Outbound Group Lead

The Outbound Group Lead is responsible for leading a team of outbound associates to ensure timely, accurate, and efficient picking, packing, staging, and shipping of customer orders. This position supports the outbound department by monitoring workflows, coordinating team tasks, resolving operational issues at the root case, and ensuring all outbound activities meet safety, quality, and productivity standards. 1st shift: 10:30 am to 7 pm.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Leadership & Customer KPI Management

• Oversee daily outbound operations including order picking, packing, labeling, staging, and shipping activities.
• Manage to customer KPI goals for productivity and quality, and ensure on-time performance for all outbound routes.
• Support and develop workload planning for the department based on volume forecasts, staffing levels, and shipping deadlines.
• Assign tasks and balance labor across the team to maintain flow and eliminate bottlenecks.
• Establish and maintain strong visual management controls, including progress control boards, hour-by-hour tracking, and standard work postings.

2. People Development — "Heart of a Teacher"

• Model respect for people in every interaction, setting the leadership standard for the department.
• Coach, mentor, and develop Team Leads and associates; build bench strength and succession readiness within the group.
• Train and onboard new team members on outbound standard work, quality expectations, and safety requirements.
• Ensure labor stability within the department through engagement, recognition, fair treatment, and consistent leadership methods.
• Serve as the first point of contact for team members; listen actively (Genchi Genbutsu – go and see) and elevate concerns appropriately.
• Drive Kaizen initiatives as a core daily responsibility, not a side project.
• Identify and eliminate muda (waste) — overproduction, waiting, transportation, over-processing, excess inventory, motion, defects, and unused talent.
• Apply PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) and structured root cause analysis to correct problems permanently rather than temporarily.
• Actively solicit and implement improvement ideas from associates, giving credit to the team.

4. Safety Champion

• Serve as the department Safety Champion, owning the safety culture for the group.
• Ensure all associates comply with safety protocols, SOPs, and company policies; conduct safety talks, audits, and near-miss reviews.
• Ensure proper use, inspection, and care of material handling equipment (MHE), including pallet jacks, forklifts, and RF scanners.
• Stop work immediately when an unsafe condition or behavior is observed.
• Enforce and sustain rigorous 5S discipline (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) throughout the outbound area.
• Conduct routine 5S audits and hold the team accountable to a clean, organized, and standardized workspace every shift.

6. Communication & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Communicate clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing, with associates, peers, management, and customers.
• Partner with Inventory, Returns,Transportation, and Inbound to ensure seamless end-to-end flow.
• Support inventory accuracy by promptly reporting discrepancies, damaged goods, and system issues.
• Lead daily start-of-shift meetings and shift-to-shift handoffs.
• Regular, reliable, and punctual on-site attendance is an essential function of this position due to the operational nature of the work. The employee must be able to report to the designated work location as scheduled and maintain a level of attendance and punctuality that enables the employee to effectively perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the position and meet operational requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation. Attendance requirements are subject to applicable company policies and federal, state, and local laws regarding protected leaves of absence and reasonable accommodation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills — required.
• Strong knowledge of outbound operations, including picking, packing, staging, and shipping procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to teach, coach, and develop others.
• Working knowledge of Lean / Japanese management principles (Kaizen, 5S, Muda, PDCA, visual management) strongly preferred.
• Experience with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and RF scanning technology.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is