Are you an organized individual who likes to work hands-on? Perhaps you have aspirations to move on to more senior roles in the future. If so, the role of warehouse supervisor could be just the thing for you. In this role, you will be responsible for the day-to-day running of a warehouse operation, including scheduling, organizing processes, and completing reports and inbound paperwork.
Your role as warehouse supervisor sits neatly between that of warehouse floor employees and managerial staff—typically warehouse managers. You will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the warehouse, keeping things organized, handling shift scheduling, enforcing policies, and more. Ultimately, your role is to keep things running smoothly as per the manager's vision so that they can focus on things like improving efficiency and quality of service.
As a warehouse supervisor, your typical schedule will likely involve the standard business hours of Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. However, this can vary, depending on the company you work for. Some warehouse operations may run on weekends or through the night. Unlike a warehouse manager, a warehouse supervisor needs to be onsite at all times, so you should make sure you understand what hours you agree to when you take this role. There may also be a shift rota, where you will be alternating with other warehouse supervisors. This ensures everyone gets a fair share of the unsociable hours, but it won't suit everyone.
Preparing for a job interview is a good habit to get into, but you can only prepare so far because you can't know what questions you will be asked. Fortunately, there are some common interview questions that you can reasonably expect to be asked, so thinking through how you will answer those will be worth your time. Here are some typical questions:
Your cover letter is essential in getting you that first interview, so it’s worth putting a little extra effort into making sure it looks professional and is free from spelling mistakes. Give yourself a brief introduction and expand on anything in your resume that is particularly noteworthy. Also, talk about why you feel you are a good fit for the organization. Your resume should include more information but less detail—essentially an itemized list of your qualifications and achievements. Be sure to include the following elements:
While automation is a credible threat to many warehouse roles, warehouse supervisor is not yet one of them. Additionally, the demand for warehouse supervisors is not expected to fall over the next ten years. This points to a positive outlook for the role, but another thing to consider is the potential for progression. A move to management is a real possibility from this role, but even if that's not on the cards, the skills and experience developed here can be transferred to many other jobs. This paints a positive outlook for individual warehouse supervisors, as they can take advantage of this room to grow.
The nature of typical warehouse operations means that there is only one type of warehouse supervisor. Other roles within the warehouse are distinct from the supervisor role. There are, however, alternative names for warehouse supervisor roles. These include:
It should be noted that these titles, in the context of a warehouse role, are essentially the same thing. Although the job title remains the same, their schedules deserve some consideration. Some warehouse supervisors may work alternate shifts, whereas others may work entirely on nights.
The average salary for a warehouse supervisor in Canada is approximately $48,000 per year from a $25 hourly rate. This figure is significantly affected by the hours you work, including overtime and unsociable hours. At the lower end of the scale, if you are inexperienced, you shouldn't be getting offered less than $40,000 per year for a warehouse supervisor role. At the other end of the scale, you can expect your earning potential in this role to max out at around $57,000 per year.
Top paying areas for warehouse supervisors in Canada include: Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia..
Your duties and responsibilities as a warehouse supervisor centre around the day-to-day running of the warehouse. You are essentially there to ensure the warehouse runs smoothly so that management can focus on broader concerns, such as new policies. Your duties can be broken down to include the following:
As you might expect from the job title and the responsibilities outlined already, your primary work environment will be the warehouse itself. Warehouses are typically not climate-controlled and can be loud. They can also be dangerous if proper health and safety guidelines are not enforced.
The skills and competencies needed to be a warehouse supervisor mostly centre around organizational skills and people management. They can be broken down like this:
Some employers may require you to have a degree in a related subject, but this is by no means a base-level requirement. Many warehouse supervisor roles can be attained with only a high school diploma. A requirement for previous experience is a little more concrete, however. Your employer will want at least a few years of experience working in a warehouse environment before considering you for a warehouse supervisor role.
Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about warehouse supervisor jobs.
You should not need more than a high school diploma to be considered for a warehouse supervisor role, though some employers may require a degree. However, you will need at least a few years of experience working in a warehouse environment. Experience working in different roles within a warehouse would be advantageous, as it shows you have in-depth knowledge of multiple aspects of the job.
Job listings aren't exactly in short supply around Canada, which means it's not difficult to find new warehouse supervisor jobs these days. Randstad usually has new jobs available on our warehouse supervisor job seekers page, as well as many related positions. If you're interested, head on over there and begin searching for your next role.
If you check out Randstad's job seeker page and find a warehouse supervisor job that takes your fancy, all you need to do is create an account with Randstad and sign in. From there, you can apply for the job (or jobs) that interest you.
There are many ways to find out about new job vacancies, such as checking job boards, phoning companies you are interested in working for, and even following the social media accounts of relevant people and businesses. You can be among the first to learn of new warehouse supervisor jobs on Randstad by signing up for our newsletter.
Warehouse supervisors are responsible for the day-to-day running of a warehouse. This includes handling staff-related matters and ensuring company policies are followed (particularly those relating to health and safety). It also includes maintaining proper record keeping and ensuring stock is at the required level. As a warehouse supervisor, you will report to the warehouse manager.
Warehouse supervisors will need many skills, but the skills most crucial to the role are communication, organization, and problem-solving. You will need good communication skills to deal with the many parties you will be working with, such as management, your team, and suppliers. An aptitude for problem-solving will help you deal with unforeseen issues. You will need good organizational skills to stay on top of the many aspects of the role.
It is good for a warehouse supervisor to have experience in as many aspects of warehouse operation as possible, as it will allow them to better maintain the smooth operation of the warehouse. If you want formal qualifications before heading into this role, then business, management, or logistics would be good degree choices.
Applying for a warehouse supervisor job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!