What are the best Warehouse job titles for you and your team? I reviewed 190 Warehouse job titles searched for by candidates (and employers!) to find the best titles for you to choose from. This is the latest chapter in Ongig’s series called Job Titles: The Definitive Guide.

Below you’ll find:

  • What are Warehouse jobs? — Best practices on roles and department names.
  • Warehouse Org Chart — The standard hierarchy for Warehouse department positions
  • The Top 40 Most Searched-For Warehouse Titles — A column chart of the top 40 Warehouse positions that candidates search for on Google.
  • 12 Warehouse Job Titles and Descriptions — A list of the top 12 Warehouse job titles and descriptions that employers request

 

What is the right job title for a warehouse worker?

While looking for a general warehouse job description, I stumbled upon a list from Glassdoor of top companies currently hiring for warehouse worker jobs. Among them are:

  • Amazon
  • Manpower
  • Cotsco Wholesale
  • The Coca-Cola Company
  • Best Buy
  • IKEA
  • PepsiCo
  • Publix
  • ABC Supply Co.

These companies have not only been highly-rated by current or past warehouse employees, but they also use some of the most popular warehouse job titles. All of these top companies have similar warehouse job titles, many of which could be used as a job title for a Warehouse Worker. Some are just a bit more experienced or specialized than others (i.e. Manager vs. Associate, Team Member vs. Supervisor)

Amazon employs thousands of Warehouse Associates, Warehouse Managers, and Warehouse Team Members along with Costco Wholesale. While the Coca-Cola Company and Target use Warehouse Supervisor instead of Warehouse Manager and Warehouse Specialist instead of Warehouse Associate.

Warehouse Worker is also a popular warehouse job title at Target. Global shipping company UPS opts for Warehouse Team Member, Warehouse Clerk, and Warehouse Lead as their top warehouse job titles, while their top competition FedEx uses Warehouse Worker and Warehouse Associate.

Other job titles for a Warehouse Worker could be Warehouse Picker, Warehouse Stocker, or Warehouse Technician. You will see more examples of these in our Warehouse Job Titles Hierarchy.

 

Which department do warehouse jobs fit in?

When looking for a warehouse worker job description, you will find warehouse job titles listed under a handful of teams including:

  • Distribution (CVS uses)
  • Supply Chain (Coca-Cola uses)
  • Operations (Beyond Meat uses)
  • Logistics (ABC Supply Co. uses)

Although these companies’ warehouse jobs are listed in different teams, they all have a similar warehouse shipping and receiving job description, among other warehouse job titles. The size of your organization and the product you provide steers what qualifies as a warehouse job and who leads the team. After browsing career sites for over 25 top warehouse companies, it seems that Logistics and Operations are often interwoven, and largely provide a home for warehouse jobs.

An article from Kogan Page on the differences between logistics, operations and supply chain management says,

“Operations management tends to be associated more with the production of goods as opposed to the movement of goods. However, some would say that operations management is the basis of both supply chain management (SCM) and logistics.”

So as you can see, warehouse jobs may fall under any of these teams. Let’s have a look at a typical org chart of Warehouse job titles to get a better picture of how a warehouse team fits together.

 

Warehouse Job Titles Hierarchy

warehouse job titles hierarchy
  • Chief Supply Chain Officer –  Chief Logistics Officer, Head of Warehouse Operations, Chief Operations Officer
  • VP Warehouse Operations – Warehouse Operation Executive, Warehouse VP
  • Warehouse Lead –  Logistics Director, Warehouse Director, Production Lead, Director of Warehouse Operations
  • Warehouse Manager – Warehouse Supervisor, Production Manager, Distribution Manager, Quality Assurance Manager (QA)
  • Individual Contributors – Machine Operator, Forklift Operator, Warehouse Associate, Material Handler, Logistics Coordinator, Production Worker, Logistician, Truck Loader, Warehouse Selector, Warehouse Driver
  • Entry Level – Order Selector, Warehouse Assistant, Warehouse Worker, Warehouse Picker, Inventory Counter, Warehouse Management Trainee

Here’s a longer list of titles by each row of the pyramid with little more texture on each:

Job Titles for Warehouse Leaders

Here are the top titles I found candidates and employers using for Warehouse leaders:

  1. Chief Supply Chain Officer (Rent the Runway)
  2. Chief Logistics Officer
  3. Head of Warehouse Operations (Verizon)
  4. Chief Operations Officer
  5. Head of Hardware and Warehouse Operations (Lime)
  6. Head of Logistics

VP of Warehouse Titles

Here are the top titles I found candidates and employers using for Warehouse Vice President titles:

  1. VP Warehouse Operations
  2. VP Supply Chain & Operations (Casper)
  3. Warehouse VP
  4. Warehouse Operation Executive (MRINetwork)

Director of Warehouse Titles

Here are the most used Warehouse director titles:

  1. Warehouse Lead (UPS)
  2. Logistics Director (GoPro)
  3. Production Lead (Coca-Cola)
  4. Director of Logistics
  5. Warehouse Team Leader (IKEA)
  6. Warehouse Director
  7. Warehouse Superintendent (Safeway)
  8. Director of Warehouse Operations (Pacific Produce)

Warehouse Manager Titles

There are numerous Warehouse Manager alternative titles to use. Here are the top 20 I found candidates and employers using:

  1. Warehouse Manager
  2. Production Manager
  3. Logistics Manager (Beyond Meat)
  4. Warehouse Supervisor (PepsiCo)
  5. Quality Assurance Manager (AT&T)
  6. Inventory Control Manager (Niagra Bottling)
  7. Warehouse Operations Manager
  8. Logistics Supervisor (Peloton Interactive)
  9. Shipping Supervisor (Target)
  10. Receiving Manager
  11. Distribution Center Manager
  12. Logistics Operations Manager
  13. Assistant Warehouse Manager
  14. Warehouse Assistant Manager
  15. Warehouse Foreman
  16. Warehouse General Manager
  17. Warehouse Logistics Manager
  18. Warehouse Shipping Manager
  19. Warehouse Distribution Manager
  20. Warehouse Shift Manager

Individual Contributor Warehouse Titles

When you get to the individual contributor level of Warehouse positions, there is more granularity. Here are the top 25 I found candidates and employers using:

  1. Forklift Operator (Walmart)
  2. Machine Operator (Manpower)
  3. Material Handler (Frito-Lay)
  4. Warehouse Associate (Amazon)
  5. Logistics Coordinator (Beyond Meat)
  6. Production Worker (General Motors)
  7. Logistics Analyst
  8. Logistician (Salesforce)
  9. Logistics Specialist
  10. Warehouse Clerk
  11. Production Technician (Coca-Cola)
  12. Warehouse Selector (Publix)
  13. Production Controller (Manpower)
  14. Assembly Technician (Honeywell)
  15. Warehouse Packer
  16. Truck Loader (Lowe’s)
  17. Warehouse Receiver
  18. Shipping & Receiving Clerk (UPS)
  19. Warehouse Specialist (Amazon)
  20. Warehouse Coordinator
  21. Logistics Engineer
  22. Warehouse Driver
  23. Warehouse Operative (Manpower)
  24. Warehouse Operator (Coca-Cola)
  25. Warehouse Team Member (Amazon)

Entry-Level Warehouse Job Titles

Here are the top 15 entry-level Warehouse titles I found candidates and employers using:

  1. Warehouse Worker (General Motors)
  2. Order Selector (CVS)
  3. Warehouse Picker
  4. Warehouse Stocker
  5. Warehouse Assistant
  6. Warehouse Picker Packer
  7. Warehouse Loader
  8. Warehouse Laborer
  9. Warehouse Material Handler (ABC Supply Co.)
  10. Inventory Counter (PepsiCo)
  11. Logistics Assistant
  12. Warehouse Helper
  13. Logistics Intern
  14. Warehouse Sorter
  15. Warehouse Scanner

 

Top Warehouse Job Titles (Candidates)

Below is a list of the top 40 Warehouse job titles based on Google queries we found on ahrefs.

Forklift Operator and Machine Operator are the top searched-for job by candidates and also the most requested warehouse job description by employers (see Top 12 list below).

chart of top 20 warehouse job titles

Top 12 Warehouse Job Titles and Descriptions (Employers)

Below are the top 12 Warehouse Job Description titles employers request on Google, according to ahrefs.

I’ve included a brief description for each as well as the # of job title searches per month by employers.

Warehouse Worker

A Warehouse Worker assists with all aspects of the warehouse including shipping, receiving, and inventory. A Warehouse Worker must be physically fit to fulfill their day to day duties which include:

  • Loading or unloading products
  • Picking items from shelves
  • Preparing products for shipment
  • Packing products
  • Tracking product inventory

# of job title searches per month: 2,400; Warehouse Picker: 250; Warehouse Stocker: 250

 

Machine Operator

A Machine Operator is responsible for the safe maintenance and operation of machines being used in a warehouse. A Machine Operator has technical knowledge on how machines work, and perform regular checks to make sure they are operating at full capacity. A Machine Operator sometimes has specialized technical qualifications for specific types of machinery.

# of job title searches per month: 2,300

 

Production Manager

A Production manager supervises a production team and sets the production schedule. Other duties of a Production Manager include:

  • Safety regulation compliance
  • Resource assessment
  • Budget management
  • Estimate preparation for clients

# of job title searches per month: 2,300

 

Warehouse Associate

A Warehouse Associate is an entry-level position in a warehouse. A Warehouse Associate assists warehouse teams and managers with various tasks including ordering packing, inventory checks, stocking, transporting orders to trucks. A Warehouse Associate also assists with clerical tasks and organization of the warehouse office.

# of job title searches per month: 2,200

 

Material Handler

A Material Handler is responsible for maintaining the stock in a warehouse. A Material Handler uses equipment like tractors, trucks, or forklifts to move stock around a warehouse or to a loading dock. A Material Handler loads stock onto delivery trucks, keeps records of inventory as it moves around a warehouse, and labels products.

# of job title searches per month: 2,000; Order Selector: 200

 

Forklift Operator

A Forklift Operator carries out the transport of stock and products throughout a warehouse using a forklift or other machinery. A Forklift Operator must be certified and trained according to the laws of the state or country they work in order to operate a forklift. A Forklift Operator moves pallets of products while also keeping a warehouse clean and organized to keep track of stock.

# of job title searches per month: 1,800

 

Warehouse Manager

A Warehouse Manager is responsible for safely leading the daily duties of the warehouse staff. A Warehouse Manager is tasked with the following:

  • Dispatching warehouse goods
  • Managing inventory
  • Tracking storage of products
  • Leading equipment checks and maintenance

# of job title searches per month: 1,400; Warehouse Supervisor: 450; Warehouse Lead: 200

 

Logistics Manager

A Logistics Manager oversees the flow of materials in a warehouse. A Logistics Manager manages the movement of materials in a warehouse and distribution of finished products to the customer. A Logistics Manager keeps track of supply chain activities to ensure production runs smoothly and on time in connection with the warehouse managers and senior management team.

# of job title searches per month: 800; Logistics Coordinator: 700; Logistics Specialist: 200

 

Production Worker

A Production Worker works on the product line assisting with assembly and product checks. A Production Worker is also tasked with equipment safety checks and factory equipment operation. A Production Worker may work in different areas of the production line to help ensure products meet certain standards.

# of job title searches per month: 600

 

Logistics Analyst

A Logistics Analyst, also known as a Logistician, analyzes the production and logistics process using software to increase productivity. Duties of a warehouse Logistics Analyst include:

  • Finding cost-efficient shipping schedules
  • Monitoring movement of warehouse stock
  • Identifying inventory reduction opportunities
  • Designing efficient product flows

# of job title searches per month: 250

 

Quality Assurance Manager

A Quality Assurance Manager, also known as a QA, leads the quality assurance team and inspects warehouse inventory for damage or loss. A Quality Assurance Manager develops and enforces quality-compliance measures to ensure top product delivery to the client. A Quality Assurance Manager also works with warehouse upper-level management to conduct safety checks and train employees on proper quality assurance procedures.

# of job title searches per month: 200

 

Warehouse Clerk

A Warehouse Clerk helps manage the shipping and receiving in a warehouse. A Warehouse Clerk takes client orders and processes financial transactions prior to the picking and loading of goods onto the delivery truck. A Warehouse Clerk also keeps track of inventory levels and shipment reports.

# of job title searches per month: 150

Will the next warehouse job title be held by a robot?

According to the CEO of PathGuide Technologies, Amazon has even started using robots to assist warehouse associates:

“Amazon has increased the number of warehouse robots from 1,400 to 45,000 in the last three years, but has also increased its employees from 90,000 to 360,000.  Automation seems to be pushing employee growth, not hindering it. We’ll probably first see robots helping with picking and sorting, loading and unloading, storage and delivery. “

Thank you, Warehouse Job Title Experts!

In addition to the sources cited above, special thanks to these experts on Warehouse titles:

  1. Indeed’s article on Warehouse Jobs that Pay Well
  2. ZipRecruiter’s article on 10 Most Popular Types of Warehouse Jobs
  3. Glassdoor’s listing on Top Companies Hiring for Warehouse Worker Jobs
  4. Gwynn Richard’s article on The Differences Between Logistics, Operations and Supply Chain Management
  5. Eric Allais’s article on The Future Warehouse: Robotics and Automation
  6. Luanne Kelchner’s article on Job Requirements for a Logistics Manager
  7. Christa Terry’s article on How to Become a Logistics Analyst
  8. Ian Linton’s article on Duties & Responsibilities of Quality Assurance Managers
  9. Ashley Donohoe’s article on Role of a Warehouse Clerk Work

Why I wrote this?

My team and I share this research on Warehouse job titles to help you optimize your own titles. This supports our mission to transform job descriptions. Check out Ongig.com to learn more.

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