Material Handling — M1
SUPPLY.MATERIAL3754.M1
Supervises and manages the physical movement, staging, storage, and tracking of materials within warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers. Distinct from Inventory Planning/Demand (forecasting and replenishment strategy) and Transportation/Freight (carrier and route management), this focus owns the floor-level execution of receipt, staging, replenishment, and dispatch of raw materials, parts, and finished goods, including the team of material handlers and the safety/tracking standards governing their work.
Supervises and manages the physical movement, staging, storage, and tracking of materials within warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers. Distinct from Inventory Planning/Demand (forecasting and replenishment strategy) and Transportation/Freight (carrier and route management), this focus owns the floor-level execution of receipt, staging, replenishment, and dispatch of raw materials, parts, and finished goods, including the team of material handlers and the safety/tracking standards governing their work.
Focus — Material Handling
Supervises and manages the physical movement, staging, storage, and tracking of materials within warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distribution centers. Distinct from Inventory Planning/Demand (forecasting and replenishment strategy) and Transportation/Freight (carrier and route management), this focus owns the floor-level execution of receipt, staging, replenishment, and dispatch of raw materials, parts, and finished goods, including the team of material handlers and the safety/tracking standards governing their work.
General focus — no material pay or skill differential vs the function baseline.
Responsibilities by level
What this person actually does at each level on the support track — escalating scope, not one generic blob. Your level is highlighted.
- Supervises the daily material movement tasks of a unit of material handlers, assigning loading, unloading, staging, and replenishment work from incoming work orders.
- Coordinates workflow among handlers to ensure manufacturing teams have access to sufficient raw materials at designated staging areas.
- Ensures team compliance with established safety protocols and tracking standards, and reports inventory discrepancies surfaced during cycle counts.
- Trains new team members and provides on-the-floor guidance on safe operation of forklifts, pallet jacks, and RF scanners.
- Oversees the cleanliness of storage and staging areas and the accurate labeling, packing, and inventory tagging of materials.
- Manages a team of skilled material handlers and lead handlers across staging, replenishment, and inbound/outbound zones, owning the tactical throughput outcomes for the area.
- Coordinates material transfer operations for large-scale or high-value items and oversees complex material movements requiring cross-functional cooperation with quality and production.
- Owns inventory accuracy across the area by directing cycle count programs, reconciling discrepancies in WMS/SAP, and escalating root-cause issues.
- Communicates with suppliers to confirm material availability and places or expedites orders to keep manufacturing lines supplied.
- Sets shift staffing and task priorities to meet daily and weekly material flow goals, and resolves bottlenecks using judgment within established receiving and dispatch practices.
- Manages the department responsible for the efficient receipt, storage, and dispatch of goods, owning operational budgets and headcount across multiple shifts or zones.
- Provides timely and accurate management reporting of material handling performance versus plan, forecast, and historical trends to plant and supply chain leadership.
- Develops and manages in-plant material flow and inbound/outbound logistics strategies, balancing cost, maintainability, and complexity across diverse operational issues.
- Proactively manages and tracks performance and SLA compliance of 3PL distribution partners and evaluates automation investments (AS/RS, AMRs, sortation) against ROI.
- Hires, develops, and leads supervisors and lead handlers, and partners cross-functionally with Finance, Engineering, and Production to set the department's strategic direction.
Level guidelines
The universal leveling rubric applied to this function — how scope, complexity, collaboration, and experience step up across levels.
| Level | Knowledge & Application | Complexity & Problem Solving | Collaboration & Interaction | Typical Degree & Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Functional expert in material movement, staging, and tracking who applies established warehouse and safety practices to oversee the daily operations of a single unit of material handlers. | Solves problems of limited scope using established procedures — reassigning handlers, resolving staging conflicts, and addressing discrepancies surfaced during cycle counts. | Interacts daily with handlers and peers across receiving, production staging, and dispatch to keep material moving to designated areas. | Experienced material handler or lead with some leadership exposure overseeing a task-focused team. |
| M2 | Applies deep material handling and inventory-control knowledge to manage skilled handlers and junior leads, making judgments within known receiving, replenishment, and dispatch factors. | Resolves tactical issues such as high-value material transfers, throughput bottlenecks, and inventory accuracy gaps by weighing known factors and established practices. | Drives cross-functional cooperation with quality, production, and suppliers to confirm availability, expedite orders, and coordinate complex movements. | 2–5 years in team leadership or specialist material handling roles, owning tactical outcomes for an operational area. |
| M3 | Applies broad supply chain and material flow expertise to lead a material handling department, its operations, and its budgets, and to set inbound/outbound logistics strategy. | Evaluates diverse issues and trends — material flow design, automation ROI, 3PL SLA performance — to develop solutions balancing cost, maintainability, and complexity. | Leads functional and customer teams and communicates effectively with executive leadership, Finance, Engineering, plant floor personnel, and 3PL partners. | 5–7+ years managing material handling professionals, budgets, and distribution operations. |
Skills
Focus-specific skills the role applies — the relevance layer beyond the occupational base.
- Material Movement & Handling
- Safe and efficient movement, storage, and tracking of materials within warehouses, manufacturing plants, or distribution centers, including operation of forklifts, pallet jacks, and powered equipment.
- Team Supervision
- Coordinating workflow, assigning tasks, training staff, and overseeing a team of material handlers to meet daily and tactical throughput goals.
- Inventory Management
- Conducting cycle counts, updating tracking systems, maintaining accurate inventory records across departments, and reporting and reconciling discrepancies.
- Safety Compliance
- Following safety protocols and ensuring team compliance with safety and tracking standards, including OSHA standards.
- Supplier Communication
- Contacting suppliers to determine material availability and placing or expediting orders promptly to support manufacturing teams.
- Logistics Strategy
- Developing and managing logistics strategies for inbound and outbound operations, warehousing, transportation, and distribution.
- Material Flow Engineering
- Understanding and developing in-plant material flow and analyzing material flow problems for optimal cost-effective solutions balancing cost, maintainability, and complexity.
- Management Reporting
- Producing accurate reporting of actual performance versus plan, forecast, and historical trends, and tracking SLA compliance of 3PL distribution partners.
- Automation Systems Knowledge
- Knowledge of automated material handling equipment such as Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems, AS/RS, AMRs, and sortation systems, and their cost and ROI trade-offs.
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
- Uses WMS platforms such as SAP EWM, Oracle WMS, Manhattan Associates, and Blue Yonder effectively during the delivery of day-to-day tasks.
Provenance
The evidence base behind this profile — every layer is sourced; quality is scored by an adversarial review panel (1–5; passes at ≥4 on the minimum dimension).
20 sources
Level — M1 — Manager (Team Lead)
Front-line people manager of a single team; owns delivery, coaching, and execution.
- Scope
- A single team
- Autonomy
- Manages within established goals
- Complexity
- Day-to-day delivery and people issues
- Impact
- Team output and health
- Decision rights
- Owns team execution, hiring input, performance
- Leadership
- Direct people management of one team
- Typical experience
- 3–6 yrs
Adjacent roles
Nearest roles by structural coordinates (level + taxonomy). Distance 0 → 1; each carries its 3-state match band. How coordinates work → · Compare side-by-side →
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O*NET / SOC
- code=53-7062source=jfm-factory.resolve