Assistant Warehouse Manager will be a key member of the Warehouse Management team. 
You will be responsible for circa 200 Warehouse staff working across 3 shifts, covering 7 days, including nights. 

With the Warehouse Operations Manger, you will drive performance in all areas, including service, safety, training and compliance. 

Our business is growing and we are looking for experienced Warehouse Management colleagues who can be part of the journey to maximise operational excellence and delivering on organizational goals.

You will have the opportunity to grow your skills and be part of exciting projects as well as working with a great team!

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

• Safety first mindset, driving the safety agenda on site. Assist in addressing health and safety challenges, including manual handling and man versus machine risks, through sustainable solutions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the Warehouse Operations Manager to ensure alignment of operational goals and effective cross-functional communication.
• Act as a delegate for the Warehouse Operations Manager during planned absences, providing both breadth and depth of support as needed. Required to attend and support in all meetings at different levels.
• Will be solely responsible for the training function, with the training team reporting directly into this role.
• Developing improved performance management and driving standards around our inductions.
• Driving and improving customer service by working with customer service team, highlighting and resolving issues.
• Engaging our training team to improve the standards in our pick team.
• Pro-actively support in cost saving initiatives, supporting both the warehouse management and liaising with the finance business partner to drive a cost focussed culture.
• Foster and support a culture of continuous improvement.
• Support in workforce planning, ranging from basic labour planning for the week, to succession planning and skills matrix, focusing on developing talent that improves business resilience.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather and analyse data, providing actionable insights and recommendations to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Driving our sustainability goals, inclusive of managing the Boomerang operation and tightening up on data collation and management.
• Support in fostering a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship with our landlord through regular communication, performance reviews, and joint problem-solving.

Essential:

• Proven experience in warehouse management
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with an emphasis on fostering collaborative relationships
• Proficiency in data analysis
• Commitment to maintaining a safety-first culture
• Experience of working in continuous improvement environment
• Competent on Excel and other systems
• Self-motivated and pro-active
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment

Desirable

• Experience in a cold store distribution centre environment
• Experience managing and tracking training compliance of a large team
• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, logistics, or a related field 
• Lean or six sigma experience 
• Confidence with SAP and voice technology for picking and replenishment tasks 

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 33 days holiday per year, including bank holidays (which are considered a normal working day)
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Free meals, snacks and beverages on site
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.
Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.