Material Handler Job Description Template

Material handler working in a warehouse area

Reliable workers to staff your warehouse or shipping operations aren’t always easy to come by. However, a clearly written material handler job description that explains the required tasks and potential benefits of the job can help you attract more and better candidates.

Even as warehouses and manufacturers increasingly turn to automation to sort, package, and move materials and products, hiring managers are likely to need reliable workers to inventory, prepare, and document products and components for the foreseeable future. It can be particularly challenging to fill these roles around the clock, so your job description should emphasize the potential rewards of shift work.

For more ideas to include in your material handler job description, you can find inspiration in job descriptions for current openings.

Material handler working in a warehouse area

Material Handler

[Intro Paragraph] Begin your material handler job description with a concise paragraph or list of bulleted items designed to sell your company or workplace to applicants. You might describe the size of your business, emphasizing opportunities for growth and career progression within your organization, as well as on-the-job training and educational opportunities.

Material Handler Job Responsibilities:

  • Ensures orderly production and distribution of products by pulling orders from inventory, delivering production materials and supplies where needed, and staging finished product final distribution.
  • Contributes to the orderly operation of stock and/or materials storage area.
  • Maintains inventory by identifying, labeling, and keeping materials and supplies in stock, recording location of inventory, and reporting shortages.
  • Locates materials and supplies by pulling and verifying materials and supplies listed on production orders.
  • Maintains in-process inventory at work centers by delivering and opening materials and supplies.
  • Locates and packs materials for shipping.
  • Documents materials and records units delivered and location of units.
  • Receives credit-return material and supplies from production by verifying materials and supply codes, lot numbers, and quantities.
  • Prepares finished stock for shipment by identifying, pulling, packing, crating, loading, and securing product.
  • Documents product shipment by recording units shipped.
  • Maintains material-handling equipment by completing pre-use inspections and making operator repairs.
  • Operates forklifts, pallet jacks, and other machinery to move items, or signals machine operators to move materials onto and off trucks, ships, and loading docks.
  • Keeps inventory, loading areas, and machinery clean.
  • Open containers, sort, and catalog materials.
  • Learns and adheres to workplace safety regulations.

[Work Hours & Benefits] In this section of your material handler job description you’ll want to sell the position to potential applicants in a similar way as you marketed your workplace in you first paragraph. Mention the position’s salary, benefits, and opportunities for overtime and paid time off (PTO). To make sure that your salary range is appropriate for your region, use a salary tool that allows you to calculate typical salary by inputting job title and location. Be sure to specify shift in your job post, including any shift differential you offer for evening and overnight shifts.

Material Handler Skills/Qualifications:

  • Organizational skills
  • Ability to read and analyze Information
  • Adept at handling multiple complex tasks simultaneously
  • Proficiency with prioritizing and meeting multiple deadlines
  • Excellent time management
  • Process improvement mindset
  • Knowledge of inventory control
  • Ability to lift heavy materials
  • Data entry skills

Education, Experience, & Licensing Requirements:

  • High school diploma or GED
  • Valid driver’s license and safe driving record
  • Previous stock or inventory experience a plus
  • Previous experience operating a forklift or pallet jack a plus

[Call to Action] Your material handler job description should finish strong with a call to action that urges applicants to fill out an online or in-person application.

Your Material Handler Job Description Checks All the Boxes. Now Leverage It with A Free Job Post

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