Industrial construction logistics manager job description
An industrial construction logistics manager gets steel, pipe, valves, equipment and rigging gear to plant and process facility projects in the order crews will use them. This manager runs the warehouse and laydown yards, tracks material by work package, and plans big deliveries and lifts around the owner's gate rules and shutdown dates.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial and industrial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Industrial Construction - Warehouse / Logistics Manager
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Operations Manager]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Manage and oversee warehouse and logistics operations within the industrial construction sector to ensure prompt coordination of materials and deliveries. Serve as the pivotal point for supply chain processes that uphold project timelines and quality standards. Drive operational efficiency and contribute to the overall success of our customer-focused organization.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Supervise daily warehouse operations and logistics activities to maintain an organized and efficient workflow.
Coordinate the receipt, storage, and distribution of construction materials to support ongoing projects.
Oversee inventory management and ensure accurate documentation and timely reporting of stock levels.
Collaborate with suppliers, project managers, and transport teams to streamline deliveries and reduce delays.
Ensure compliance with safety regulations, industry standards, and company policies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor and manage incoming and outgoing shipments to optimize delivery times.
Perform daily inspections of inventory and warehouse organization to meet quality control standards.
Schedule and coordinate deliveries with drivers and third-party vendors to ensure accurate dispatching.
Communicate with project managers regarding material needs and logistical concerns to preemptively address issues.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-time delivery rate: ≥95%.
Inventory accuracy rate: ≥98%.
Reduction in supply chain delays: ≤3%.
Warehouse space utilization: ≥90%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience managing warehouse or logistics operations, preferably in industrial or construction settings.
Strong understanding of supply chain processes, inventory management, and warehouse safety protocols.
Excellent organizational, leadership, and communication skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven experience in the industrial construction industry managing materials and logistics operations.
Prior exposure to warehouse management systems (WMS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
Background in process improvement initiatives to streamline operations in a high-volume environment.
Demonstrated success in reducing costs and enhancing operational efficiency in large-scale projects.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs in a fast-paced warehouse environment.
Prolonged periods of standing, walking, and physically maneuvering through confined spaces.
Capability to work in environments that may experience extreme temperatures or weather conditions.
Must be comfortable with manual handling and operating warehouse equipment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard working hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM with occasional overtime as required.
Periodic travel between warehouse and project sites may be necessary.
Limited on-call duties during critical operational periods or emergency situations.
Office and warehouse setting with a safety-focused atmosphere.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 per year based on skills and experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and commission structures.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions and other fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking organization committed to excellence and high standards in the industrial construction industry.
Embrace a supportive and innovative work environment where team success and professional development are highly valued.
Our company culture places emphasis on collaboration, continuous learning, and customer satisfaction.
We invest in our employees’ growth and provide opportunities for advancement in a dynamic market.
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
What industrial projects ask of the logistics manager
Industrial jobs move heavy, tagged and often one-of-a-kind items: steel for pipe racks, valves, vessels and skids. A missing bolt kit can stall a crane day, and the wrong valve can fail the owner's checks.
Slings and shackles are inventory too
OSHA requires rigging gear to carry a legible marking that shows its safe working load, and gear without one can't be used. Gear is checked before each shift, and a competent person the employer names inspects each sling and its fittings every day before use. Damaged gear comes out of service, and gear not in use is cleared from the work area. If your logistics manager runs the rigging crib, make those tags, checks, repairs and retired gear part of the job. Source: OSHA: Rigging equipment for material handling (29 CFR 1926.251).
Laydown space is a safety item
For steel erection, OSHA makes the controlling contractor provide access roads for cranes, trucks and the steel. It also needs a firm, graded and drained area close to the work, with room to store material safely and run the erector's equipment. On a plant site, open ground near the work is scarce and belongs to the owner, so the manager plans that area early with the superintendent and the owner. Source: OSHA: Steel erection site layout and construction sequence (29 CFR 1926.752).
Heavy lifts need a qualified rigger
Vessels, skids and modules usually go up by crane. On construction lifts where workers stand in the fall zone to hook, unhook or guide a load, OSHA says the load must be rigged by a qualified rigger so it can't shift, with self-closing latches on the hooks. The logistics manager lines up the delivery, the rigging gear, the crane and the qualified people for the same hour, so nobody waits on anyone else. Source: OSHA: Keeping clear of the load (29 CFR 1926.1425).
Trucks come through the owner's gate
OSHA's process safety standard leaves out contractors providing incidental services that don't affect process safety, such as janitorial work, laundry, and delivery or other supply services. The plant still controls its own gate: who comes in, when and by which route. Expect check-ins, escorts near process units and delivery windows the plant picks. The manager sends those rules to every carrier with the purchase order, so trucks aren't turned away. Source: OSHA: Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119).
Shutdown material is staged before the unit stops
A turnaround leaves no time to wait for a truck. Gaskets, bolts, valves and pipe spools are bought, checked and kitted by work package weeks ahead, then staged near the unit in the order crews will use them. Anything still missing when the unit comes down gets tracked by the hour until it arrives.
How much industrial construction logistics managers make
The closest BLS group for industrial construction logistics managers is transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $124,420 a year ($59.82 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $107,230 median for transportation, storage, and distribution managers in all industries. About 500 of the 221,180 transportation, storage, and distribution managers in that survey work for commercial and industrial building contractors.
Salary with performance bonuses, and the template also names commission. Whichever you offer, say in the ad what it pays on, such as on-time kits, count accuracy or yard safety. Few people in this BLS code work for builders, so read the chart as a rough guide.
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$124,420$124,420 median Middle half $84,990–$166,890 10th–90th $65,800–$202,500
All industries
$107,230$107,230 median Middle half $82,440–$146,770 10th–90th $65,120–$194,900
$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
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$65,800
$84,990
$124,420
$166,890
$202,500
All industries
$65,120
$82,440
$107,230
$146,770
$194,900
BLS reports industrial and commercial building contractors together. 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 run material control for plant, energy or industrial construction projects
Tracks pipe, valves and fittings by tag, heat number and work package
Plans heavy hauls, crane lifts and laydown with superintendents
Keeps a rigging inventory with inspection records
Leads warehouse staff and holds receiving to one standard
Teach these on the job
Each owner's gate, badging and delivery rules
Your WMS or ERP software
Your work package and kitting format
The owner's material paperwork requirements
Your shutdown planning calendar
Expect a warehouse management or ERP system, barcode tags and a yard map that shows where each work package sits. In the yard, that means forklifts, telehandlers, the rigging crib and sometimes a rough-terrain crane. The posting should say which system you use and how often the job travels to owner sites out of state.
Industrial construction logistics 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 · Early critical deliveries
A truck carrying a critical heat exchanger arrives at the plant gate a day early, and no lift crew is scheduled. What do you do?
A strong answer: Talks with the client about holding the load, checks crane and crew options, secures the truck safely, and adjusts the schedule with the project manager.
Behavioral · Reducing delays
Tell me about a change you made that reduced supply chain delays on a project.
A strong answer: Names the cause, such as late material releases or poor staging, the fix, and how much delays dropped.
Keep shutdown months and steady months on separate lines. Gather a few projects' worth of your own numbers first, then decide which of the template's targets to adopt.
On-time delivery rate
Loads at the yard or the work face by the need date on the work package, from receiving logs. Count a kit as late if any piece in it is late.
Inventory accuracy rate
Cycle counts of stock and work package kits against the system, plus a check that tags and heat numbers match the paperwork.
Reduction in supply chain delays
Hours crews stood by for a missing part, kit or rigging, taken from foremen's daily reports per project, then set against a past project of the same size.
Warehouse space utilization
Warehouse and laydown area in use, mapped by work package each month. Flag kits for finished packages and steel with no erection date that still take up room.
Career path
Inventory specialistChecks heat numbers on receipt and builds work package kits.
Industrial construction logistics managerControls material from purchase order to the work face on plant jobs.
Operations managerOversees field work and the warehouse for every plant project.
Other roles in an industrial construction business
What is a work package, and why does logistics care?
A work package is one chunk of field work, like a pipe rack bay or a pump set, with its drawings, material list and steps. When logistics kits material by package, the crew gets everything for that work in one drop instead of hunting the yard. Agree on the package list with the superintendent before buying starts.
How much does an industrial construction logistics manager make?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $124,420 a year ($59.82 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $84,990 and $166,890 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Who checks material against the owner's specs?
Receiving catches the obvious: wrong size, short counts, damage. Ask each owner what material paperwork it wants. Many want pipe, plate and bolts tied to their mill test reports, and some test alloys on arrival. The logistics manager keeps tags and documents with each item, so the quality team can check them without a search.
How does the logistics plan tie to the project schedule?
The logistics plan comes from the schedule, not the other way around. Each week, take the superintendent's look-ahead, list what every crew needs and when, and flag any item that won't arrive in time. That short list is the most useful thing the manager hands the field, and it shows early where a crane day or a shutdown task is at risk.
What happens to leftover material after a project?
Count it, tag it and bring it back to the warehouse, then return it to the supplier, move it to the next job or sell it. Material the owner paid for is often the owner's under the contract, so check yours and hand it over with a list. The longer you wait past closeout, the more tags fall off and items get borrowed.
Is a full warehouse a good sign?
Not always. Stock held for a coming shutdown needs room until the work starts, but material bought early with no install date just ties up space and cash. Track how long items sit, and push back on early buying that has no plan behind it.
