Drywall and plaster warehouse manager job description
A drywall and plaster warehouse manager keeps the shop and yard behind the crews running: compound, tape, bead, plaster and the board kept for repair work. They store board flat and dry, keep compound from freezing, and get each crew's restock and lot delivery out on time.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building finishing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing warehouse operations with a focus on drywall and plaster inventory, ensuring the efficient maintenance of sheetrock, finishing compounds, and the organization of material deliveries. Acts as a key contributor to overall business success by ensuring timely and accurate material handling and dispatch.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage and direct daily warehouse operations with an emphasis on drywall and plaster inventory.
Oversee the maintenance and storage of sheetrock, finishing compounds, and related materials.
Organize and schedule incoming deliveries and dispatches to maintain supply chain efficiency.
Implement and enforce safety and quality standards within the warehouse.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Supervise daily receiving, storage, and dispatch activities specific to drywall and plaster supplies.
Monitor inventory levels and coordinate with suppliers for just-in-time delivery of materials.
Conduct regular warehouse inspections to ensure compliance with safety protocols and quality standards.
Communicate with project managers and field teams to streamline order fulfillment and meet customer deadlines.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory accuracy rate: 98% or higher.
On-time delivery rate: 95% or higher.
Warehouse safety incident reduction: below 2% per quarter.
Order fulfillment efficiency: maintain a processing speed equivalent to processing 150 orders per day.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in logistics, warehouse management, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years of experience managing warehouse operations in a related industry.
Proficiency in inventory management software and basic IT skills.
Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or construction industry with a focus on drywall and plaster products.
Background in maintenance and proper handling of sheetrock and finishing compounds.
Proven track record of improving warehouse operations and reducing operational costs.
Familiarity with lean management practices and continuous improvement methodologies.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs on a regular basis.
Capacity to stand and walk for extended periods throughout a warehouse environment.
Ability to work in varying temperature conditions that may include both hot and cold settings.
Comfortable navigating confined spaces and utilizing standard warehouse equipment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional overtime during peak project periods or unforeseen operational needs.
Limited travel may be required for supplier meetings or equipment training.
On-call availability for emergency warehouse issues is occasionally expected.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $55,000 - $70,000 per year, based on qualifications and experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance provided.
Eligibility for 401(k) with company match.
Additional fringe benefits include paid time off and employee wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We pride ourselves on cultivating a culture of innovation, teamwork, and mutual respect.
Our company is committed to fostering career growth and personal development for each team member.
We value transparency, continuous improvement, and a customer-first approach in all we do.
Join us if you want to work in an environment where your contributions are recognized and rewarded.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Board is big, heavy and easy to ruin, and compound can't freeze. Most of this manager's rules exist so nothing gets thrown out before it reaches a wall.
Board stored flat on risers
USG's handling sheet says to store gypsum panels flat on a clean, dry floor, not on edge. Wood risers go no more than 28 inches apart, within 2 inches of the ends, and lined up from one unit to the next. Shipping plastic should come off on receipt, since it can trap moisture. Damaged edges are more likely to ridge after taping, so the manager keeps stacks out of forklift lanes. Source: USG: Safety considerations and material handling for gypsum panels (WB2333).
Long board needs wide forks
The same USG sheet sets fork spacing at about half the panel's length, so no more than 4 feet hangs past the forks at either end. It says a carriage spread of 46 to 84 inches handles most panel lengths, and that banding the ends helps but doesn't replace proper spacing. A forklift set up for pallets of compound can crack a unit of 12-foot board, so the manager sets the forks for each load. Source: USG: Safety considerations and material handling for gypsum panels (WB2333).
Compound has a freezing point and a shelf life
USG's sheet for one ready-mixed compound says to store it dry between 55 and 95 degrees, away from freezing, heat and sun. It lists a shelf life of up to nine months and says to check date codes and use the oldest first. A frozen pail must thaw on its own, with no heat. The liquid that separates gets mixed back in before any water, and a batch that won't remix smooth is thrown out. Source: USG: Beadex all-purpose joint compound submittal sheet.
Taping tools need a shop
Automatic tapers, flat boxes, corner tools and texture hoppers come back coated in compound, and dried mud jams them. If the company owns them, the warehouse sets up a wash station, checks each tool in and out by crew, and keeps spares for the parts that wear. A taper that fails at seven in the morning can stop a finishing crew for the day.
How much drywall and plaster warehouse managers make
The closest BLS group for drywall and plaster warehouse managers is transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $72,500 a year ($34.85 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $107,230 median for transportation, storage, and distribution managers in all industries. About 610 of the 221,180 transportation, storage, and distribution managers in that survey work for building finishing contractors.
Pay here is salaried, with bonuses tied to performance. Against the building finishing contractors figures shown here, the template's salary starts just under where the lowest-paid quarter ends and tops out a little under the median.
Building finishing contractors
$72,500$72,500 median Middle half $56,990–$94,210 10th–90th $51,770–$104,010
All industries
$107,230$107,230 median Middle half $82,440–$146,770 10th–90th $65,120–$194,900
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building finishing contractors
$51,770
$56,990
$72,500
$94,210
$104,010
All industries
$65,120
$82,440
$107,230
$146,770
$194,900
BLS counts too few transportation, storage, and distribution managers at drywall and insulation contractors for a steady figure, so these figures cover building finishing contractors. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has managed a warehouse or yard storing sheet goods along with boxed and bagged products
Sets up board storage that stays flat, dry and out of traffic
Runs the forklift program and knows how long loads must ride
Keeps date-coded products moving oldest first
Leads a small yard crew and the inventory specialist
Teach these on the job
Your board types and lengths and the suppliers' delivery windows
The compounds and plasters you buy and their storage limits
Your crews' restock routine and truck stock lists
How your software tracks stock by lot
Care and spare parts for automatic taping tools
The shop runs on a forklift with a wide fork spread, board carts and dollies, racks for boxed compound and bagged plaster, and a heated room or cage for anything that can't freeze. Restock tickets and lot deliveries come from the inventory software and the operations manager's crew board.
Drywall and plaster warehouse manager interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Stocking near power lines
Your boom truck driver calls from a site: the only place to set up puts the boom near overhead power lines. What do you do?
A strong answer: Tells the driver not to lift until the boom can stay outside the distance OSHA requires, gets the contractor to find another spot or the utility to de-energize or cover the line, uses a spotter where required, and reschedules if needed.
Behavioral · Handling hazards
Tell me about a time you fixed a hazard in how board was stored or moved, such as stack heights, carts or forklift paths.
A strong answer: Names the hazard, the fix, and how they kept it fixed.
Read these month by month. The first hard freeze tests compound storage and the busiest building weeks test restock times, so a yearly average hides both.
Inventory accuracy rate
The inventory specialist's cycle counts of compound, bags, bead and repair board against the system, reviewed weekly. Count anything thrown out for freezing, age or damage as a miss.
On-time delivery rate
Crew restocks and lot drops loaded and gone by the time the crew board needs them, out of all scheduled. Keep supplier delays apart from the warehouse's own.
Warehouse safety incident reduction
Injuries, near misses and property damage in the shop and yard, plus findings from a monthly walk: board on risers, forks set for the load, aisles clear and pails stacked low.
Order fulfillment efficiency
Pick tickets filled complete and staged by the promised time each day, from the ticket log, with crew restocks and lot drops counted apart.
Career path
Inventory specialistLogs every pail, box and lot drop, plus the leftover sheets.
Warehouse managerRuns storage, forklifts, restocks, taping tools and the yard team.
Operations managerSends crews to builders' lots and books every board drop.
What does the template's 150 orders a day mean for a drywall warehouse?
Read it as a placeholder. At a drywall contractor, an order is usually a crew restock or a lot drop rather than a parcel, and the count swings with how many lots are open. Count pick tickets filled and staged on time for a month, then set your own daily target and compare busy weeks with busy weeks.
How much does a drywall and plaster warehouse manager make?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $72,500 a year ($34.85 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $56,990 and $94,210 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should the warehouse manager drive the company's board truck?
Only with the right license. FMCSA counts a single truck in Group B, the heavy straight trucks, once its weight rating or what it weighs loaded reaches 26,001 pounds, using the higher of the two. Group B takes a Class B commercial license. A board truck loaded heavy can cross that line even when its door sticker doesn't. If the job includes driving one, put the license in the ad.
How should the template's physical lines read in the ad?
Keep the template's wording, then say what it covers here. That means moving pails and cartons of compound and sacks of plaster, guiding long board on and off a forklift, and working at an open dock door in winter or a hot trailer in summer. Say which loads go on carts or a pallet jack, and say who to contact about an accommodation.
Should a drywall warehouse keep full units of board?
Usually only for repair and warranty work. Suppliers stock production lots from their own trucks, so the shop needs a short rack of the sheets patch crews use most, plus bead and compound. Every extra unit takes floor space and forklift time, and it gets dinged or damp the longer it sits. Count that rack weekly, since warranty crews draw from it a few sheets at a time.
