Warehouse Section Leader

At Gist, we're proud to be part of the M&S Group, the logistics engine behind M&S Food.

From our distribution centres to our transport operations and support functions, we connect people, technology and expertise to ensure the right products reach the right stores at the right time.

As we continue to invest in our people, technology and network, there's never been a more exciting time to join Gist and help shape the future of food logistics.

Are you a people-focused leader who enjoys bringing out the best in a team while keeping a busy operation moving?

Our Lenziemill operation has an exciting opportunity for a Warehouse Section Leader to join our night team, leading approximately 11–13 colleagues across a fast-paced warehouse operation.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll balance the needs of your people with the demands of the operation. You'll set clear expectations, support and develop colleagues, manage performance and make sure your area delivers safely and effectively throughout the night.

We're looking for someone who genuinely enjoys leading people
, not simply just managing tasks. Previous warehouse or FMCG experience would be beneficial, but we're also open to experienced team leaders from other fast-paced environments, including retail, who can demonstrate strong people management and operational skills.

You'll be joining a busy night operation, so you'll need to be comfortable spinning several plates at once, responding to challenges as they arise and keeping your team engaged and focused throughout the shift.

You'll work 4 nights out of 7, 20:00–06:00
, with one weekend on and one weekend off.

As Warehouse Section Leader, you'll take responsibility for your team and operational area, ensuring colleagues understand what needs to be delivered and have the support they need to succeed.

You’ll:

• Lead, support and motivate a team of approximately 11–13 warehouse colleagues throughout your shift.
• Take ownership of a specific operational area, ensuring the daily plan is understood and delivered safely and efficiently.
• Set clear expectations and provide regular, constructive feedback to help colleagues perform at their best.
• Monitor operational service and performance KPIs, taking action where required to keep performance on track.
• Coach and develop colleagues, identifying training and development needs and supporting new starters through their induction.
• Manage day-to-day people activity including attendance, Return to Work conversations, wellbeing and performance.
• Confidently support people and employee relations matters, escalating and working with your manager where appropriate.
• Prioritise competing demands and respond quickly to operational challenges throughout the shift.
• Identify potential risks, resolve problems and escalating safety incidents, hazards or near misses appropriately.
• Champion health and safety, ensuring your team operates in a safe and compliant environment.
• Create an environment where colleagues feel comfortable sharing ideas and contributing to better ways of working.
• Work collaboratively with other leaders and operational teams to deliver a strong overall shift performance.

This is an opportunity to combine people leadership with hands-on operational responsibility, making a visible difference to both your team and the performance of the warehouse.

We're looking for an experienced team leader or manager who understands that great operational performance starts with great people leadership.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Previous team leadership or people management experience within a busy operational environment.
• A people-focused leadership style with the confidence to coach, challenge and support colleagues.
• Experience managing performance, attendance and day-to-day people matters.
• The confidence to support employee relations issues and have sometimes challenging conversations when required.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage several priorities at once.
• A calm, practical approach to solving problems in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience working with operational targets or KPIs and using them to drive…