Job Title

Job Description

Position Summary

The Outbound Operations Senior Supervisor provides strategic and operational leadership for outbound distribution activities, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality execution of order fulfillment. This role serves as a key operational leader on shift, accountable for performance, team development, and continuous improvement. The Senior Supervisor acts as a primary decision-maker during normal and emergency situations, drives alignment to business objectives, and partners closely with management to optimize throughput, cost, and service levels. Quality, safety, timeliness, productivity, and cost control are the core performance drivers for this role.

Essential Functions (Key Responsibilities)

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, coach, and develop outbound associates and team leads to consistently achieve and exceed performance expectations.
• Serve as a visible leader on the floor, setting clear expectations, modeling company values, and driving accountability.
• Assess employee performance through regular feedback, coaching, and formal evaluations; address performance gaps through corrective action when required.
• Build bench strength by developing employees for expanded responsibilities and future leadership roles.
• Lead onboarding, training, and ongoing skill development for new and existing employees.

Operational & Strategic Execution

• Own day-to-day outbound operations for assigned shift, including picking, packing, staging, and shipping activities.
• Establish daily priorities, allocate labor effectively, and adjust plans in real time to meet service, volume, and productivity targets.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and complete order processing in alignment with production planning and customer commitments.
• Act as an escalation point for operational disruptions, making sound decisions to minimize impact to service and safety.
• Assume full operational leadership responsibility in the absence of the Operations Manager.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) related to safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Identify operational gaps, conduct root cause analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, throughput, labor optimization, and waste reduction.
• Drive standard work, process discipline, and adherence to best practices across outbound operations.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Act as a first responder for emergency situations, ensuring swift, calm, and compliant resolution.
• Champion a strong safety culture by enforcing policies, addressing hazards, and leading by example.
• Ensure compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements, and operational procedures.
• Promote quality ownership across the team to reduce errors and improve customer satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Resource Management

• Partner with Inbound, Inventory Control, Transportation, Picking, and Planning teams to align outbound execution with overall site objectives.
• Ensure appropriate levels of tools, supplies, and materials to support uninterrupted operations.
• Support additional operational areas as required to meet business needs.

Qualifications & Skills

• Demonstrated leadership experience in distribution, logistics, or supply chain operations.
• Strong ability to lead teams in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Proven problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Experience driving performance through data, KPIs, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence at multiple levels.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Hands-on operational mindset with the ability to think strategically and act decisively.

Education & Experience Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Logistics, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent combination of education and progressive operational leadership experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience

• 5–8 years of progressive experience in distribution, logistics, manufacturing, or warehouse operations.
• 3–5 years of direct people leadership experience in an outbound, shipping, or production environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams in a high-volume, fast-paced operation with time-sensitive service requirements.
• Proven track record of achieving performance targets related to safety, quality, cost, and on-time delivery.
• Experience managing labor planning, shift execution, and real-time operational adjustments.
• Hands-on experience with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and standard productivity and reporting tools.
• Experience leading or supporting continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies).
• Prior experience acting in a manager-on-duty or manager-in-absence capacity strongly preferred.

Preferred / Differentiating Experience

• Experience supervising large teams or multiple work areas within outbound operations.
• Exposure to automation, material handling systems, or labor management systems (LMS).
• Experience working cross-functionally with Planning, Transportation, Picking, Inbound, and Inventory Control.
• Prior responsibility for cost control, labor efficiency, and budget-related decision-making.