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8 Types of Warehouse Worker Jobs

By Church & Dwight

Global Operations

With the rise in online ordering following the global pandemic, maximizing warehouse efficiency has become a major focus for companies across the country.  

In recent posts we’ve looked at how efficient operations management can help that process. Here, we examine eight of the most important warehouse jobs and how they contribute to a profitable and smooth-running supply chain. 

What core skills do you need to be a warehouse worker? 

While each of the warehouse roles below has their own unique demands, there are some key universal skills that will stand you in good stead in this fast-paced world, regardless of which particular position you’re looking to land. These include: 

  • Being physically healthy will allow you to handle the hard labor and long hours of bring on your feet present in most warehouse jobs. 
  • A good level of literacy, numeracy and IT ability will enable you to follow written instructions, count stock and enter data into warehouse systems. 
  • Teamwork skills will make collaborating with your warehouse colleagues easy and stress-free – as well helping you to make personal connections that can make your life richer both in and out of work. 
  • Coordination and spatial awareness will let you orient yourself within a warehouse environment, making you a safe pair of hands on your shift. They will also help in performing the repetitive movements synonymous with most warehouse jobs. 
  • A positive, problem-solving approach will show up in your ability to deal with the day-to-day challenges of warehouse life and work at the fast pace needed to get deliveries out on time and to the requisite standard. 
  • Time management skills will allow you to achieve your daily tasks within a suitable timeframe as well as overseeing any projects or people whose time may also fall under your responsibilities. 

8 popular Warehouse jobs 

These are eight of the most common warehouse worker jobs you will find in North America. 

1. Warehouse Worker

The warehouse worker will do everything from receiving and processing raw materials to loading and shipping orders and managing stock levels. Warehouse worker jobs can also cover packing boxes, placing orders and even ferrying stock to vendors. A true generalist, the warehouse worker is a jack of all trades and an excellent role for any hard working individual who wants to get a good grounding in the fundamentals of warehouse operations.  

  

2. Warehouse Operator

A warehouse operator is responsible for moving goods both in and out of the warehouse. That means preparing deliveries of outgoing stock, reviewing incoming orders, driving forklifts and even operating the order picking machines that allow for retrieval of stock in high up places. Warehouse operator jobs usually don’t require formal qualifications, but this is rarely an entry-level role, with some previous roles in a warehouse and experience with heavy machinery both seen as a distinct advantage. 

 

3. Warehouse Supervisor

The warehouse supervisor is responsible for managing employees across all aspects of a warehouse’s operations. That includes overseeing safety, quality control and customer service, alongside scheduling daily shift activities to ensure the warehouse is fully stocked for effective operations around the clock.  Warehouse supervisors are also a crucial link between the warehouse and management, meaning they need to be skilled communicators able to manage both downwards and upwards. 

 

4. Warehouse Driver

A warehouse driver takes stock from the warehouse and delivers it directly to customers. As part of this process they will work with the warehousing team to ensure speedy turnaround of trailers. They may also be called upon to ensure correct maintenance of equipment, and to get involved with stock taking within the warehouse. Warehouse drivers at Church & Dwight are required to have both a valid driving and class 1 HGV license, and ideal candidates will also have a valid MHE license for all equipment along with a valid Counterbalance and VNA forklift truck license.  

 

5. Warehouse Forklift Operator

Warehouse forklift operator jobs are one of the most specialized roles within a distribution center. Responsible for moving often heavy goods around a facility, forklift drivers need to be certified to operate a forklift and have the special awareness and driving skill to do so safely, while staying fully in line with company safety policies. The forklift driver’s responsibilities may also extend to loading and unloading deliveries at the loading dock, meaning they’ll need to exhibit excellent communication skills when working effectively with the warehouse driver role.

 

6. Warehouse Manager

A warehouse manager is vital to the successful running warehouse operations. This role is responsible for coordinating daily activities on a warehouse’s production floor, including inbound receiving, shipping, inventory control, and communicating with the sales and supply chain teams to resolve any time delivery issues. A warehouse manager balances and assigns resources to where they’re needed most, while also taking responsibility for enforcing the company’s safety policies. At Chuch & Dwight, our warehouse managers also work with their supervisors to facilitate audit and lease compliance, capital projects, safety systems light heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and may even get involved in contractual negotiations over costs of supplies and warehouse equipment. 

 

7. Material Handler

Material handlers are primarily responsible for overseeing the movement of materials (even potentially hazardous ones) around a warehouse. That could mean placing items into storage or getting items moved from storage areas to an area where they can be packed and prepped for delivery. Material handers may also check items for damage before accepting orders or sending them for delivery. A material handler is an essential warehouse worker job with a high level of organizational skill and a focus on safety at all times. 

 

8. Warehouse Systems Analyst

We’re cheating a little with our last warehouse worker job because it’s not an in-warehouse role at all. However, we’ve included the warehouse system analyst role because it shows how a warehouse can connect to roles at the corporate level, and how specialist warehouse knowledge can be combined with technical expertise to ensure operations run smoothly and effectively. The warehouse systems analyst role at Church & Dwight is a technical one that focuses on successful implementation, upgrades, and daily support of our warehouse management system. While able to operate remotely, the position does require some travel to our sites and engaging in all aspects of our warehouse system solutions. 

 

Warehouse worker jobs at Church and Dwight 

Whether you want to work at the cutting edge of warehouse management as a systems analyst, or build a career in any of the other warehouse jobs we’ve mentioned above, you can do that all and more at Church & Dwight. 

 You can learn more about what it is like to work in the Global Operations team at Church and Dwight by reading an employee story from one of our Warehouse Operators, Mike T. 

 

To see the warehouse worker jobs we’re currently recruiting for, visit our jobs page.