Area Manager, Inbound Hub Operations

Role Description

The Area Manager, Inbound Hub Operations is a people first leader responsible for directly managing and developing a team of leads and associates at one of ShipBob’s receiving hubs. A hub is dedicated exclusively to receiving inbound inventory from merchants and injecting it into ShipBob’s network as quickly and accurately as possible—goods are received, quality-checked, verified, 3D-scanned, stow-tagged, and transferred on to regional spoke fulfillment centers, where picking, packing, and shipping take place. They’ll be heavily involved in driving inbound process improvement across the full hub flow—dock management, receiving against warehouse receiving orders (WROs), quality control and product verification, and coordinating timely transfer to spoke locations—while maintaining a safe work environment, safeguarding inventory accuracy, and meeting hub service-level agreements, including the 3-day hub-arrival-to-stow SLA.

What you’ll do

• Manage, build, and develop a team of 30+ inbound associates across dock, receiving, and processing (Temp and FTE).
• Review weekly inbound volume and WRO forecasts—scheduled dock appointments and expected receipts—and identify productivity and staffing requirements to meet overall building objectives.
• Partner with other Area Managers to balance labor ensuring we are operating an efficient shift while meeting all goals.
• Own inbound hub metric reporting, including, but not limited to, receiving UPH, hub-to-transfer (dock-to-stow) cycle time against the 3-day hub SLA, WRO processing time, receiving and inventory accuracy, on-time receipt against ASNs/WROs, and Injury Rate. Identify areas for improvement, troubleshoot problems, and implement solutions to maintain standards.
• Manage dock scheduling and inbound appointment flow, coordinating with carriers and merchants to align inbound deliveries with available labor and dock capacity.
• Oversee receiving against Products, WROs, and purchase orders—ensuring accurate counts, quality checks, product verification, 3D scanning for optimal packaging, and stow-tagging, with prompt and accurate processing to protect inventory accuracy.
• Drive hub-to-transfer (dock-to-stow) cycle time and reduce inbound dwell so received inventory consistently meets the 3-day hub SLA, escalating receipt discrepancies, damages, and OS&D (over, short, and damaged) issues for prompt resolution.
• Carefully coordinate the timely internal transfer of received inventory to the correct regional spoke fulfillment centers, partnering with transportation to meet hub SLAs and keeping WRO statuses (arrived at hub, processing, transferred) accurate and current.
• Responsible for ensuring teams are properly trained on processes and procedures, understand metrics and performance goals, and that their needs are addressed so they can best perform in their roles. Assign tasks, provide coaching and accountability, and motivate team towards achieving performance goals.
• Develop Lead talent ensuring Lead associates are provided necessary tools, training, and resources to meet standards.
• Actively foster employee engagement onsite by participating in activities, events, and programs that contribute to workplace culture, a positive work environment, and employee wellbeing.
• Review and approve associate timecards daily.
• Serve as the contact for escalated issues, with the ability to mitigate risk and resolve quickly and effectively.
• Support all safety programs and OSHA compliance to ensure a safe work environment for all associates.

What you’ll bring to the table

• 2+ years of people management and operational leadership experience within a high-volume 3PL fulfillment environment, with direct experience leading inbound/receiving operations (receiving, putaway, and stow) strongly preferred. Preferred experience in ecommerce, retail, and manufacturing industries.
• Ability to manage performance, deliver feedback, train, and develop talent for professional growth.
• Solid computer skills and have a working knowledge of programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel, PowerBI and TMS systems.
• Strong analytical skills and experience tracking and achieving KPIs.
• Excellent attention to detail and communication skills.
• Comfortable navigating and managing ambiguity.
• Hardworking with a focus on learning, detail-oriented, and passionate about helping small businesses compete online.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with business stakeholders, inbound carriers, and supplier/merchant partners.
• Must be willing to work rotating shifts and non-traditional hours as needed to support business operations.
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs without restriction.
• Able to stand and walk continuously during and up to a 8-10 hr shift.
• Able to bend, stoop, reach above, and push/pull frequently.

Perks & Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision & Basic Life Insurance
• Paid Maternity/Parental Leave Program
• Paid Holidays & Flexible Time Off Program
• Paid Sick Leave
• Wellness Days (1 day/quarter)
• 401K Match
• Comprehensive Benefits Package

About You

Building the world’s leading full-stack fulfillment platform is challenging work. The problems we solve are complex, the pace is fast, and the bar is high. That means ShipBob’s environment isn’t the right fit for everyone, and that’s okay. If you are ready to take ownership, push boundaries, and grow alongside a team that genuinely supports each other, we would love to hear from you.

About Us

ShipBob is a leading global supply chain and fulfillment technology platform designed for SMB and Mid-Market ecommerce merchants to provide them access to best-in-class capabilities and to deliver a delightful shopper experience. Merchants can outsource their entire fulfillment operations, utilize ShipBob’s proprietary warehouse management system for in-house fulfillment, or take advantage of a hybrid solution across ShipBob’s dozens of fulfillment center network in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. ShipBob is backed by leading investors like Menlo Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and is one of the fastest-growing tech companies headquartered in Chicago.