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Shipping & Crating Working Lead

Department: Shipping, Crating & Final Assembly Reports To: Shipping/Transportation Manager or Plant Manager Position Type: Full-Time, Hourly Schedule: Monday–Friday, with overtime, early starts, and occasional Saturdays as production and shipping schedules require

Position Summary

Custom Sign Center is seeking an experienced, hands-on Shipping & Crating Working Lead to coordinate daily shipping and crating activities while actively working alongside the department.

This position is responsible for building custom wood crates and pallets for finished signs and components, preparing shipping documents and labels, operating forklifts, and safely loading box trucks, dry-van trailers, and flatbed trailers.

The Working Lead must lead by example, organize the daily workload, train employees, hold the department accountable, and ensure every shipment is complete, properly protected, accurately labeled, and loaded onto the correct truck or carrier.

This is not a desk-only supervisory position. The Working Lead will spend most of the workday actively building crates, packaging products, operating equipment, and loading shipments.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership and Department Coordination

• Review the daily and weekly shipping schedule and establish department priorities.
• Assign work to shipping and crating employees based on shipment deadlines.
• Work alongside the team while providing direction, training, and support.
• Lead by example in productivity, quality, attendance, organization, and safe work practices.
• Hold employees accountable for completing assigned work accurately and on time.
• Train employees on proper crating, packaging, labeling, material handling, loading, and forklift procedures.
• Monitor workload and communicate labor, material, equipment, or scheduling concerns to management.
• Coordinate with production, project management, installation, and other departments when products, hardware, or paperwork are missing.
• Ensure completed products are staged and organized according to shipping priority.
• Help develop and maintain written SOPs for crating, packaging, labeling, loading, and shipping verification.

Custom Crating and Packaging

• Review work orders, drawings, measurements, and finished products to determine the proper crate or pallet design.
• Measure, cut, and assemble custom wood crates and pallets in different shapes and sizes.
• Build crates and pallets capable of protecting signs, sign cabinets, channel letters, faces, poles, hardware, and other components during transportation.
• Determine appropriate blocking, bracing, padding, foam, wrapping, banding, and securement methods.
• Make efficient use of lumber, plywood, fasteners, packaging materials, and department labor.
• Inspect finished products for visible damage before packaging.
• Protect painted, printed, acrylic, polycarbonate, aluminum, and other finished surfaces from scratching, bending, rubbing, or impact damage.
• Ensure all loose parts, hardware, installation components, and accessories are included and secured.
• Clearly identify crate contents, job numbers, customer names, destinations, handling instructions, and crate orientation.
• Verify that crates and pallets are properly constructed before they are moved or loaded.

Shipping Documentation and Labeling

• Prepare and verify bills of lading, packing slips, shipping labels, crate labels, and other required shipping documentation.
• Create UPS and FedEx shipping labels using the appropriate shipping software.
• Verify customer name, delivery address, job number, number of pieces, carrier, shipment method, and special delivery instructions.
• Confirm all items for the job have been pulled, packed, labeled, and staged before shipment.
• Identify and clearly document any backordered or missing items.
• Maintain organized shipping records and completed paperwork.
• Communicate with carriers, drivers, and internal departments regarding pickup and loading requirements.
• Report shipping damage, shortages, incorrect information, or carrier concerns immediately.

Loading and Material Handling

• Safely load and unload box trucks, company trucks, dry-van trailers, flatbed trailers, and carrier vehicles.
• Determine safe loading order, weight distribution, product orientation, blocking, bracing, and securement.
• Use forklifts, pallet jacks, carts, dollies, straps, chains, blocking, and other material-handling equipment.
• Ensure freight is loaded on the correct truck and positioned to prevent damage during transportation.
• Assist drivers with locating, staging, and securing loads.
• Perform portions of loading work outdoors in heat, cold, wind, rain, or snow.
• Maintain clear staging areas, aisles, loading docks, and access to overhead doors.
• Complete daily forklift inspections and report equipment problems immediately.

Tools and Equipment

The Working Lead must be able to safely operate and maintain:

• Forklifts and pallet jacks
• Chop saws and miter saws
• Circular saws and other woodworking tools
• Pneumatic nail guns and staplers
• Cordless and corded screw guns
• Drills, impact drivers, sanders, and hand tools
• Banding, wrapping, and packaging equipment
• Tape measures, squares, levels, and other measuring tools

Required Qualifications

• At least three years of experience in shipping, industrial packaging, custom crating, woodworking, warehousing, manufacturing, or a related position preferred.
• Previous lead-person or supervisory experience preferred.
• Strong custom woodworking, crate-building, or pallet-building ability.
• Ability to accurately read a tape measure and work from drawings, dimensions, work orders, or verbal instructions.
• Experience preparing bills of lading, packing slips, freight labels, UPS labels, and FedEx labels.
• Previous forklift experience; certification is preferred, or the ability to complete company forklift certification.
• Ability to plan and organize multiple shipments with different deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly with job numbers, quantities, delivery addresses, and shipping documentation.
• Ability to train employees, give clear instructions, and address performance concerns professionally.
• Basic computer and data-entry skills.
• Dependable attendance and willingness to work overtime when shipping deadlines require it.
• Ability to work independently without constant supervision.

Physical and Work-Environment Requirements

• Regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds independently.
• Team-lift or mechanically handle heavier and oversized products.
• Stand and walk for most of the workday.
• Frequently bend, reach, kneel, climb, push, pull, and work around large products.
• Work around sawdust, wood products, pneumatic tools, forklifts, manufacturing noise, and moving equipment.
• Work indoors and outdoors during loading operations in varying weather conditions.
• Wear required PPE, including safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves when appropriate, and safety-toe footwear.
• Follow all company safety procedures and equipment lockout requirements.

Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Shipments leaving complete and on schedule.
• Accurate BOLs, labels, addresses, and shipping paperwork.
• Reduction in freight damage and shipping errors.
• No products loaded onto the wrong truck or sent to the wrong destination.
• Proper use of lumber and packaging materials.
• Employee productivity and accountability.
• Safe forklift, tool, and loading practices.
• Clean and organized shipping, crating, and staging areas.

Timely communication regarding missing parts, delays, damage, and backorders