First Line Manager - Tacoma

Our offer to You

Volvo Group offers the opportunity to work in a dynamic and team-focused environment in a company that is well known for its state-of-the-art company culture and benefits. Our culture is about how we interact with each other, our customers, and with society as a whole. It helps us to achieve our business objectives, is firmly rooted in our history, and is critical to our company’s long-term success. It is the foundation on which everything else is built. 
Volvo Group is defined by a set of five carefully chosen values, which include Customer Success, Trust, Passion, Change, and Performance. These values are a major force in guiding our day-to-day behavior and drive our decision making at all levels of the organization. Our values are easy to understand, and yet fundamentally important. They express our shared beliefs across countries and entities to form the basis for a high-performing culture that can help maximize the full potential of the organization. 

Would you like to be a part of our team and join us on our journey? 

Service Operations & Technology (SO&T) is the organization within the Volvo Group that secures and develops the service operations and technical solutions our customers depend on, every day, across the globe, for all brands of the Group. We sit at the heart of the Volvo Group’s service ambition, enabling uptime, trust, profitability, and sustainable growth for customers across the globe.

The world around us is changing fast, and the service business is becoming one of the most strategic growth areas for the Volvo Group. SO&T turns this momentum into action by translating strategy into concrete solutions and stable operations. Guided by a clear Customer First mindset, we work side by side with commercial and operational teams to secure uptime, create transparency, and deliver scalable, data driven services that unlock new business models and support a competitive, segmented offer.

Resilience and sustainability are built into everything we do. We design and run robust, AI enabled processes and systems that strengthen the end to end value chain, increase flexibility, and ensure we are always ready when our customers need us. At the same time, we actively contribute to the Volvo Group’s sustainability transformation by enabling circular and electromobility services, reducing emissions and waste in our operations, and helping shape a service ecosystem that is better for our people, our planet, and our company.

What you will be doing

We are looking for a strong leader who can help establish and grow a new site in Tacoma, while building the right Volvo culture, ways of working, and team foundation from the start. Your leadership style is value-based meaning you lead with passion, perform with purpose, and transform with vision. By doing this you are an inspiration for others to do the same. You are a role model for inclusion, and your actions help keep the organization healthy and in balance. You are customer focused and manage with confidence and perseverance. You love the challenges that our new facility with its high-paced and results oriented environment brings and see problems as opportunity to improve and grow.
 
The ideal candidate for this position has five (5) years of relevant experience within an industrial, distribution and/or supply chain environment.
 
Also, the candidate has two or more years of management/supervisory experience, strong knowledge in Lean principles and change management experience with the ability to set targets. Proficiency in MS Office is required. 
 
The First Line Manager (FLM) will lead a small shift of approximately 6 employees at the Tacoma Regional Distribution Center (RDC). This role is ideal for a hands-on leader who thrives in an environment where they actively participate in daily operations while also developing a strong team-based culture. The FLM is responsible for daily operational performance, employee engagement and performance, safety, customer service, and continuous improvement. 

This position reports to the Manager, Regional Distribution Centers, Tacoma, and is based in Fife, WA. During the site start-up phase, the schedule will be first shift, from 6:00 am to 2:30 pm. Once the site becomes operational in Q1 of 2027, the role will transition to second shift, from 2:30 pm to 11:00 pm.

Main activities and responsibilities

• As the FLM, you will be actively involved in the setting up of this new warehouse. You will support Manager of the RDC as well as the Project team from the startup phase through the opening of the site. You will be thoroughly trained to get an understanding of the business and way of work before operations begin at the new Distribution Center. 
• Assist with attracting, hiring and mentoring a high-performing team with a strong emphasis on collaboration, trust, engagement, and shared accountability. 
• Foster a positive work environment that promotes open communication, respect, and continuous learning.
• Provide clear performance expectations, coach employees to improve performance, and address disciplinary matters promptly, fairly, and in alignment with company policies and Volvo values. 
• Plan and assign daily work, ensuring the team has competencies to perform daily work in responsible area.
• Help oversee the daily operation of the automated systems, troubleshoot technical issues, and manage preventative maintenance schedules. 
• Lead daily team meetings to share site and business updates and align on site specific performance and areas for improvement.
• Maintain a strong safety-first culture and ensure compliance with OSHA and company safety standards. Assist with regular safety audits, training, and incident investigations.
• Document and report all safety accidents and near misses to Site Manager. Support analysis and corrective actions as requested.
• Ensure all employees follow Volvo global standards, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operational policies.
• Help oversee inventory accuracy, cycle counts, and investigations of discrepancies.
• Maintain product quality standards and ensure proper storage, rotation, and handling.
• Collaborate with supply chain teams to resolve inbound or outbound issues.
• Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as productivity, on-time shipping, accuracy rates, labor utilization, and safety metrics.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by leading problem-solving activities and promoting a lean mindset (5S, standardized work, structured problem solving).
• Empower teams to contribute ideas and improvements, approving and implementing quick kaizen initiatives where appropriate.
• Support timekeeping and attendance tracking for team members.
• Act as an ambassador for Volvo Group values and culture in all daily activities. 

Minimum Education and Experience:

The ideal candidate for this position has five (5) years of relevant experience within an industrial, distribution and/or supply chain environment. 
 

Also, the candidate has two or more years of management/supervisory experience, strong knowledge in Lean principles and change management experience with the ability to set targets. Proficiency in MS Office is required. 

This is a brand-new startup operation featuring advanced robotic systems (AS/RS). The ideal candidate has experience working or leading in an AS/RS facility. 

Work is primarily in a warehouse floor environment with regular physical activity such as walking, standing, lifting up to 50 lbs. and operating warehouse equipment is required. There will be occasional extended hours depending on business needs and the ability to support multiple shifts as needed for oversight, leadership, or operational requirements.