How to hire a warehouse manager

How to hire a warehouse manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step warehouse manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a warehouse manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new warehouse manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a warehouse manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The warehouse manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A warehouse manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, warehouse managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of warehouse managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Warehouse Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Warehouse Manager	A Warehouse Manager is responsible for organizing the safe and efficient receipt, storage, and dispatch of warehoused goods. They maintain the physical condition of the warehouse, control inventory levels, inspect equipment, and establish and monitor security procedures and protocols.	$17-49
   Shipping And Receiving Supervisor	A shipping and receiving supervisor streamlines the shipping process for a more efficient company. The supervisors oversee and maintain the supplies and inventory through product receipt, storage, and delivery... Show more	$13-22
   Logistics Supervisor	A logistics supervisor is an individual tasked to oversee goods shipment and delivery in organizations. Supervisors manage the planning, organization, and implementation of the company's systems... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Safety Regulations
   • Safety Procedures
   • Logistics
   • Inventory Control
   • Shipping Receiving
   • Delivery Truck
   • Purchase Orders
   • ISO
   • Warehouse Inventory
   • Customer Orders
   • Pallet Jack
   • Cycle Counts
   • Outbound Shipments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage distribution costs; maintain contracts with shipping companies; organize mass mailings using USPS.
   • Manage 130 team members in the carton sortation, garment on hanger, will call and outbound operations.
   • Manage all small packaging shipping and receiving duties along with negotiating all pricing discounts and all LTL and full truck loads.
   • Experience with managing logistics and inventory in multiple facility locations and ERP databases.
   • Manage payroll and oversee center/facility expenses and accounts payable practicing cost containment strategies.
   • Experience with DRP, ERP, VMI, WMS.

   More warehouse manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the warehouse manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A warehouse manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a warehouse manager in Missouri may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level warehouse manager. Additionally, a warehouse manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average warehouse manager salary

   $62,189yearly

   $29.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level warehouse manager salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average warehouse manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nevada	$88,873	$43
   2	New Jersey	$84,050	$40
   3	Delaware	$82,173	$40
   4	California	$81,936	$39
   5	Massachusetts	$78,417	$38
   6	New York	$77,829	$37
   7	Pennsylvania	$77,465	$37
   8	Maryland	$73,963	$36
   9	Indiana	$73,184	$35
   10	Oregon	$71,708	$34
   11	Wisconsin	$68,838	$33
   12	Arizona	$64,297	$31
   13	Illinois	$63,697	$31
   14	Maine	$61,937	$30
   15	Georgia	$61,082	$29
   16	North Carolina	$59,373	$29
   17	Utah	$58,107	$28
   18	Colorado	$57,489	$28
   19	Texas	$56,778	$27
   20	Minnesota	$55,789	$27

   Average warehouse manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PayPal	$114,714	$55.15
   2	Aramco Services Company	$112,736	$54.20
   3	Fortune International Group	$102,787	$49.42	6
   4	NRG Energy	$99,190	$47.69
   5	Vista Equity Partners	$98,053	$47.14
   6	Intuitive Surgical	$95,696	$46.01	2
   7	TPC Group	$95,553	$45.94
   8	TEKsystems	$95,480	$45.90	3
   9	Solectron Corp	$94,318	$45.35	4
   10	Sungard Availability Services	$94,122	$45.25
   11	Cypress	$91,212	$43.85
   12	Hauppauge Computer Works	$90,725	$43.62
   13	Glatfelter	$90,156	$43.34	2
   14	General Electric	$89,502	$43.03	2
   15	H.B. Fuller	$88,901	$42.74	3
   16	The Judge Group	$87,351	$42.00
   17	Gardner Denver	$85,445	$41.08	2
   18	C Squared Systems	$84,114	$40.44	3
   19	DuPont	$83,418	$40.10	3
   20	BWX Technologies	$83,386	$40.09

4. Writing a warehouse manager job description

   A good warehouse manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a warehouse manager job description:

   Warehouse manager job description example

   Support the Director of Operations at the respective distribution center by directing warehouse activities and oversee all aspects of the daily production and order fulfillment.
   
   Operational Excellence - Establishes operational procedures for activities such as verification of incoming and outgoing shipments, handling and disposition of materials, and keeping warehouse inventory current. Lead and measure all daily processes to ensure order fulfillment and production are completed with excellence on a daily basis. Partnership with the Director of Operations for resolving daily challenges and ensuring timely and accurate completion or order fulfillment for Operations that will ship anywhere from 2,200 to 10,000 lines per day or 136K to 1.2M of revenue on a daily basis.
   
   When applicable - Adhere to and manage all transactions as the CDR (certifed designated representative) and be responsible for ensuring accurate procedures and recordkeeping and to ensure Medline is compliant with the State of Florida's "Pharmacy Practice Act" administrative rule.
   
   Human Capital Management - Support all human resource processes at local facility. This includes helping to sourcing and staffing all positions, support the performance management process, administer compensation when necessary, and training and development. Create a culture that promotes positive employee relations. Exposure to confidential information is restricted to salary information for respective supervisors, leads and hourly employees.
   
   Expense Management - Support and oversee daily and ongoing expenses to ensure that financial capital is used as efficiently as possible. Prepares work order for repairs and requisitions for replacement of equipment. Scheduling, tracking and expediting freight to inter-company and contact distributors. Work with carriers to resolve freight discrepancies;
   
   Inventory management - Monitor work and processes to ensure that product is moved correctly from trailer to racks to shipping. Responsible for VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory).
   
   Sales Support - Support local sales representatives and sales leadership to deliver outstanding customer service. Support current business by providing timely responses to service failures and customer concerns. Support the Director of Operations with resolving customer complaints as registered through the OSI process.
   
   Safety and hygiene - Monitors activities of work team to ensure that safe practices are in place and being demonstrated. Monitors building to ensure that proper housekeeping is being practiced. Give guidance to safety committee.
   Education Bachelor's Degree preferred, relevant work experience accepted in lieu of degree. 3 to 5 years supervisory experience, with demonstrated abilities supporting personnel, and warehouse employees. Preferable 5 years business experience, with several years being in a distribution center environment. Certification / Licensure When applicable - Certified as a CDR by the State of Florida to ensure compliant operations and handling of pharmaceutical product. Company DescriptionWe’re a healthcare company–a manufacturer, distributor and so much more. Our mission is to improve the overall operating performance of healthcare–across the continuum.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right warehouse manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with warehouse managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit warehouse managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your warehouse manager job on Zippia to find and recruit warehouse manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit warehouse managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new warehouse manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect warehouse manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new warehouse manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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