Warehouse & Dispatch Operations Lead
Our client is a comprehensive printing and fulfilment company providing design, pre-press, printing, binding, warehousing and logistics services. The company works with educational institutions, publishers and other clients, managing products from printing through storage and final dispatch.
The educational-book business involves a large number of SKUs across textbooks, workbooks, subjects, grades, educational boards and customer categories. Accurate packing, labelling, inventory control and dispatch are therefore critical to the customer experience.
About the Role
We are hiring a Warehouse & Dispatch Operations Lead to establish and manage a reliable, process-driven warehousing and dispatch function at its Bhiwandi facility.
The individual will take ownership of the complete movement of finished educational books—from receipt and storage to picking, packing, carton labelling, dispatch, delivery coordination and returns.
This is a hands-on role for someone who can work close to the ground, solve operational problems quickly and introduce controls that prevent packing and dispatch errors. The person must be comfortable coordinating with warehouse teams, transporters, drivers, publishers, schools, institutions, wholesalers, retailers and internal stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
Warehouse and Inventory Operations
- Manage the receipt, storage, identification and movement of finished books within the warehouse.
- Ensure accurate SKU-wise segregation across textbooks, workbooks, grades, subjects, boards, editions and customers.
- Establish clearly defined storage locations, binning systems and product-identification practices.
- Maintain accurate physical and system inventory.
- Conduct periodic cycle counts and stock reconciliations.
- Investigate inventory variances and implement corrective measures.
- Ensure appropriate handling of damaged, obsolete, returned or excess stock.
Picking, Packing and Dispatch Accuracy
- Take complete ownership of picking, packing, labelling and dispatch accuracy.
- Prevent instances where carton labels mention one title or subject while the books packed inside are different.
- Introduce maker-checker, scanning, reconciliation or other suitable verification controls before cartons are sealed and dispatched.
- Ensure dispatches are verified against customer orders, packing lists, school-wise requirements and transport documentation.
- Define standard operating procedures and checkpoints for every stage of the packing and dispatch process.
- Track dispatch accuracy and drive root-cause analysis of all errors, shortages, excesses and customer complaints.
Returns and Reverse Logistics
Logistics and Stakeholder Coordination
- Coordinate with transporters, drivers and delivery partners to ensure timely dispatch and delivery.
- Work closely with publishers, schools, institutions, wholesalers, retailers and internal commercial teams to resolve urgent requirements.
- Manage last-minute changes, shortages, delivery escalations and seasonal dispatch pressures.
- Maintain real-time communication with relevant stakeholders on order and dispatch status.
- Ensure transport documentation, proof of delivery and dispatch records are complete and traceable.
- Evaluate transporter performance and address recurring delays or service issues.
Process Creation and Improvement
- Study the current warehouse and dispatch workflow and identify control gaps.
- Design and implement scalable processes for inventory, picking, packing, labelling, dispatch and returns.
- Introduce suitable technology, barcode, scanning, ERP or reporting controls wherever required.
- Create SOPs, checklists, escalation matrices and clearly defined accountabilities.
- Build dashboards covering stock accuracy, order status, dispatch accuracy, returns and transporter performance.
- Analyse recurring operational failures and implement permanent corrective and preventive actions.
- Prepare the operation to handle peak academic-season volumes without compromising accuracy.
Team Leadership
- Lead, train and supervise the warehouse, packing and dispatch teams.
- Establish productivity and accuracy standards for permanent, contractual and temporary manpower.
- Allocate manpower according to order priorities and dispatch schedules.
- Build a culture of ownership, discipline, urgency and attention to detail.
- Conduct regular reviews and ensure accountability for operational errors.
- Maintain safety, housekeeping and compliance standards within the warehouse.
Candidate Profile
- Approximately 12–18 years of experience in warehouse, dispatch, fulfilment, distribution or logistics operations.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex, high-SKU warehouse and dispatch operations.
- Proven ability to reduce picking, packing, labelling and dispatch errors.
- Experience creating warehouse and dispatch processes, rather than only operating within established systems.
- Strong exposure to returns management and reverse logistics.
- Experience coordinating with transporters, drivers, customers and multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Hands-on team leadership experience in a fast-moving operational environment.
- Working knowledge of ERP/WMS, barcode systems, inventory controls and operational reporting.
- Strong problem-solving, root-cause analysis and execution skills.
Preferred Industry Background
Candidates may come from:
- Printing and packaging
- FMCG or consumer-product distribution
- E-commerce fulfilment
- Pharmaceuticals or healthcare distribution
- Auto components or other high-SKU distribution environments
- Retail or institutional supply-chain operations
Direct educational-book experience is advantageous but not mandatory. The ability to solve comparable warehouse, packing, dispatch and returns problems is more important.
Personal Attributes
- Highly hands-on and willing to work on the warehouse floor.
- A strong hustler who follows issues through to closure.
- Process-oriented, without becoming bureaucratic.
- Calm and decisive during urgent situations.
- Comfortable dealing with stakeholders at every level—from drivers and warehouse workers to institutional customers and management.
- Willing to work beyond conventional office hours when dispatch emergencies or seasonal business requirements demand it.
- High personal accountability for accuracy, timelines and customer commitments.
Key Performance Indicators
- Picking and packing accuracy
- Carton-labelling accuracy
- On-time and in-full dispatch
- Inventory accuracy
- Reduction in customer complaints and dispatch errors
- Turnaround time for urgent orders
- Return-stock reconciliation time
- Reduction in stock variance, damage and loss
- Transporter performance
- Warehouse productivity and manpower utilisation
- Successful implementation and adoption of SOPs and operational controls
