Shipping and receiving professionals play a key role in ensuring organizations can get their products to their customers in a timely fashion. They ensure products are shipped safely, effectively, and on time.
As part of your role, you will ship and receive products and required supplies for business operations. You will track shipments, product locations, pick orders, and ensure all products are accounted for while maintaining a safe work environment. You will work with warehouse management, vendors, drivers, office staff and provide exceptional customer service to clients. Success in this role can lead to many other roles in the supply chain and logistics industry.
Shipping and receiving professionals typically work in a warehouse or retail outlet. You may work in a standalone warehouse or a shipping and receiving dock for a retail store. Expect to work in shifts, which can be days, evenings or nights. Overtime is also common, and you may be required to work additional hours during busy periods such as the holidays. You can expect to report to a shift supervisor or warehouse manager.
Shipping and receiving jobs in Canada have an average salary of $16 per hour or about $34,000 annually. Most shipping/receiving positions have a starting salary of about $12.50 per hour, but pay starts at a higher rate if you have experience or specialized skills, such as inventory management.
With experience, you can make more than $20 per hour. You can increase your annual salary by working additional hours and overtime. Bonuses, profit sharing, and employee benefits may also be part of your compensation package.
As a shipper/receiver, your main objective is to ensure all products are accounted for as they make their way in and out of the company warehouse. Your day-to-day tasks may include:
Shippers and receivers are used typically by companies in retail, manufacturing, and production. Any organization that has a warehouse and ships and receives goods requires professionals in this area. Therefore, you will find there are ample opportunities for shipping and receiving positions in cities across the country, particularly in areas with a large retail or manufacturing presence. Depending on the type of work available, you could work in a warehouse, retail store, distribution center, or production facility.
Shipping and receiving professionals need to have a strong grasp of warehouse and retail environments. A strong understanding of technology and inventory tracking as related to shipping and receiving is an asset. Here are some of the key skills that will be required for shipping/receiving positions:
Most shipping/receiving positions require a high school diploma or some college/vocational training. If you plan to move into a management role or want to fast-track your career in supply chain and logistics, then a diploma in logistics or related field is an asset. A driver’s license and forklift operations license may be a requirement for some roles. Additional training in workplace health and safety is an asset. With shipping and receiving continually relying more on technology, experience with information systems, inventory management software and having strong technology skills is increasingly important.
There is plenty of room for career growth for shippers and receivers. As an entry level position in the supply chain and logistics field, many shipping/receiving professionals move up to other related positions such as warehouse supervisor, warehouse manager, logistics coordinator, forklift operator, and eventually to positions such as operations supervisor, shipping and receiving supervisor, or logistics specialist. There is ample opportunity for career growth in this field.
Shipping and receiving professionals typically work in a warehouse or retail outlet. You may work in a standalone warehouse or a shipping and receiving dock for a retail store. Expect to work in shifts, which can be days, evenings or nights. Overtime is also common, and you may be required to work additional hours during busy periods such as the holidays. You can expect to report to a shift supervisor or warehouse manager.