From Managing People to Managing Robots: The Rise of the Smart Warehouse Operator

In September 2026, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security officially released its seventh batch of new occupations, adding the role of "Smart Warehouse Operator" under the "Logistics Service Specialist L" category. This name change reflects a deep transformation underway in China's warehousing industry.

From Managing People to Managing Machines: A Shift in Management Logic

Xu Peng, 31, is a smart warehouse operator at Hebei Baiyang Chengda Pharmaceutical's logistics center. Five years ago, while working in an old warehouse in Qingdao, his daily routine involved coordinating team leaders, distributing orders, and watching workers push small blue carts around the warehouse—each person managing five lanes and picking up to five levels of shelves. The shelves were low, forcing workers to stoop while checking and moving goods; any order error meant chasing it down and reshipping.

Now at the intelligent logistics center in Langfang Airport Economic Zone, the 12,000-square-meter warehouse has shelves towering 15 levels high, with six CTU container robots climbing vertically, precisely retrieving items, turning, and delivering them to sorting stations—almost no human intervention is needed. Storage efficiency has increased several-fold.

Xu Peng's role has completely changed. Previously, he managed people, considering their emotions, physical stamina, and interpersonal relationships. Now he manages equipment, issuing commands to robots, and if they don't respond, he fixes them. This is a shift from social management to technical management. His "subordinates" are six CTU robots, countless sensors, a WCS (Warehouse Control System), and about 270 meters of conveyor lines.

Skill Stacking: No Coding, but Must Understand Code Logic

The new occupation brings new skill requirements. Xu Peng studied vehicle engineering, but to understand robot operations, he revisited knowledge of electrical appliances, automation, and mechanical principles, following equipment installation engineers shelf by shelf and tracing wires one by one.

At JD Intelligent Industrial Park, smart warehouse operator Zhang Weiliang also needs "skill stacking." With an automation background, he must master electrical control logic and learn programming—if a robot malfunctions, programming knowledge enables quick troubleshooting in the system. Zhongtong Cloud Warehouse operator Pan Longjie echoed this, stating that one must understand each component's function and operational logic to make sound suggestions for system optimization.