Warehouse Associate

Job Title: Warehouse Associate

Job Description

The Warehouse Associate plays a key role in shipping, receiving, material handling, and inventory support within a clean, modern, and highly organized facility. This position prepares products for shipment, supports assembly operations through kitting and staging, operates various types of forklifts, and helps maintain a safe and efficient warehouse environment.

Responsibilities

• Prepare products by skid, crate, or box for shipment and complete routine, standard shipping documentation accurately.
• Maintain a clean and safe work area by promptly disposing of and properly storing materials according to established procedures.
• Support assembly operations by repackaging, kitting, and staging materials to ensure production runs smoothly.
• Safely remove and dispose of wood, plastic, metal, and other packaging materials in line with standard operating procedures.
• Use SAP to update storage bin information, track inventory locations, and accurately identify and locate materials.
• Complete routine inspections of material handling equipment and promptly report any issues or concerns.
• Operate a turret truck forklift to pick orders at height, following all safety and operating guidelines.
• Operate a sit-down forklift to move picked orders from racks to shipping and to transfer materials throughout the facility.
• Unload incoming trucks according to procedure, using forklifts and other material handling equipment as required.
• Visually inspect incoming parts for obvious damage or discrepancies and move them to the receiving parts staging area.
• Load outgoing trucks according to shipping requirements, ensuring accuracy and safe placement of materials.
• Handle scrap bins by transporting them to the unloading area and transferring materials into dumpsters safely.
• Operate forklifts and, where applicable, cranes to move materials into and out of assembly areas and other departments.
• Manage daily truck activity, including unloading approximately 3–4 inbound trucks and loading an average of 2 outbound trucks per day on the assigned shift.
• Use RF scanners and shipping systems, including bill of lading and related documentation, to support accurate shipping and inventory control.
• Contribute to warehouse distribution, order picking, and general production support tasks as needed.
• Follow all safety policies and procedures, including the use of required personal protective equipment, and actively support a strong safety culture.

Essential Skills

• Previous sit-down forklift experience in a warehouse, distribution, or production environment.
• Previous stand-up forklift experience, including comfort operating in narrow aisles.
• Comfort working at heights while operating very narrow aisle turret truck forklifts.
• Experience with material handling, including loading, unloading, and moving products and materials safely.
• Ability to perform shipping and receiving tasks, including unloading trucks, staging materials, and preparing outgoing shipments.
• Familiarity with warehouse inventory processes and basic inventory control practices.
• Ability to use RF scanners and follow inventory and order-picking procedures.
• Comfort working in an environment where there may be smells such as paint and oil.
• Ability to perform a versatile mix of warehouse tasks and understand that forklift operation will be roughly 10–20% of the shift after training and certification.
• Ability to follow written procedures and safety standards consistently.
• Capability to complete routine inspections of material handling equipment and report issues promptly.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Previous shipping and receiving experience, including handling bills of lading and related paperwork.
• Experience operating a turret truck forklift in a warehouse or distribution setting.
• Experience with warehouse distribution, order picking, and packaging.
• Familiarity with SAP or similar warehouse management or ERP systems for updating storage bin and inventory information.
• Knowledge of shipping systems, including UPS WorldShip or similar platforms.
• Experience using stand-up reach trucks, stand-up lifts, and turret trucks in a warehouse environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a 5S-driven environment focused on organization, cleanliness, and continuous improvement.
• Willingness to work either 1st shift (6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) or 2nd shift (2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.), as assigned.

Why Work Here?

You will join a highly stable organization where employees tend to build long-term careers, with many team members staying 10 to 15 years or more. The culture is team-oriented and supportive, emphasizing training, effort, and setting people up for success from day one. Leadership provides direct, clear feedback while remaining flexible and understanding when occasional mistakes or attendance issues arise, focusing on patterns rather than one-time events. The facility places a strong emphasis on safety and has an outstanding safety record, giving you the confidence that your well-being is a top priority. In addition, you receive two paid 20-minute breaks per shift, allowing you to rest and recharge without reducing your paid hours.

Work Environment

The facility is modern, clean, and highly organized, operating under 5S principles (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain) to maintain an efficient and lean workplace. The building is well lit, climate controlled, and laid out with departments clearly separated, including new production, wind service (disassembly), industrial (repairs and new builds), and logistics (shipping and receiving). Aisles are designed to be relatively spacious rather than overly narrow, supporting safe movement of equipment and materials. The environment may include smells such as paint and oil, and employees should be comfortable working around typical industrial odors. Safety is a core value, with an exceptional record that includes multiple years without lost-time injuries or recordable incidents. All team members must wear safety glasses and steel-toe shoes at all times on the production floor, and adherence to safety procedures is mandatory. The role involves operating sit-down and stand-up forklifts, turret trucks, and potentially cranes, as well as using RF scanners, SAP, and shipping systems. Shift options include 1st shift (6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) and 2nd shift (2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.). The dress code includes company-provided shirts, while employees supply their own jeans or work pants that can get dirty, though the facility itself is kept clean and well maintained. The culture is collaborative and team-oriented, with a focus on supporting each other, maintaining high safety standards, and continuously improving processes.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Elgin, IL.

The pay range for this position is $19.48 - $21.42/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Elgin,IL.

This position is anticipated to close on May 14, 2026.

We know that finding work is hard, and finding meaningful work is harder. Aerotek connects 180,000+ light industrial and skilled trades workers with 14,000+ employers each year, helping our workers navigate an evolving labor market and find jobs that meets their goals, skills and interests. Since 1983, we have provided a variety of career opportunities across North American industry – from short-term assignments at Fortune 500 companies where you can build your skills, to long-term opportunities where you can play a vital role solving for companies’ construction, manufacturing and maintenance challenges. Our 1,500+ experienced recruiters across 250+ offices work relentlessly to put our workforce in a position to thrive. Let us rise to meet your challenges and put our people-are everything spirit to the test as your career continues to grow.

Aerotek offers weekly pay, employee benefits including medical, dental & vision, life insurance, health advocacy and employee assistance programs, a 401(k) plan, and employee discounts.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.