Job Title: Loading Manager – Shipping
Location: Refrigerated Food Distribution Center
Position Summary
The Loading Manager oversees shipping and loading operations in a refrigerated food distribution center. This role leads the loading team, coordinates outbound shipments, and ensures products are loaded safely, accurately, and on schedule while maintaining food safety and temperature requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage daily loading operations, including staffing, assignments, workflow, and outbound schedules.
- Supervise, train, and coach loaders and shipping associates.
- Coordinate with dispatch, transportation, order selection, and inventory teams to ensure timely departures.
- Confirm orders are complete, accurate, and loaded onto the correct trailers in the proper delivery sequence.
- Verify product condition, pallet stability, load securement, and weight distribution before departure.
- Ensure trailers meet cleanliness, condition, and temperature requirements before loading.
- Maintain cold-chain standards and minimize product exposure to warmer temperatures.
- Monitor productivity, loading accuracy, damage, and departure times; resolve delays and operational issues.
- Ensure shipping documents, load records, seals, and system entries are accurate and complete.
- Enforce food safety procedures, safe equipment operation, and dock safety practices.
- Maintain clean, organized loading docks and staging areas.
- Address employee performance and attendance concerns in partnership with management.
- Provide hands-on support when needed to meet shipping demands.
Qualifications
- Previous warehouse shipping or loading experience, preferably in refrigerated food distribution.
- At least two years of warehouse leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
- Knowledge of outbound shipping, pallet handling, loading procedures, and inventory control.
- Familiarity with warehouse management systems and shipping documentation.
- Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and team leadership skills.
- Experience operating forklifts or electric pallet jacks; appropriate training and authorization required for equipment use.
- Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Work Environment and Physical Requirements
- Work regularly in refrigerated and freezer areas with appropriate protective clothing.
- Frequently stand, walk, bend, and move throughout the warehouse and loading dock.
- Ability to perform essential job duties, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Availability to work the assigned shipping schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime as needed.