Material Controller Supervisor

The Material Controller Supervisor is responsible for leading the day-to-day operation of the Stores department, ensuring the safe, accurate and efficient flow of materials throughout the business.

The role is accountable for inventory accuracy, team performance, quality standards and continuous improvement, ensuring materials are available to support production and customer requirements.

Working closely with the Logistics Manager and other operational departments, the Material Controller Supervisor will promote a culture of safety, accountability and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, motivate and develop the Stores team to achieve departmental objectives.
• Allocate daily workloads and ensure resources are effectively utilised.
• Conduct daily team briefings and communicate operational priorities.
• Monitor attendance, timekeeping and performance.
• Identify training and development requirements and support ongoing staff development.
• Foster a positive, collaborative and high-performing team culture.
• Maintain accurate inventory records and stock integrity at all times.
• Oversee all goods inward and goods outward activities.
• Ensure all picking, packing and kitting activities are completed accurately and within required timescales.
• Supervise material receipts, put-away, storage and stock replenishment.
• Ensure works orders are picked and issued to production in line with manufacturing schedules.
• Maintain full material traceability throughout the operation.
• Monitor shelf-life controlled materials and ensure appropriate stock rotation.
• Support annual stocktakes and supervise ongoing cycle counting activities.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure all materials meet quality standards before acceptance into stock.
• Work closely with Quality and Inspection teams to resolve non-conforming materials.
• Ensure departmental processes comply with the Business Management System (BMS).
• Maintain accurate operational records and documentation.
• Ensure company procedures and work instructions are consistently followed.
• Promote and maintain a safe working environment.
• Ensure compliance with all Health & Safety policies and procedures.
• Report hazards, incidents and near misses promptly.
• Carry out routine workplace inspections where required.
• Monitor warehouse equipment and report maintenance requirements to minimise downtime.
• Monitor departmental KPIs and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Report operational issues, risks and improvement opportunities to the Logistics Manager.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve productivity, quality and inventory accuracy.
• Support cross-functional working with Production, Engineering, Quality and Purchasing departments.
• Responsible for ensuring the protection and proper handling of personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws (e. g., GDPR) and internal policies.
• This role reports into the Logistics Manager

Requirements

Essential

• Previous experience in a Stores, Warehouse or Logistics supervisory role.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent organisational and planning ability.
• Experience using ERP/WMS systems (Microsoft Dynamics NAV or similar desirable).
• Good understanding of inventory control and stock management.
• Experience of goods inward, dispatch and material control.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good communication skills.
• Computer literate with Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety requirements within a warehouse environment.
• Forklift truck experience (Counterbalance/Pallet stacker licence desirable or willingness to train).
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-marking, work quality, and to reduce costs.

The successful candidate must be able to identify appropriate AI use cases and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.

Desirable

• Experience within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Understanding of quality systems and material traceability.
• Continuous Improvement or Lean experience.
• Experience managing KPIs and performance metrics.
• First Aid or Health & Safety qualifications.
• Full UK Driving Licence.