Warehouse Associate

Description

Position Summary:

The Warehouse Associate will work in an open warehouse environment and in a cooler/freezer to help move perishable and non-perishable food products through Philabundance’s system. This position will be a general labor opportunity within the warehouse with the focus on learning, expanding, and developing skills for using large equipment, supporting inventory management, supporting shipping and receiving processes and developing attention to detail for quality, warehouse responsible habits of handling perishables and knowing the appropriate metrics and goals to meet deliverables for the team.

The Warehouse team operates on a staggered shift schedule, with overtime/evenings/weekends as needed. Shifts may adjust as is needed for the successful execution of food delivery. The Warehouse team needs to maintain flexibility in our working locations. Associates will be assigned in advance for the location with the priority need.

The Warehouse Associate role will efficiently and accurately complete shipping and warehousing of all products from scheduling of dock time, supporting inventory and quality inspections, logging in of information into our databases through storage to distribution.  This role also requires the ability to effectively communicate warehousing needs as well as respond to the support needs of the warehousing team at all Philabundance warehouse locations. The Warehouse Associate will work closely with the Warehouse leadership to support the receiving/shipping needs.  

The Warehouse Associate is also accountable for working as a collaborative team member by learning and understanding warehousing methods of storage, capacity, and food bank product/inventory flows while providing warehouse operational support to the operations team as needed and required.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Picking and staging of orders in a timely and accurate manner.
• Support the loading and unloading of trucks on a timely and effective basis.
• Load and Unload trucks, moving food to designated places aligned and ensure aligned with inventory.
• Operate forklifts and pallet jacks and other warehouse machines and manual tools.
• Physical tasks such as moving food, equipment, and boxes.
• Provide good customer service; communicate with customers/volunteers in a courteous manner and respect agency personnel and clientele.
• Resolve basic challenges with timing, food quality, space and timing. Raise to Supervisor if unsure.
• Raise equipment changes or concerns to Supervisor for potential maintenance issues.
• Support the shipping and receiving function.
• All areas of the warehouse are expected to be clean, neat, and free of miscellaneous debris.
• Collect all boxes for recycling in preparation for pickup.
• Complete related tracking accurately, database.
• Must wear uniform and safety gear as assigned, at all times.
• Support and manage performance to Philabundance Pillars, culture focus on People, Professionalism, Partnership and Progress. 

Additional Duties:

• Support and Follow FIRST steps of Food Defense Initiatives, training provided.

Qualifications

Educational Achievement:

• High School Diploma or GED preferred. Extended Degree in Social Services, Business or Hospitality strongly preferred.
• Serve Safe Certification required. Must be able to certify within 30 days of hire.
• Forklift Certification required, ideally copy of certification provided at time of hire. Must be able to certify within 30 days of hire.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of heavy equipment experience, ideally in a grocery, food focused industry.
• Previous work in a team environment with deadlines, detail, safety, and large equipment.
• Previous experience with organization, shared goals, and defined instructions.
• Warehouse experience using forklift, pallet jack and other equipment used to move products.
• Previous experience working within a defined operating system, follow directions, consistent placement and tracking.

Preferred:

• Experience moving food, frozen, fresh or shelf stored, with interaction to public.
• Inventory, Shipping/Receiving experience.

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to read, write and complete basic math to support inventory, space calculations and tracking as is needed.
• Strong customer service, ability to work with vendors, volunteers, and visitors to the warehouse.
• Must be able to tolerate some extreme temperatures when moving food and products through inventory and shipping process.
• Ability to successfully operate large equipment safely, work around mechanical machines and people.
• Ability to effectively move 50 pounds safely, and in line with team activities.
• Ability to learn and work well within a defined operating system, follow directions, consistent placement, and tracking.
• Aptitude to learn and perform basic database functions, data entry.
• Ability to learn and grow with the position and the business needs.
• Ability to handle multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Ability to follow instructions, retain information and apply information, with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Preferred:

• Experience counting and tracking Inventory and working in a Shipping/Receiving capacity.
• Previous experience operating a forklifts and pallet jacks, safely and effectively.
• Previous experience using databases, technical tracking tools beneficial. (Microsoft Suite, database exp. and Zoom/Teams) Must be willing to learn.