What I check on a dock at six in the morning
Five things in fifteen minutes, before the first meeting of the day (sample note).
Dana Ellery (sample)
Operations manager for warehouses that run through the night
Eleven years on warehouse floors, from goods in to three sites and 140 people. I am looking for a multi-site operations role in or near Springfield (sample).
Available from 1 December, one month’s notice (sample)
Multi-site operations manager: the specification, answered
Criteria as they appear in adverts for this kind of role, with where I have done each one.
A
Leads a shift team of 50 or more
Essential
Northgate, 2021 to now: 140 staff on two shifts, 9 team leaders (sample)
Done
B
Owns a site budget
Essential
Northgate: $6.2m a year; cost per order down 18% in two years (sample)
Done
C
Keeps people safe on a busy floor
Essential
Harbour Freight: 410 days without a lost-time injury (sample)
Done
D
Brings in new systems without closing the dock
Essential
Warehouse system move, 2022: three sites over one weekend (sample)
Done
E
Runs a site with automation
Desirable
Pick-to-light pilot on two aisles, 2023; not yet a whole site (sample)
Smaller scale
F
Leads a move to a new ERP
Desirable
ERP stock and finance course and a test system, finishing in March (sample)
Learning now
Done at this scaleDone, smaller scaleLearning now
Based in
Springfield (sample); on site or hybrid, up to two hours’ travel
Notice
One month; available from 1 December (sample)
Right to work
Yes, no sponsorship needed (sample)
Driving licence
Full and clean (sample)
Languages
English; Polish, working level (sample)
Experience
Eleven years in warehouses, newest first. The letters after each result point to the criteria on the sheet at the top.
2021 to now
Operations manager
Northgate Distribution (sample). Three sites around Springfield
- Run three sites and 140 staff on two shifts through nine team leaders (sample). A
- Own a $6.2m site budget; cost per order down 18% in two years (sample). B
- Moved all three sites to a new warehouse system over one weekend; the dock opened on Monday at 06:00 (sample). D
- Ran a pick-to-light pilot on two aisles: picks per hour up 22% (sample). E
2015 to 2021
Night shift manager
Harbour Freight Services (sample). Cross-dock, Port Road
- Led a night shift of 60 on a 24-hour cross-dock (sample). A
- 410 days without a lost-time injury, from three a year before I started (sample). C
- Rebuilt the night rota with the team: agency hours down by a third (sample). AB
2012 to 2015
Team leader, goods in
Riverside Foods (sample). Chilled depot, Mill Road
- Ran chilled goods in: about 120 deliveries a day (sample). A
- Wrote the cold-chain checks still used on the dock (sample). C
- Trained 30 new starters on safe pallet handling (sample). C
Selected projects
Two changes I led from first meeting to the Monday after. Each one is a short case with the numbers.
Three sites onto one warehouse system, in one weekend
Northgate ran on paper pick lists and a spreadsheet per site. I led the move to one warehouse system: six weeks of slotting and training, a dress rehearsal, then the switch from Friday 22:00 to Sunday 18:00 (sample).
Result. Dock open on Monday at 06:00; picking errors down from 1 in 180 to 1 in 900 (sample).
Evidence for DA
A night rota the team wrote with me
The Harbour Freight night shift ran on agency cover and goodwill. We mapped the volume hour by hour on a board, and the team chose the shift patterns that covered it (sample).
Result. Agency hours down by a third; sickness absence down from 7% to 4% (sample).
Evidence for ABC
Skills, with the evidence
The same three marks as the sheet: done at this scale, done at a smaller scale, learning now. No percentages.
People
Hiring, rotas, coaching team leaders, return-to-work talks
140 staff and 9 team leaders at Northgate (sample)
Done
Safety
Risk assessments, incident reviews, audits, near-miss reporting
410 days without a lost-time injury (sample)
Done
Systems
Warehouse system set-up and migration, handheld scanning, slotting
Three sites moved in one weekend (sample)
Done
Money
Site budgets, cost per order, agency spend, capital requests
$6.2m budget, cost per order down 18% (sample)
Done
Automation
Pick-to-light, conveyor sortation, working with integrators
Two-aisle pilot, not yet a whole site (sample)
Smaller scale
ERP
Stock and finance modules, data clean-up before a move
Course and test system, finishing in March (sample)
Learning now
Done at this scaleDone, smaller scaleLearning now
Education and training
Newest first. Certificates can be shown at interview.
2025 to March 2026
ERP stock and finance modules
Evening course, Springfield College (sample). In progress.
2019
Health and safety certificate for managers
Five-day course and written assessment (sample).
2016
Forklift instructor certificate
Counterbalance and reach trucks (sample).
2008 to 2011
BSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Springfield University (sample).
References
Three people have agreed to speak about my work. Their details go to you after an interview, with their permission.
Operations director
Northgate Distribution (sample)
My manager since 2021.
General manager
Harbour Freight Services (sample)
My manager on the night shift, 2015 to 2021.
Team leader, picking
Northgate Distribution (sample)
Reported to me for three years.
Notes from the floor
Moving to a warehouse system without closing the dock
Six weeks of preparation for one weekend of work (sample note).
How I answer a person specification
One line per criterion: where, when, how much, and an honest mark (sample note).
Hiring for a role like this?
Send me the person specification. I answer every criterion with evidence, the same way as the sheet at the top of this site, within two working days.