What does a Fulfillment Associate do?
A Fulfillment Associate plays a crucial role in inventory management in your company’s warehouses. By performing Fulfillment Associate job duties, they ensure a smooth flow of goods from arriving delivery trucks to the warehouse storage area and to your customers.
Having skilled Fulfillment Associates on your team helps your company ship orders quickly while ensuring that every package received contains the exact items your customers purchased in pristine condition. As a result, associates make a big impact on the level of service you deliver to your customers.
Fulfillment Associate skills and qualifications
To perform their daily tasks effectively, Fulfillment Associates need specific skills. Some qualifications to look for on resumes include:
- Ability to operate forklifts, cherry pickers, hand trucks and other warehousing equipment
- Enough physical strength to lift heavy boxes that may weigh 50 pounds or more
- Strong reading and critical thinking skills to carry out work orders
- Oral communication skills to effectively work alongside other members of the warehouse team
- Enough physical stamina to remain upright and move during the entire duration of a shift
- High-level listening skills to hear and remember instructions provided by the warehouse manager
- Thorough knowledge of warehouse safety and health standards
- Ability to work in the conditions of your warehouse, which may be hot, cold or noisy
Fulfillment Associate experience requirements
How much experience a prospective Fulfillment Associate needs to succeed in the position depends on the requirements of your company. If your warehouse is short-staffed or you have a high rate of turnover, you may prefer to focus on candidates with one or more years of experience who are likely to require less on-the-job training.
Fulfillment Associates that will serve as trainers will usually need one or two years of work experience. In some cases, a candidate may only need the above skills and qualifications to perform well as an associate.
Fulfillment Associate education and training requirements
Because basic reading and critical thinking skills are necessary to succeed in Fulfillment Associate careers, most employers prefer candidates who hold a high school diploma or GED. Associates who will operate certain types of machinery, such as forklifts and cherry pickers, must gain certification from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
To gain this certification, associates must be at least 18 years old and complete an OSHA-approved training course. Although many associates gain this certification during their on-the-job training, you may wish to prioritize certified individuals who can begin operating the necessary equipment right away.
Fulfillment Associate salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Fulfillment Associate is $37,416 per year. You can set the pay rates for open positions based on candidates’ training, experience, budgetary constraints and the job market conditions in your area.
Job description samples for similar positions
If the Fulfillment Associate position isn’t exactly in line with your company’s needs, explore the job descriptions for these related careers:
Fulfillment Associate job description FAQs
How can you make your Fulfillment Associate job description stand out?
One way to make your Fulfillment Associate job description stand out is to describe what benefits your company provides. Many prospective associates appreciate the option to work overtime to earn more money. Some other highly desirable perks you may wish to mention include paid sick time, commuter assistance and employee discounts.
What is the difference between a Fulfillment Associate and an order picker?
Both Fulfillment Associates and order pickers retrieve items specified in work orders and prepare customer shipments. The main difference is that Fulfillment Associates usually have additional duties, such as unloading incoming shipments, arranging merchandise and loading outgoing trucks. Order pickers usually spend most of their time locating merchandise and packaging shipments.
What is the difference between a Fulfillment Associate and a stocker?
Stockers unload merchandise in loading docks, organize inventory and often operate heavy machinery like Fulfillment Associates. However, they work in retailers, such as grocery stores and department stores, rather than in warehouses. They also perform additional job duties, such as applying price tags and stocking shelves.
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
