Warehouse Lead Operator

About Vintage.com

At Vintage.com, we’re building the most trusted platform for pre-loved items. We help people give valuable things a new life, making the experience simple, transparent and rewarding.

We bring together specialist knowledge, thoughtful technology and genuine care for our customers. By helping more items stay in circulation, we create value for people and make a positive impact at the same time.

About the Team

Our Warehouse Operations / Logistics & Transport Team keeps customer boxes, stock and equipment moving safely and efficiently through Vintage.com.

From receiving incoming boxes and moving stock between teams, through to storage, packing, dispatch and returns, Warehouse Operations helps make sure items are in the right place at the right time and can continue smoothly through the operation.

The team works closely with Appraisals, Marketplace and other operational teams to respond to changing stock volumes and priorities. Accurate scanning, careful handling and reliable stock movement are essential to keeping the wider operation flowing.

Why This Role Matters

Why the role exists

As a Warehouse Lead Operator, you’ll combine hands-on Warehouse Operations work with day-to-day guidance of the team around you. You’ll act as a first point of contact on the floor, helping colleagues stay on track and keeping stock moving, and you’ll take the lead for the team when the Warehouse Team Lead is absent.

You’ll spend the majority of your time working alongside the team - receiving, scanning, storing, packing and moving stock to the same standard expected of an experienced Operator - while also keeping an eye on pace, priorities and problems as they arise.

In the Team Lead’s absence, you’ll take the lead for the shift: allocating colleagues to where they’re needed, keeping stock flowing and making sure processes are followed, then handing back a clear picture of what happened when the Team Lead returns.

This role sits between Warehouse Operator and Warehouse Team Lead. It’s a natural next step for experienced Operators who want to build guidance and coordination experience while staying close to the operation, and a first step towards a future Team Lead role.

Every shift you help run smoothly, and every colleague you support to work more confidently, keeps Logistics reliable and helps the wider team perform at its best.

What success looks like

• Stock keeps moving at pace, with your own hands-on work completed to the standard of accuracy and care expected of an experienced Operator.
• Colleagues have a clear, approachable point of contact for questions, problems or when priorities shift during the shift.
• Cover during the Warehouse Team Lead’s absence is smooth, with people allocated sensibly and stock flow maintained.
• New and less experienced colleagues are guided and supported so they build confidence and capability.
• Issues, blockages, damage or discrepancies are spotted early and either resolved on the spot or escalated appropriately.
• Handovers to the Warehouse Team Lead are clear and accurate, covering what happened, what’s outstanding and what needs attention.
• Warehouse, storage and working areas remain clean, organised and safe.
• The Warehouse Team Lead can rely on you to represent their priorities and standards when they’re not on the floor.

Key Responsibilities

What You’ll Do

Stock Flow & Logistics

• Carry out the same core Warehouse/ Logistics activities as the rest of the team - receiving, scanning, storing, packing, moving and dispatching stock - to the standard expected of an experienced Operator.
• Move between activities and areas as priorities change, helping keep stock flowing wherever it’s needed most.
• Handle a wide variety of pre-loved items carefully, setting the standard of care and accuracy others can follow.
• Store stock in the correct designated locations and follow agreed processes for retrieving and moving it when required.

Guiding & Supporting the Team

• Act as the first point of contact for colleagues’ day-to-day questions, helping them find the right process or work through a problem.
• Step in to lead the team and coordinate shift priorities when the Warehouse Team Lead is absent or unavailable.
• Allocate colleagues to activities and areas during cover periods, based on stock volumes and operational priorities.
• Help new starters and less experienced colleagues learn processes, build confidence and settle into the team.
• Model consistent, accurate ways of working that others can learn from.
• Keep the Warehouse Team Lead informed of anything they need to know, and provide a clear handover after periods of cover.
• Encourage colleagues to raise questions, concerns and ideas, and pass these on to the Warehouse Team Lead where appropriate.

Operational Performance

• Help the team stay on track against agreed productivity, accuracy and safety expectations, stepping in when things start to build up or slip.
• Support consistent scanning and stock-movement practices across the team so records remain reliable.
• Identify damaged items, discrepancies, stock-flow issues or recurring problems and either resolve them directly or raise them with the Warehouse Team Lead.
• Respond quickly when boxes, cages or items begin to build up in particular areas, redirecting support as needed.

Collaboration

• Work closely with the Warehouse Team Lead to understand priorities, plans and any areas that need extra attention.
• Build strong working relationships across Warehouse/ Logistics and with Appraisals, Marketplace and other operational teams.
• Support clear handovers between shifts, making sure outstanding issues and priorities are understood.
• Represent the team constructively when working with other areas of the operation.

Continuous Improvement

• Share practical ideas for improving stock flow, organisation or ways of working, drawing on your day-to-day experience.
• Help introduce and embed new processes, systems or layouts, and feed back on how they work in practice.
• Flag recurring issues or patterns to the Warehouse Team Lead so they can be addressed at source.

Compliance

• Follow all stock-handling, manual-handling and workplace safety procedures, and encourage others to do the same.
• Help make sure walkways, storage areas and working spaces remain clear, organised and safe.
• Respond appropriately to hazards, incidents, near misses or safety concerns, and know when to escalate to the Warehouse Team Lead.
• Support accurate completion of any required checks or records during periods of cover.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

What You’ll Bring

Essential

• Experience as a Warehouse Operator or in a similar hands-on Logistics role, with a strong track record of accuracy, pace and reliability.
• Confidence guiding, coaching or supporting colleagues informally, even without formal line-management experience.
• Ability to stay calm and organised when priorities change quickly or when stepping in to cover for the Warehouse Team Lead.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to give clear, practical direction to colleagues.
• A proactive approach to spotting and resolving problems before they affect the wider team.
• Ability to balance your own hands-on workload with keeping an eye on the team around you.
• Confidence using, or willingness to learn, digital systems and scanning equipment, and a willingness to help others learn them.
• Ability to carry out the practical requirements of the role, including regular movement around the site and frequent handling and movement of boxes, cages, pallets and stock.
• Ability to work the agreed shift pattern for your location.

Helpful

• Previous experience informally leading, buddying or training colleagues in a warehouse, logistics or other fast-paced operational environment.
• Interest in progressing towards a future Warehouse Team Lead role.
• Experience working with warehouse or stock-management systems.
• Experience working with cages, pallets, conveyors, trolleys or similar operational equipment.
• Experience contributing to process or continuous-improvement activity.

Qualifications

No specific qualification is required. We care most about your approach, the experience you bring and your willingness to guide and support others.

Living Our Values

In this role, living our values means:

• Handle every box and item with care and respect, recognising the value in the products our customers send us.
• Take ownership of accurate scanning and stock movement so items reach the right place and problems are raised quickly.
• Stay curious about how the operation works and build your understanding of how stock moves between different teams.
• Work as one team, moving to where support is most needed and helping colleagues keep stock flowing through the operation.
• Take pride in maintaining good standards of accuracy, productivity, organisation and safety.
• Speak up when you see a recurring problem or something that could be made safer, simpler or more efficient.