Warehouse Lead

About Worthy

At Worthy, our reach extends far beyond New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Our remit extends above and beyond to diversify across almost every category wherever fabric is used. Our team is incredibly knowledgeable, offering technical expertise in fabrics and fashion, ensuring that you receive the best products for all aspects of garment production. We serve a diverse range of industries, supplying quality fabrics and fashion items to garment manufacturers in sports, schools, and corporate sectors.

In addition to our textiles, the fast-growing products side of our business is making waves across the Pacific. We proudly distribute major FMCG brands and general merchandise, ensuring that customers throughout the region have access to top quality products that meet their needs. This expansion allows us to serve a broader range of industries and continue our commitment to enriching communities through diverse offerings.

Worthy also owns two FMCG distribution businesses in New Zealand, VJ Trading (now known as Worthy Products and Dutch Rusk. Both brands operate independently and specialise in supplying FMCG goods across various retail and wholesale channels, further expanding our presence and capability in the consumer products sector.

Position Overview:

The Warehouse Lead is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Worthy Products warehouse, ensuring efficient stock management, accurate order fulfilment and timely dispatch. The role provides hands-on leadership to the warehouse team, driving productivity, operational efficiency, safety and continuous improvement to support the growth of Worthy's FMCG division.

Key Responsibilities:

Warehouse Operations & Daily Management

• Lead and oversee the day-to-day operations of the warehouse, ensuring efficient, accurate and timely movement of stock.
• Manage daily warehouse activities, including receiving, put-away, picking, packing, dispatch and stock replenishment.
• Ensure all customer orders are processed accurately and dispatched within agreed timeframes.
• Plan and prioritise daily workloads based on order volumes, delivery schedules and operational requirements.
• Maintain an organised, clean and efficient warehouse environment, ensuring optimal use of available space.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement practical solutions to improve productivity and efficiency.
• Take ownership of warehouse performance and ensure operational targets are consistently achieved.

Team Leadership & People Management

• Provide day-to-day leadership, direction and supervision to the warehouse team.
• Allocate responsibilities and workloads to ensure effective utilisation of staff and resources.
• Monitor individual and team productivity, attendance, punctuality and performance.
• Train, coach and develop warehouse employees to improve operational capability and accountability.
• Foster a positive, respectful and high-performance team culture built around ownership, teamwork and continuous improvement.
• Address performance concerns promptly and escalate matters to management when required.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained to support operational demands, including seasonal peaks.
• Lead by example and remain hands-on in warehouse activities when required.

Inventory Management & Stock Accuracy

• Maintain high levels of inventory accuracy across all warehouse operations.
• Ensure stock is correctly received, recorded, stored and located within the warehouse management system.
• Oversee regular cycle counts, stocktakes and inventory reconciliations.
• Investigate stock discrepancies, damages, shortages and variances, implementing corrective actions.
• Ensure appropriate stock rotation using FIFO and FEFO principles, particularly for FMCG products with expiry dates.
• Monitor short-dated, expired, damaged and slow-moving stock, reporting concerns to the relevant teams.
• Work closely with Procurement to ensure incoming stock is received efficiently and inventory availability is maintained.
• Minimise stock losses, wastage, damages and unnecessary handling.

Order Fulfilment, Dispatch & Delivery Coordination

• Oversee the accurate picking, checking, packing and dispatch of customer orders.
• Ensure orders are prepared and ready for delivery within required cut-off times.
• Coordinate with internal delivery drivers and third-party logistics providers where applicable.
• Ensure delivery documentation, dispatch records and order information are accurate and complete.
• Investigate and resolve picking errors, incorrect deliveries, missing stock and dispatch-related customer complaints.
• Work closely with the Sales and Customer Service teams to manage urgent orders, delivery priorities and customer requirements.
• Ensure warehouse operations support reliable customer service and consistent delivery performance.

Warehouse Systems & Process Improvement

• Ensure warehouse transactions are accurately recorded in the company's inventory and ERP systems, including Odoo where applicable.
• Drive consistent use of barcode scanners and digital warehouse processes to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Ensure warehouse employees follow established standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, reduce manual processes and eliminate unnecessary handling.
• Support the implementation of new systems, technology and operational improvements.
• Monitor system compliance and ensure stock movements are recorded correctly and promptly.
• Continuously review warehouse processes to improve speed, accuracy, productivity and cost efficiency.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Maintain a safe working environment in accordance with New Zealand health and safety requirements and company policies.
• Ensure employees follow safe manual handling, forklift operation, equipment usage and warehouse procedures.
• Conduct regular warehouse safety checks and promptly address identified hazards.
• Ensure incidents, near misses and safety concerns are reported and appropriately managed.
• Maintain appropriate standards of cleanliness, hygiene, pest prevention and product storage.
• Ensure food and beverage products are stored and handled in accordance with applicable food safety and supplier requirements.
• Promote a proactive safety culture where all team members take responsibility for maintaining a safe workplace.

Productivity, Cost Control & Operational Efficiency

• Monitor warehouse productivity and identify opportunities to improve output without compromising accuracy or safety.
• Manage labour allocation and overtime responsibly, ensuring staffing costs remain aligned with operational requirements.
• Reduce unnecessary operational expenses, stock handling costs, damages and wastage.
• Improve warehouse space utilisation, stock placement and picking efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to increase warehouse capacity and productivity through better processes and technology.
• Support management in achieving operational cost targets and improving overall warehouse profitability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Work closely with Sales, Customer Service, Procurement, Finance and Operations to ensure smooth business operations.
• Maintain clear and timely communication regarding stock discrepancies, delivery delays, operational issues and resource requirements.
• Coordinate with Procurement on incoming shipments, container arrivals and stock receiving priorities.
• Support the Sales team during promotional periods, new product launches and seasonal demand increases.
• Escalate operational risks and issues promptly, providing practical recommendations and solutions.
• Participate in operational meetings and contribute to broader business improvement initiatives.

Reporting, Accountability & Performance Monitoring

• Provide regular updates to management on warehouse performance, staffing, stock accuracy and operational challenges.
• Monitor and report on key warehouse performance indicators.
• Maintain accurate records of stock movements, inventory adjustments, damages and operational incidents.
• Ensure agreed actions and operational improvements are completed within required timeframes.
• Take accountability for the overall accuracy, efficiency and reliability of warehouse operations.

Skills, Experience & Attributes

• Previous experience in warehouse operations, preferably within FMCG, food and beverage distribution, wholesale or a high-volume distribution environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, supervise and motivate warehouse employees.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, stock rotation and order fulfilment processes.
• Experience using warehouse management systems, ERP platforms and barcode scanning technology.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and tight dispatch deadlines.
• High attention to detail and a commitment to stock accuracy and operational excellence.
• Practical problem-solving skills and the ability to make sound operational decisions.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• A hands-on leadership style with a willingness to support the team during busy periods.
• A strong sense of ownership, accountability and responsibility for results.
• Forklift licence and relevant warehouse equipment experience are advantageous.

Desirable

• Previous experience in a warehouse leadership or supervisory role, preferably within FMCG or food and beverage distribution.
• Experience using warehouse management systems or ERP platforms, particularly Odoo.
• Familiarity with barcode scanning systems and inventory management technology.
• Current forklift licence with practical operating experience.
• Understanding of FIFO and FEFO stock rotation principles.
• Experience managing high-volume order picking, packing and dispatch operations.
• Knowledge of New Zealand workplace health and safety requirements.
• Experience implementing process improvements to increase productivity and reduce operational costs.
• Strong computer literacy, including Microsoft Excel and reporting tools.
• Experience coordinating deliveries with internal transport teams and third-party logistics providers.

Role Expectations

The Warehouse Lead is expected to take full ownership of the daily performance of the Worthy Products warehouse, ensuring that operations run efficiently, employees are productive, inventory is accurate and customer orders are fulfilled reliably.

This is a hands-on leadership position, requiring the successful candidate to balance team supervision with active involvement in warehouse operations.

The role is expected to continuously improve operational efficiency, reduce unnecessary costs, maintain high standards of safety and accuracy, and contribute to the wider growth of Worthy's FMCG division.

Why Worthy?

• Enjoy career growth opportunities within a rapidly expanding company
• Be part of a growing, values-driven company that genuinely cares about its people, products, customers, and culture