Production Associate V - Warehouse Operations Lead Operator

Smithfield Foods•Junction City, KS

10d•$23•Onsite

About The Position

The Warehouse Operations Lead is an advanced hourly role responsible for supporting day-to-day operations within the production warehouse, including packaging and manufacturing materials. This position works alongside other hourly associates and provides task coordination to ensure materials are accurately received, stored, issued, and transacted to support production. The role supports inventory accuracy, audit readiness, and compliance and maintains a dotted-line working relationship with the Corporate Buyer for purchasing, inventory, and supplier-related activities. Your Opportunity Our team members receive industry-leading wages and are eligible for great benefits packages: Hourly Competitive Starting Pay – $23.10/hour $1/hour shift differential for 2nd and 3rd shift positions Comprehensive Health Insurance, Retirement Benefits and More. In addition, we offer opportunities for career growth and professional development.

Requirements

Production warehouse experience in a manufacturing environment
Working knowledge of SAP inventory transactions and PO receipts
Strong Excel skills for tracking, auditing, and reporting
Knowledge of ingredient and packaging material control, FIFO, and lot traceability
Strong attention to detail and documentation accuracy
Effective communication and issue escalation skills

Nice To Haves

Experience in food manufacturing or a regulated environment
Familiarity with audit, traceability, and recall readiness requirements.
Forklift / PIT certification or ability to obtain.

Responsibilities

The Warehouse Operations Lead supports daily production warehouse operations by coordinating tasks related to packaging and manufacturing materials ensuring production lines are supplied accurately and on time. This includes staging, issuing, returning, and organizing materials in alignment with production schedules.
This position performs and verifies SAP transactions, including purchase order receipts, inventory movements, material issues, reversals, and adjustments for both manufacturing and packaging materials. Accuracy and timeliness of system transactions are critical expectations of this role.
The role maintains oversight of ingredients and inventory of packaging materials, ensuring FIFO, lot control, and proper storage practices are followed. This includes monitoring material flow from receiving through production usage and return.
The Warehouse Operations Lead uses Microsoft Excel and approved tracking tools to maintain inventory logs, shortage trackers, audit documentation, and daily warehouse activity reports. Discrepancies are identified, researched, and escalated to the management team for resolution.
The position conducts routine production warehouse audits, including inventory accuracy, location accuracy, FIFO compliance, lot traceability, housekeeping, and documentation reviews for both packaging and manufacturing material areas. Audit findings are documented and followed through to closure.
The Warehouse Operations Lead supports receiving operations by verifying incoming manufacturing and packaging materials against purchase orders, coordinating inspection or QA requirements, ensuring correct labeling and storage, and completing accurate PO receipts in SAP.
This role maintains a dotted line working relationship with the Corporate Buyer, supporting purchasing activities, inventory visibility, supplier coordination, and resolution of receiving or material discrepancies.
Safety, quality, and compliance are core expectations. The Warehouse Operations Lead models safe behaviors, reinforces PPE and equipment standards, and supports continuous audit readiness for internal, customer, and regulatory inspections.