Shipping & Receiving Lead Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
Shipping and Receiving Leads keep material and paperwork moving through the dock. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
Shipping and Receiving Leads keep material and paperwork moving through the dock. We find working leads who handle ERP transactions, carriers and the people on the floor.
A Shipping and Receiving Lead directs dock staff, books carriers, checks bills of lading, receives material into the ERP and resolves discrepancies. Warehouse Lead and Dock Lead are related titles.
Mistakes in receiving create shortages weeks later. We ask how a candidate handles a short shipment, a mislabeled pallet or a transaction posted to the wrong location. People who understand the system know the downstream effect.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
OSHA powered industrial truck certification is employer issued and applies to the equipment and site. A card from another employer does not replace site evaluation. We ask about truck classes and whether the candidate drove them recently. We also ask about safe loading and trailer inspection.
Credentials and limits
OSHA powered industrial truck certification is employer issued and applies to the equipment and site. A card from another employer does not replace site evaluation. We ask about truck classes and whether the candidate drove them recently. We also ask about safe loading and trailer inspection.
Safe work
Docks involve moving trailers, forklifts and heavy loads. We ask how the person manages trailer restraint, pedestrian routes and damaged pallets. A lead who ignores safety teaches the crew to do the same.
Fit, shift, commute and current pay
A plant dock with raw materials differs from a distribution floor. We match material types and volume pattern. We confirm shift, commute and relocation. We ask about current pay and reasons for a move. Leads from third-party logistics often have speed but less manufacturing context, and we tell you how that shows.
Red flags when we screen a lead
Another is high turnover on the lead's crew with no explanation. We also listen for poor carrier relationships. A lead who burns bridges with drivers will pay for it in dock delays. We ask how disputes were handled.
How we judge practical qualification
We ask the candidate to walk through one full inbound load from carrier arrival to putaway. They name the checks, the documents and the system entries. Then we ask about one outbound mistake and how they fixed it. Clear detail shows ownership. We also ask how they train new dock staff.
Fit versus title
A Shipping and Receiving Lead in a plant handles raw materials, finished goods and sometimes scrap. A Warehouse Lead in a distribution site manages orders and pick paths. A Dock Lead may only direct trailers and crews. We ask what flows through your dock and how much system work the person does, because that decides who fits.
Practical qualification
A candidate is ready when they have led a crew through a busy week and kept records clean. We ask how they handled a short staffed shift and a late carrier. Specific stories show real leadership. People who only followed instructions may suit a different role.
Can a receiving lead also run the shipping side?
We check the actual transactions, not just dock experience. Receiving includes discrepancies, inspection holds and getting stock into the right location. Shipping adds carrier appointments, bills of lading and release rules.
Do you screen for carrier scheduling?
Yes: We ask how the person books, reschedules and handles late trucks.
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
We approach leads in plant warehouses where material feeds production.
Logistics provider staff form another pool. We test how well they handle manufacturing materials and production urgency.
Production material handlers who ran their own areas are another pool. They know plant urgency. We test paperwork and system habits before we call them ready.
Shipping clerks who have run a small dock on a late shift are another useful group. They know how paperwork and trucks collide. We test crew leadership, since clerks may never have directed others.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
What the dock lead owns. We ask how many people the person directed and what decisions they made without a supervisor. Red flags when we screen a lead. A red flag is a lead who cannot describe how errors were found and corrected.
- What the dock lead owns. We ask how many people the person directed and what decisions they made without a supervisor.
- Red flags when we screen a lead. A red flag is a lead who cannot describe how errors were found and corrected.
- Can a receiving lead also run the shipping side?. Someone who has led only one side may need support before they can own the whole dock.
The search
How the search runs?
We assist with the offer. OSHA powered industrial truck certification is employer issued and applies to the equipment and site. If your system or material mix is uncommon, we show which candidates are closest and what each would need to learn.
Agree the brief
We start with your dock layout, systems, carriers and team size. We record which tasks the lead owns. Then we call working leads, screen system and people skills and send a short list.
Approach relevant people
We assist with the offer. OSHA powered industrial truck certification is employer issued and applies to the equipment and site. If your system or material mix is uncommon, we show which candidates are closest and what each would need to learn.
Qualify the work and support the hire
Before any interview, we ask each candidate about their weakest week on the dock and what they learned from it. We share the answer with you. We also check that the person is comfortable with the weight of customer and carrier calls during a busy shipping window.
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about Shipping & Receiving Lead searches?
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your Shipping & Receiving Lead search?
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about managers, engineers and leadership?
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$45,260 annual national median for SOC 43-5071 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks.
Shipping & Receiving Lead is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideGet a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What else affects this Shipping & Receiving Lead hire?
Is ERP experience required?
Usually. We say when a similar system is acceptable.
Can you cover multiple shifts?
Yes: Tell us the shift pattern. A Shipping and Receiving Lead directs dock staff, books carriers, checks bills of lading, receives material into the ERP and resolves discrepancies.
Do leads need forklift certification?
Usually they do, and the employer must evaluate them on your trucks. We confirm recent hands-on time.
Can an inventory clerk move into a lead role?
Sometimes: People skills must be tested, since system skill alone is not enough. We test crew leadership, since clerks may never have directed others.
How is the search fee agreed?
The fee is a percentage of first-year base salary, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
Need a Shipping & Receiving Lead? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should we discuss first?
Do you place Warehouse Leads too?
Yes: We clarify whether the role includes receiving. Warehouse Lead and Dock Lead are related titles.
What should you know before sending shipping & receiving lead?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review Shipping & Receiving Lead