Warehouse Supervisor Lead

Core Responsibilities

• Plan and organize daily warehouse work based on order volume, staffing, carrier schedules, operational priorities, and shipping deadlines.
• Assign employees to receive, put-away, replenishment, picking, packing, staging, shipping, returns, inventory counts, housekeeping, and other warehouse functions.
• Conduct clear shift start-up and handover communication, including staffing, safety concerns, priority orders, incomplete work, inventory issues, equipment status, and outstanding operational matters.
• Work directly on the warehouse floor and provide hands-on operational support when required to maintain service levels and meet deadlines.

Receiving, Put-Away & Inventory Control

• Oversee receipt of automotive parts and materials and ensure quantities, product identification, condition, and supporting records are checked before inventory is accepted into the warehouse.
• Ensure products are identified, labeled, scanned, and stored in the correct locations; organize stock to use available space efficiently while preserving accessibility, inventory accuracy, and safe handling.
• Ensure inventory movements, transfers, adjustments, receipts, picks, and shipments are accurately recorded in Deposco or other Detroit Axle-designated warehouse systems.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies, missing inventory, incorrect locations, damaged parts, receiving variances, and other inventory exceptions; document findings and escalate unresolved issues.
• Plan, assign, and verify cycle counts, including ABC-based counts when directed. Ensure employees use consistent counting and scanning procedures and preserve count integrity.
• Review differences between physical counts and system records; investigate root causes with Inventory Control, Purchasing, and warehouse staff, and submit documented corrections for approval.
• Validate inventory adjustments and system movements against supporting records and required approvals; flag unsupported or inaccurate transactions.
• Prepare inventory variance reports that summarize count differences, root causes, approved corrections, and follow-up actions.
• Monitor replenishment needs and communicate inventory shortages or operational concerns to Inventory Control, Purchasing, Logistics, or the Warehouse Manager as appropriate.
• Maintain product traceability and location accuracy so parts can be identified and retrieved efficiently.

Order Fulfillment, Packing & Shipping

• Supervise picking, packing, staging, verification, and shipping activities to ensure customer and transfer orders are completed accurately and on time.
• Coordinate order staging and loading so the correct parts, quantities, and documentation are matched to each shipment before dispatch.
• Assign picking zones and workloads based on order priorities, staffing, and capacity; rebalance assignments to complete orders on time.
• Oversee order waves, adjusting the release and distribution of work as needed to maintain continuous picking and meet order priorities.
• Monitor order accuracy and investigate recurring picking, packing, labeling, or shipping errors; provide coaching and recommend process corrections.
• Verify that orders are picked and packed accurately, products are protected for transit, and shipping labels, quantities, documents, and carrier requirements are correct before dispatch.
• Ensure employees inspect parts for visible damage or defects before packing, separate questionable items, and report discrepancies through the established process.
• Coordinate with transportation, logistics, carriers, and other departments regarding pickups, delivery schedules, transfer orders, missed pickups, damaged shipments, and shipping delays.
• Monitor shipping service commitments and SLA deadlines; follow up on late shipments, loading incidents, damage, and related corrective actions.
• Ensure incomplete orders, backlogs, urgent orders, and exceptions are clearly communicated and tracked through resolution.

Returns, Damaged Product & Exception Handling

• Oversee the receipt, identification, segregation, and processing of returned automotive parts in accordance with Detroit Axle procedures.
• Coordinate the warehouse steps for returns and order cancellations, ensuring product disposition and related system transactions are accurate and approved.
• Ensure damaged, questionable, unidentified, or nonconforming product is clearly identified and separated from available inventory until disposition is determined.
• Ensure inventory adjustments, returns, surplus material, and other exceptions are supported by appropriate documentation and system transactions.
• Escalate recurring product, packaging, carrier, inventory, or quality concerns to the appropriate manager or department.

Employee Supervision & Performance

• Provide employees with clear daily assignments, work expectations, priorities, and performance standards.
• Train, direct, coach, and provide regular feedback to warehouse employees on work methods, quality, productivity, safety, attendance, and compliance with Detroit Axle procedures.
• Monitor attendance, punctuality, productivity, accuracy, work quality, conduct, and adherence to assigned schedules and break periods.
• Review employee time records for accuracy and promptly report missed punches, schedule discrepancies, attendance issues, or other timekeeping concerns through the established process.
• Support onboarding of new employees and verify that employees understand their assigned duties, work procedures, equipment restrictions, and required safety practices before working independently.
• Provide factual input regarding employee performance, training needs, recognition, reassignment, corrective action, or other staffing decisions while following Detroit Axle approval processes.
• Promote professional communication, teamwork, accountability, respectful workplace conduct, and consistent application of Company expectations.

Safety, Equipment & Facility Standards

• Actively promote a safe workplace and reinforce Detroit Axle safety procedures and applicable Ontario occupational health and safety requirements.
• Identify and promptly address or report unsafe conditions, unsafe work practices, injuries, incidents, near misses, spills, blocked aisles, damaged racking, damaged equipment, and other hazards.
• Ensure only trained and authorized employees operate forklifts or other restricted equipment, and oversee safe use of pallet jacks, hand trucks, and other warehouse handling equipment.
• Confirm required pre-use checks of forklifts and other warehouse equipment are completed; remove unsafe or damaged equipment from service and report it through the proper process.
• Monitor housekeeping, pallet and product stacking, safe loading and unloading of pallets and materials, storage practices, loading dock activity, pedestrian walkways, emergency access, and safe movement of equipment throughout the facility.
• Maintain 5S workplace organization standards, including orderly storage locations, clear work areas, and consistent housekeeping practices.
• Ensure employees use required personal protective equipment and follow established procedures for loading docks, material handling, equipment, and other assigned work.
• Participate in safety meetings, inspections, hazard assessments, incident follow-up, corrective actions, emergency preparedness, and employee safety training as assigned.
• Immediately escalate serious hazards, injuries, regulatory concerns, or conditions requiring management action.

Systems, Documentation & Reporting

• Use Deposco and other Detroit Axle systems accurately for inventory, receiving, order processing, shipment tracking, and operational reporting.
• Maintain complete and accurate operational records for receiving, inventory, cycle counts, shipping, returns, employee training, equipment checks, and other assigned activities.
• Maintain required files, photographs, checklists, reports, and supporting documents in Detroit Axle's designated SharePoint locations or other approved systems when applicable.
• Provide the Warehouse Manager with regular updates regarding staffing, productivity, order accuracy, inventory discrepancies, backlogs, safety concerns, equipment issues, and outstanding work.
• Protect Company information and ensure warehouse records are completed accurately and retained in accordance with Company requirements.

Productivity & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor daily productivity and operational performance and identify causes of delays, repeated errors, excess handling, poor workflow, or avoidable rework.
• Review inventory accuracy results and recurring count variances to identify trends, coach employees, and recommend changes that reduce errors and prevent repeated discrepancies.
• Track picking accuracy against the 99.7% target, zone completion against the 95% target, and scanning compliance; review exceptions and take corrective action with the team.
• Track order release schedule compliance, time to resolve order exceptions, backorder status, and related SLA performance; address bottlenecks and escalate unresolved issues.
• Set clear shift expectations and help employees understand the operational goals for accuracy, output, safety, and completion of assigned work.
• Recommend practical improvements to warehouse layout, workflow, storage, replenishment, scanning, picking, packing, shipping, and employee work methods.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with Inventory Control, Logistics, Purchasing, Human Resources, Safety, IT, and other Detroit Axle functions as required to resolve warehouse issues.
• Support the Warehouse Manager with operational readiness activities, new process implementation, equipment or racking changes, warehouse organization, and facility start-up or expansion activities.
• Communicate professionally with carriers, vendors, contractors, and other external parties when assigned, while referring contractual, financial, regulatory, or other management-level decisions to the appropriate Detroit Axle representative.

Authority & Escalation

• The Supervisor has day-to-day authority to assign and redirect warehouse work, stop unsafe work, enforce established procedures, and address routine operational issues within the scope of the position.
• The Supervisor does not independently change employee compensation, approve termination, enter contracts, commit Company funds, change Company policy, or make other decisions reserved for management unless specifically authorized.

Qualifications & Skills

• Three or more years of warehouse, distribution, automotive parts, manufacturing, or related operational experience; prior supervisory or team-lead experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of receiving, inventory control, picking, packing, shipping, returns, cycle counting, and warehouse workflow.
• Ability to learn and effectively use Deposco or similar warehouse management systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and other Microsoft Office applications used by Detroit Axle.
• Strong leadership, communication, organization, decision-making, problem-solving, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to coach employees, manage competing priorities, maintain accurate records, and communicate issues clearly to management.
• Forklift training/authorization appropriate to assigned equipment and responsibilities, where required.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English for the requirements of the position; additional language skills are an asset.

Physical & Scheduling Requirements

• Ability to work in an active warehouse environment, regularly walk the facility to supervise operations, and work around typical warehouse noise and varying temperatures.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, and handle warehouse materials as required by the essential duties, including lifting items up to 50 pounds when needed, with accommodation as required by applicable law.
• Ability to work the assigned schedule and reasonable overtime, weekends, or adjusted hours when operationally required and scheduled in accordance with Company practices and applicable requirements.