Warehouse and Transportation Manager

Keller Executive Search is partnering with a global manufacturer of specialist engineered products that serve customers across healthcare, custodial and other regulated environments worldwide. The business is in an active growth phase and is investing in its US operation to match the standards of a mature international group. To lead that operation on the ground, our client is seeking a hands-on Warehouse and Transportation Manager for its site in Madison Heights, Michigan.

This is a rare opportunity to own an entire US warehouse and transportation function end-to-end, from receiving and put-away through picking, packing, dispatch and national delivery. Reporting to the Head of Operations and forming part of the Site Leadership Team, you will be the single accountable leader for how high-value national shipments move: safely, accurately, on time and at controlled cost. You will shape the team, embed the systems and standards, and bring the site up to global standard. Across the industry, inventory accuracy and coordinated transportation are the biggest levers for on-time-in-full performance, and here you will own both.

It is a role for a working manager who is as comfortable on the dock as in front of a KPI dashboard. With total responsibility for the function and a direct line into global leadership, the right person will find genuine autonomy, visible impact and a clear path toward a wider operations remit as the US business scales.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily warehouse operations across receiving, inspection, put-away, storage, picking, packing and dispatch
• Set clear operating standards and coach the team to improve pick accuracy, productivity and right-first-time performance
• Optimize warehouse layout, slotting and workflows to reduce travel time, handling and avoidable delays
• Develop, implement and maintain effective standard operating procedures across all warehouse activities
• Own inventory accuracy through disciplined transaction control, cycle counting, stock audits and reconciliation of physical to system stock
• Investigate discrepancies, lead root-cause corrective action and reduce shrinkage, write-offs and manual exceptions
• Plan and manage US inbound and outbound transportation, including route, multi-stop and network planning
• Optimize transportation cost through route planning, load consolidation, carrier selection and performance management
• Manage carrier and third-party logistics relationships to agreed service, safety and compliance standards
• Monitor and improve on-time-in-full delivery, responding quickly to service failures and recurring issues
• Maintain a safe, organized and compliant operation, including risk reviews, incident investigations and audit-ready records
• Build, motivate and develop a high-performing team with clear roles, goals, standards and accountability
• Run the operation through TMS/WMS and shipping platforms as the system of record, producing reliable KPI reporting to the Head of Operations and Site Leadership Team

Additional Information

• Permanent full-time role
• Onsite in Madison Heights, Michigan, reporting to the Head of Operations
• Domestic travel to suppliers, carriers or company locations as required, with flexibility to support operational priorities outside normal hours when necessary
• Must be eligible to work in the United States; relocation assistance is not offered
• To apply, submit your resume through this posting. Keller Executive Search manages this search on behalf of our client.

Requirements

Essential

• At least five years' experience in warehouse and transportation management, including direct team leadership
• Demonstrated experience managing high-value national shipments with accountability for value, carrier performance, tracking and damage/claims risk
• Background operating within a shipping, dispatch, warehouse-outbound, distribution or transportation department
• Hands-on use and ownership of transport and shipping software and systems (TMS, WMS, ERP shipping modules or carrier platforms)
• Strong track record of improving pick accuracy, inventory accuracy, productivity and on-time-in-full performance
• Sound knowledge of cycle-counting, inventory control and warehouse operating best practice
• Experience of US transportation planning, route optimization and managing carrier or third-party logistics relationships
• Practical knowledge of applicable US warehouse safety and transportation compliance requirements
• Confident using warehouse, inventory and performance data to identify issues, make decisions and deliver measurable improvement
• A hands-on, can-do leadership style that sets expectations, addresses underperformance and builds and follows process
• Professional English proficiency, spoken and written, to direct the team, coordinate carriers and work with global leadership
• Eligible to work in the United States and able to work onsite in Madison Heights, Michigan

Preferred

• Experience configuring, implementing or optimizing WMS/TMS/ERP systems, not just operating them
• Experience in a fast-paced manufacturing, multi-site or high-SKU distribution environment
• Experience as the senior operations leader on a small US site within a larger global group reporting to remote leadership
• Background in regulated, audited or customer-critical shipping (medical device, security or specialty manufacturing)
• SOP authoring and warehouse layout, slotting or 5S optimization experience
• Lean Six Sigma, APICS/ASCM, CSCMP or comparable operations or supply-chain qualification
• Degree in supply chain, logistics, business or a similar field (not required)

Ideal Candidate Profile

You are a hands-on, accountable operations leader who thrives running the whole show on a lean single site. You are as comfortable clearing a jam on the dock as defending a KPI report to leadership, you own your numbers rather than explaining them, and you build and follow process instead of improvising. You have carried real accountability for high-value freight and for inventory that downstream teams depend on, and you are motivated by autonomy, visible impact and the chance to bring an operation up to a global standard.

Benefits

• Base salary in the range of $60,000 to $90,000, with flexibility up to $100,000 for an exceptional candidate
• Annual bonus of up to 10% of base salary
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Healthcare coverage
• Public holidays plus 10 days of paid leave
• Total ownership of the US warehouse and transport function, with scope to shape the team and progress into a wider operations role

Keller is a recruitment agency that provides services to clients ranging from startups and non profits to multinational corporations. Keller emphasizes ethical search processes, attentive candidate care, and leadership placements that support long-term client outcomes.

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