Supervisor - Internal Logistics (3rd shift)

3rd Shift Supervisor, Raw Material Warehouse & Internal Logistics

The 3rd Shift Supervisor, Raw Material Warehouse & Internal Logistics at Rittal LLC is a pivotal leadership role responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of material flow during the critical 3rd shift. This includes raw material warehousing and internal logistics across all production lines (Assembly, Paint, Fabrication). The primary goal is to ensure seamless execution of the production schedule through proactive material staging, precise inventory management, efficient delivery, and prompt issue resolution. This position is key to fostering a robust safety culture, driving continuous improvement via lean principles, and optimizing operations to achieve excellence in employee engagement, safety, productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction. The supervisor leads a dedicated team of Material Controllers and warehouse personnel, cultivating a high-performance environment and ensuring strong cross-functional alignment with Production Control, Upstream Production, and Quality teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Safety & Compliance: Champion a strong safety culture, providing a secure work environment and actively supporting safety goals. Uphold safety, quality, and operational standards across all material handling and warehouse areas, ensuring strict adherence to plant safety rules and proactive hazard mitigation.
• Leadership & Team Management: Lead and supervise Material Controllers and warehouse staff on the 3rd shift. This includes assigning duties, monitoring performance, and providing effective coaching, development, and motivation to foster a positive, highly engaged team culture. Support training initiatives to enhance team ownership, judgment, and line impact awareness.
• Material Flow & Logistics Management: Oversee and manage end-to-end material flow across all production lines. Ensure seamless production through proactive material staging, commissioning, and timely delivery readiness before shift start. Support shift readiness by guaranteeing full kits, sequenced orders, and visual management signals for efficient material flow. Manage the precise distribution of raw materials and finished products within warehouse and production areas.
• Warehouse Operations & Inventory Accuracy: Lead the 3rd shift raw material warehouse operations, maintaining high levels of inventory accuracy. Coordinate closely with leadership and master planning to ensure inventory integrity and optimize warehouse capacity.
• Problem Solving & Escalation: Monitor upstream part availability and proactively escalate material shortages, quality issues, or other gaps before they impact production. Establish and manage a centralized Material Review Board (MRB) for rework and scrap, ensuring timely disposition with Production and Quality teams.
• Continuous Improvement & Lean Methodologies: Facilitate and lead continuous improvement efforts, including Kaizen events and lean logistics projects. Utilize lean tools and employee involvement to drive process improvements and boost warehouse/logistics productivity. Lead daily 6S activities and visual flow management across all material handling and warehouse zones.
• System & Data Management: Effectively use SAP, WMS, and other systems to update material status, investigate discrepancies, and maintain real-time material visibility. Develop and track KPIs for stock accuracy, material availability, line delivery timeliness, MRB aging, and shift performance.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Serve as a key liaison with production & other support functions to synchronize flow across the value stream, ensuring strong cross-functional alignment.
• Other Duties: As assigned.

Physical Requirements

Frequent standing, walking, reaching, bending, twisting, and lifting up to 50 lbs throughout the shift. Ability to operate hand pallet trucks or trolleys. May involve long durations on the warehouse/manufacturing floor or at a computer.

Mental & Behavioral Requirements

A self-driven leader with strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. Must be able to multitask, adapt to rapid change, and prioritize under pressure in a fast-paced environment. Comfortable with both floor operations and data tracking/reporting. Capable of coaching, developing, and motivating teams on urgency, judgment, and escalation. Detail-oriented, able to communicate effectively with all levels of employees, vendors, and customers, and able to learn new procedures and software. Must be available to work when and where needed for 3rd shift operations.

Safety Requirements

Adherence to all plant safety rules and proactive hazard identification. When in the factory or warehouse, required to wear safety glasses with side shields, safety-toed footwear, hearing protection, and additional personal protective equipment.

Key Interfaces

• Direct Contacts: Manager of Raw Materials and Internal Logistics, Production Supervisors, Team Leads, Warehouse personnel, Material Controllers, Procurement, Production Planning & Control (PPC), EHS, Quality Department personnel.
• Indirect Contacts: Director of Operations, Engineering, Planning, Maintenance, other support functions, and internal/external vendors and customers.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or GED required. A Technical Diploma or a 4-year degree in business, logistics, distribution, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 3-5 years of operations management, supply chain, or logistics experience is required. Essential prior experience includes leading logistics, material flow, and/or warehousing operations in a manufacturing environment, with demonstrated experience managing hourly employees.
• Technical Skills: Working knowledge of SAP and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) is a strong plus. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required.
• Leadership & Other Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate teams in a high-mix, fast-paced production environment. Strong leadership and communication skills are essential. Experience in continuous improvement methods (e.g., Lean, Kaizen) is highly valued. Ability to work effectively in a matrix organizational environment. APICS or ASCM certification is a plus.

Work Environment

The role primarily involves working in office, warehouse, and factory environments during the 3rd shift.