Warehouse Associate Lead - Irvine - Forward Air

Description

Position Title: Warehouse Production Lead

Available Schedule:  Sunday through Thursday, 5:00 AM - 1:45 PM and Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM- 3:45 PM.

Compensation:  $ $22.00 per hour

JOB SUMMARY

The Warehouse Production Lead supports the B2B and Transfer packing department, ensuring high-quality, accurate packing that meets client expectations. This role provides daily floor direction, assists with staffing coordination, and contributes to the overall organization of the department. The Warehouse Associate Lead helps support operational goals related to safety, productivity, accuracy, and facility upkeep. This position assists the Supervisor/Manager with distributing assignments and ensuring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are followed to maintain efficiency. All employee relations concerns must be escalated to the Supervisor/Manager. This role does not include personnel management responsibilities such as scheduling, labor planning, compensation decisions, or performance evaluation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Communicate respectfully and professionally with all team members; demonstrate maturity in challenging situations.

- Support company initiatives that build positive morale, teamwork, and a collaborative work environment.

- Enforce and promote safety programs and maintain a clean and compliant work environment.

- Provide daily motivation and direction to floor associates to support efficiency, productivity, and accuracy.

- Follow and support policies outlined in the Employee Handbook.

- Assist in monitoring overtime and workforce utilization.

- Ensure team members have appropriate tools and equipment to complete job tasks.

- Understand departmental KPIs and contribute to achieving daily and weekly goals.

- Communicate equipment or facility repair needs to the maintenance department.

- Assist Supervisor/Manager in distributing workload to meet production goals.

- Support training of new hires and provide refresher training as needed, following company SOPs.

- Identify top and bottom performers and notify the Supervisor for recognition or coaching needs.

- Maintain full awareness of daily workflow, production requirements, and staffing levels.

- Lead by example through strong performance, positive attitude, and teamwork.

- Provide feedback to Supervisor/Manager to improve SOPs and streamline processes.

- Identify and report safety hazards, concerns, or incidents to leadership.

- Actively participate in safety initiatives and encourage team involvement.

REQUIREMENTS, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

- Follow all work-safe practices.

- Minimum of 3 years receiving experience.

- Ability to operate warehouse equipment (manual/electric pallet jack, scanner, picking cart, desktop computer, scale, shrink wrap tools, baler, box cutter).

- Maintain a safe and organized work environment with consistent housekeeping efforts.

- Demonstrate alignment with company values and strong teamwork.

- Communicate effectively with supervisors, leads, and associates regarding workflow and tasks.

- Perform well in a fast-paced, metric-driven work environment.

- Strong attention to detail and accuracy.

- Basic verbal and written communication skills in English and Spanish.

- Basic math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, counting).

- Basic computer proficiency (internet navigation, keyboarding, opening/saving documents).

- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs., stand for full shift, and frequently bend, twist, squat, push, and pull.

- Strong work performance in areas such as attendance, teamwork, productivity, and quality.

- Flexibility with scheduling, including overtime as needed.

- Ability to prioritize work and perform independently with minimal supervision.

WHAT WE OFFER:

- Competitive base salary

- Paid time off within the first year of employment, sick time, and holidays

- Company-provided life insurance

- Health, vision, and dental insurance options

- Commuter benefit plan

- Optional supplemental life insurance

- 401(k)

- A great place to work with a terrific culture

Since 1990, Forward Air has been a leading provider of ground transportation and related logistics services to the North American air freight and expedited LTL market. We offer surface shipping on an accelerated "time-definite" basis, delivering cargo at a specific time, but under less time-sensitive situations – supplying you with a cost effective, reliable alternative to air transportation. We work with companies of all sizes to develop tangible advantages and build the best products to meet your specific needs. Forward Air presents to the wholesale transportation community (logistics companies, freight forwarders, integrated air cargo carriers, passenger/ cargo airlines, and non-traditional shippers), a single-source provider that can deliver more supply chain services and a superior menu of choices. Throughout the years we have added supplementary lines to our linehaul service, such as full truckload operations (Truckload Services), final-mile coverage (Complete Cartage), and an Airline Logistics program, and we will continue to expand our services to meet the changing needs and growth of our customer base.

Forward Air is structured to optimize both savings and service to our customers. Direct partnerships with owner-operators and other surface transportation providers, enable us to remain cost-competitive. The Forward Air network is designed with over 90 facilities located at or near major U.S. and Canadian airports, 12 regional sort centers and over 300 beyond points (secondary airports provided through our Complete Cartage service), creating one of the most comprehensive linehaul networks in the industry.

Ranked 3rd in Newsweeks 2022 "Americas Most Trustworthy Companies" publication