who enjoys balancing operational credibility with strategic thinking.

What You'll Be Responsible For

• Help define the future warehouse operating model
• Managing the existing teams
• Review existing warehouse processes from goods-in through to dispatch
• Identify operational risks before warehouse transformation takes place
• Improve inventory governance, stock integrity & warehouse controls
• Support the development of robust warehouse operating procedures
• Ensure warehouse requirements are fully represented within the wider transformation programme
• Challenge existing warehouse practices & introduce more efficient ways of working
• Improve utilisation of warehouse systems & operational reporting
• Work alongside Inventory & Supply Chain teams to improve stock visibility and inventory management
• Identify opportunities to improve warehouse interfaces with production planning & transport
• Support continuous improvement initiatives across the warehouse operation
• Coach & support the existing warehouse leadership team, allowing Shift Managers to continue leading the day-to-day operation
• Act as the senior escalation point for operational issues where required
• Build practical, sustainable solutions that continue delivering value long after the assignment has finished

We're Looking for Someone Who...

Has walked into a live food manufacturing environment, quickly understood the operation, earned credibility with warehouse teams and successfully delivered operational change without disrupting customer service.

You'll be equally comfortable wearing safety boots on the warehouse floor as you are presenting recommendations in a steering group meeting.

You won't be interested in change for the sake of change.

You'll understand that the best operational improvements are the ones that frontline teams actually adopt.

Your Background

• Food Manufacturing
• Chilled or Ambient Food Production and Warehousing
• High-volume Manufacturing
• Complex Warehousing Operations

You'll have experience leading projects involving:

• Warehouse transformation
• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
• Inventory optimisation
• Warehouse process redesign
• Warehouse relocations
• Operational Excellence
• Lean/Kaizen
• Continuous Improvement
• Warehouse automation/systems implementation
• Cross-functional operational improvement

Experience with warehouse systems such as Manhattan, SAP EWM, UNITY, Oracle WMS, Blue Yonder, Körber, HighJump or similar platforms would be highly beneficial. More importantly, you'll understand how technology should support operational excellence rather than dictate it.

The Leadership Style That Will Succeed

Build trust before building change

You'll be collaborative rather than political

Curious rather than critical

Pragmatic rather than theoretical

You'll challenge constructively, coach naturally and quickly become someone that warehouse teams, project teams and senior leaders enjoy working with

Your ability to influence people will be every bit as important as your technical capability

Why This Assignment Stands Out

Very few interim warehouse opportunities offer genuine transformation responsibility but this one does

You'll have the opportunity to influence a major operational investment, shape future warehouse processes, improve systems, strengthen inventory management and leave a lasting legacy within a successful UK manufacturing business

This is the sort of assignment that enhances an interim portfolio, not because of the title but because of the impact!