How To Become A Receiving Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a receiving supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A receiving supervisor's job is pretty self-explanatory. They supervise other people in a department that receives the merchandise and makes sure everything goes where it needs to go. Of course, doing the actual job is a lot harder than figuring out what it means.

The receiving supervisor has to be good at details. They need to keep track of inventory details, scheduling and sometimes even come up with processes to improve the efficiency of storage or receiving procedures. But the work of a receiving supervisor doesn't just revolve around the merchandise; they need to work with people too. They supervise other workers in the receiving department and make sure they do the job safely and well.

A receiving supervisor could work anywhere where there's material getting delivered. They could work in a big store organizing merchandise or in a warehouse receiving goods. No matter where they work, most receiving supervisors need previous experience in a warehouse or working with stock.

ScoreReceiving SupervisorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,170

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.93%

Asian 6.73%

Black or African American 12.20%

Hispanic or Latino 21.27%

Unknown 4.75%

White 54.12%

Gender

female 23.12%

male 76.88%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a receiving supervisor

Explore receiving supervisor education requirements

Most common receiving supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

35.5 %

High School Diploma

28.8 %

Associate

24.0 %

Start to develop specific receiving supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Shipping Receiving	29.94%
Purchase Orders	17.21%
Sales Floor	16.63%
Excellent Interpersonal	8.40%
Customer Service	5.14%

Complete relevant receiving supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New receiving supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a receiving supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real receiving supervisor resumes.

Gain additional receiving supervisor certifications

Receiving supervisor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific receiving supervisor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for receiving supervisors include Forklift Safety and Inspector and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research receiving supervisor duties and responsibilities

Create policies and procedures responsible for achieving ISO certification within 1st year of employment.
Manage inventory utilizing WMS systems.
Manage productivity reports for all employees and ensure accurate inventory levels through WMS computer warehousing systems and maintain all receiving billing.
Provide and maintain HAZMAT training for all employees and keep records for the store.

Prepare your receiving supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your receiving supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a receiving supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable receiving supervisor resume templates

Build a professional receiving supervisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your receiving supervisor resume.