Crane Worldwide Logistics is a leader in supply chain solutions with over 130 locations across 30 countries providing individual services that address our client's logistics challenges.
The Operations Manager holds full operational responsibility for a multi-customer contract logistics site, overseeing all warehouse activities across multiple clients.
The role ensures safe, efficient, and compliant operations while delivering high service levels, meeting diverse customer SLAs, and driving overall site profitability. The Operations Manager is accountable for operational performance, customer satisfaction, and leadership of the on-site workforce.
This position is a key leadership role responsible for balancing competing customer priorities, optimising shared resources, and ensuring consistent service delivery across all contracts.
Essential Job Functions:
- Lead and manage all warehouse operations across a multi-customer site, including inbound, outbound, inventory management, and value-added services.
- Hold overall responsibility for site performance, ensuring all customer contracts are delivered in line with agreed SLAs and KPIs.
- Balance operational priorities across multiple customers while optimising shared resources (labour, space, equipment).
- Drive a structured daily management routine to monitor performance, resolve issues, and ensure operational control.
- Ensure accurate and timely reporting of operational performance through systems (e.g. WMS, Power BI dashboards).
Customer Ownership & Service Delivery
- Act as the primary operational owner for all on-site customers, ensuring consistent and high-quality service delivery.
- Build strong customer relationships and act as the escalation point for operational issues.
- Participate in customer reviews (QBRs) and provide performance insights, improvement plans, and operational updates.
- Ensure customer SOPs are implemented, maintained, and regularly reviewed.
- Manage service deviations through structured root cause analysis and corrective actions.
People Leadership & Workforce Management
- Lead, coach, and develop Team Leaders and Supervisors to deliver consistent performance across all customer operations.
- Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
- Manage workforce planning across multiple customer requirements, including peaks, seasonality, and agency labour.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention in line with Dutch labour practices.
- Ensure compliance with working time regulations, employment law, and company policies.
Health, Safety & Compliance (QHSE)
- Ensure full compliance with Dutch health & safety legislation (Arbowet) and company QHSE standards across the entire site.
- Promote a strong safety culture, ensuring risk assessments (RI&E), incident reporting, and corrective actions are effectively managed.
- Lead site-wide safety initiatives and ensure all staff are trained and compliant.
- Maintain audit readiness and support compliance with ISO standards (e.g. ISO 9001) and AEO requirements.
Financial & Commercial Responsibility
- Own and manage site-level operational costs including labour, equipment, and overheads.
- Drive profitability through productivity improvements, cost control, and operational efficiency.
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance tracking for the site.
- Identify and implement value-added services and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance customer value and margins.
Continuous Improvement & Quality
- Drive a culture of continuous improvement across all customer operations using Lean / operational excellence principles.
- Ensure processes are standardised where possible while accommodating customer-specific requirements.
- Manage non-conformances (NCRs), corrective and preventive actions across the site.
- Implement and share best practices across operations and the wider network.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical Requirements:
- The physical demands described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with applicable Dutch legislation.
- Regular presence on the warehouse floor, involving standing and walking for approximately 50–75% of the working time.
- Ability to stand or sit for extended periods during operational and administrative tasks.
- Frequent movement within the warehouse environment, including reaching, bending, stooping, kneeling, and occasional climbing (e.g. stairs or platforms).
- Occasional manual handling activities may be required; however, this role is primarily managerial. Any lifting tasks will be in line with health and safety guidelines and supported by appropriate equipment.
- Ability to work in a dynamic warehouse environment, including varying temperatures and noise levels.
Other Skills/Abilities
Skills & Competencies
- Strong leadership capability with experience managing complex, multi-customer operations.
- Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to balance competing operational demands.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Commercial awareness with a focus on profitability and cost control.
- Effective stakeholder and customer management skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with WMS and reporting tools (e.g. Power BI).
- Strong understanding of warehouse operations, safety, and compliance requirements.
- Results-driven with a continuous improvement mindset.
Education and Experience
- General level education (or equivalent through experience) in Logistics, Supply Chain, or a related field.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a warehouse or contract logistics environment, ideally within a multi-customer operation.
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a supervisory or management role.
- Proven experience managing KPIs, operational performance, and customer service delivery.
Certifications and Licenses:
- Professional certification may be required in some areas.
Disclaimer:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.
Recruitment Agency Policy
At Crane Worldwide Logistics we manage all hiring directly and do not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies or search firms. Agencies must not contact our employees or managers directly with candidate details.
Where recruitment support is required, we will engage trusted partners through a formal written agreement. We will not be liable for be liable for any associated placement fees for any CVs received without such an agreement.
We appreciate your cooperation in respecting this policy.
