Warehouse Associate I

Position Summary:

The Warehouse Associate II 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 II 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 II will work closely with the Warehouse leadership to support the receiving/shipping needs.  

The Warehouse Associate II 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.

Competencies:

• Effective Communication: conveys information clearly, with respect and integrity, using a professional manner and the appropriate means and channels for audience and subject matter.
• Accountability: reliable, honest, and transparent; regularly makes commitments and takes ownership of responsibilities.
• Integrity: being honest and showing a consistent upholding of strong moral and ethical business values; striving to do what’s right.
• Interactions: displays a positive and constructive attitude, demonstrates good personal and professional conduct, and provides good customer service to internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaboration: develops relationships and works effectively with people across the organization, regardless of location or background, to achieve organization goals.
• Agility: maintains efficiency in a changing work environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
• Quality: Work is organized, accurate and neat. The employee displays a commitment to excellence, checks work and learns from mistakes, and seeks feedback to improve quality as needed.
• Urgency: high degree of productivity, uses time wisely and can prioritize effectively; actively seeks out new assignments, and supports others when available.
• Judgement: uses proper judgement to make sound decisions, analyze and solve problems, and considers short and long-term impact to other team members, processes, etc.
• Engagement: contributes to the success of the organization by embracing teamwork, taking initiative on tasks and problem-resolution, and seeking out learning opportunities.

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.

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.

Essential Job Functions:

• Bend, stop, crouch, climb, stand, sit, walk, and turn/pivot throughout an 8-hour shift, 5 days a week.
• Move/lower, push/pull and carry objects/parcels no greater than 50 pounds; when moving/lowering, pushing/pulling and carrying objects/parcels greater than 50 pounds use 2 people or mechanical.
• Move packages to heights above shoulder and lower to foot level.
• Ability to work inside a freezer with a temperature in the range of -10 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit as well as in a humid warehouse.
• Ability to operate pallet jack, both manual and power, and ride jack to load/unload trucks.
• Reach, grasp, and maintain control of items and materials used to perform activities associated with delivering and picking up packages.
• Perform additional tasks using simple hand grasp, fine hand manipulation, and reach associated with assigned tasks such as keying.
• Maintain a work pace aligned by meeting or exceeding piece per minute/production standards.
• Work in an environment that will contain variable temperatures and humidity, outside weather conditions, exposure to noise, dust/dirt, confined work areas.
• Must meet all the applicable requirements as specified by OSHA.
• See, hear, and speak with sufficient capability to perform assigned tasks and maintain proper safety conditions.
• Maintain an acceptable work pace and align with required personal and team deadlines. Must meet goals.
• Demonstrate cognitive ability to:  provide direction as well as follow directions and routines, work independently with appropriate judgment, read words and numbers, concentrate, memorize, recall, identify logical connections and determine sequence of response, process proactively and identify near and long-term future needs as well as evaluate problems and escalate/inform management as is necessary.