Warehouse Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$107,230

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (O*NET-SOC 11-3071.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities. importance 4.3 of 5
3. Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Analyze all aspects of corporate logistics to determine the most cost-effective or efficient means of transporting products or supplies. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Resolve problems concerning transportation, logistics systems, imports or exports, or customer issues. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Develop and document standard and emergency operating procedures for receiving, handling, storing, shipping, or salvaging products or materials. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Monitor operations to ensure that staff members comply with administrative policies and procedures, safety rules, union contracts, environmental policies, or government regulations. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Analyze the financial impact of proposed logistics changes, such as routing, shipping modes, product volumes or mixes, or carriers. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Monitor inventory levels of products or materials in warehouses. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Establish or monitor specific supply chain-based performance measurement systems. importance 3.9 of 5
13. Prepare and manage departmental budgets. importance 3.9 of 5
14. Monitor product import or export processes to ensure compliance with regulatory or legal requirements. importance 3.8 of 5
15. Prepare management recommendations, such as proposed fee and tariff increases or schedule changes. importance 3.8 of 5
16. Interview, select, and train warehouse and supervisory personnel. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work and Working with Computers.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Direct inbound or outbound operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
• Plan or implement improvements to internal or external systems or processes.
• Recommend or authorize capital expenditures for acquisition of new equipment or property to increase efficiency and services.
• Review invoices, work orders, consumption reports, or demand forecasts to estimate peak performance periods and to issue work assignments.

Knowledge areas: Transportation, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language and Mathematics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Warehouse management system WMS, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Job title: Warehouse Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Warehouse Manager to plan, direct, or coordinate transportation, storage, or distribution activities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable government laws or regulations.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
- Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
- Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
- Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements.
- Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping.
- Analyze all aspects of corporate logistics to determine the most cost-effective or efficient means of transporting products or supplies.
- Resolve problems concerning transportation, logistics systems, imports or exports, or customer issues.
- Develop and document standard and emergency operating procedures for receiving, handling, storing, shipping, or salvaging products or materials.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in reading comprehension, active listening and coordination
- Working knowledge of Transportation and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $107,230 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $51.55. BLS estimates about 221,180 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,300 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full warehouse manager salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real warehouse manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only warehouse manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (reading comprehension and active listening); warehouse manager interview questions turns them into practice questions.