Shipping Captain

Shipping Captain Job Description

OVERVIEW

IGF Mission

To deliver quality service and cultivate community around the table.

Operations Mission

To deliver quality service through a team-oriented approach to executing excellence.

DEPARTMENT OBJECTIVES

• Comply with companywide policies and standard operating procedures to accurately and efficiently receive, ship, and deliver IGF’s products to customers.

• Effectively manage IGF’s truck fleet including planning, contracts, cost, maintenance, and affiliated relationships.

• Optimize routes and route planning; track deliveries in real time.

• Achieve inventory accuracy defined as accurate count (0.5 percent margin of error) and accurate product in location.

• Define and document the requirements for and contribute to planning new cross docks and distribution centers.

• Ensure comprehensive, evolving, and sustained onboarding training and continuous education.

• Create and standardize facilities and safety practices and training across all locations.

• Meaningfully and proactively participate in overall business strategy and planning.

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Different organizations attach different meanings to words. Below is how IGF defines the following terms.

TERM

DEFINITION

Distribution

Building relationships with manufacturers and producers to purchase, warehouse, and handle last-mile delivery of their products as a result of finding “homes” for those products in the marketplace.

Hospitality

The business or act of receiving, treating, and providing accommodation, food, drink, and other services to guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.

Implement

To put an agreement, decision, or plan into effect.

Material Handling Equipment (MHE)

Mechanical equipment used for the movement, storage, control, and protection of materials, goods and products during manufacturing and distribution.

Quality

Taking utmost care by investing in the continuous improvement of the people and processes that make up the distribution lifecycle.

Plan

A detailed proposal for achieving or doing something.

Team

A number of persons cooperating in joint action.

CAPTAIN DESCRIPTION

The Shipping Captain leads and directs the Shipping team and tracks team members’ performance, especially related to ensuring accuracy, preventing damage, and safely operating equipment. They work closely with other warehouse leadership to ensure coordination and continuous improvement across activities and shifts.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The Captain does the following.

• Directs, supervises, and provides leadership to the team members responsible for pulling, checking, and loading product to track their performance, especially related to:

• Ensuring product accuracy and quality

• Preventing damage

• Operating equipment safely

• Maintaining a clean, compliant, and safe working environment

• Participates in and oversees:

• Printing pick and load sheets

• Making door assignments

• Locating misplaced and missing product

• Reconciling completed pick and load sheets in Dynamics

• Entering weights; printing invoices; collating driver paperwork

• Provides leadership and direction to the Shipping team:

• Tracks and manages team members’ performance, especially related to ensuring accuracy, preventing damage, and operating equipment safely

• Conducts management functions such as reviewing time-off requests and carrying out disciplinary and corrective actions

• Contributes to ongoing training related to products and workplace policies and processes

• Coordinates workflow with other leadership team members to ensure collaboration across other warehouse activities and “time zones”; assigns and ensures the timely completion of team tasks, including end-of-shift cleaning

• Works with Facilities and Safety team members to problem-solve equipment and infrastructure challenges with the objective of continuous improvement

• Works closely with other leadership team members to participate in regular management reviews geared toward continuous process improvement

• Contributes to the team by performing other work as necessary

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in warehousing and distribution, preferably in the food industry

• Leadership and conflict resolution skills; ability to communicate clearly and motivate a team

• Ability to work independently and as part of a diverse team, changing gears when required

• Strong analytical and organizational skills with high attention to detail

• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

• Expert ability to operate a manual pallet jack, electric pallet jack, and forklift

• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Dynamics, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, and Word

• On-call availability in emergency situations

• Bilingual communications skills (English and Spanish) preferred

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Strong interpersonal skills and effective communicator: ability to work with individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, levels, and roles; high level of energy and self-motivation

• Sense of urgency: an ability to work quickly and accurately; ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate

• Creative and persistent problem solver: has a problem-solving mindset with good project and time management skills; solution-oriented

• Detail-oriented: has a keen eye for details without losing sight of the big picture

• Integrity: honest, discreet, and trustworthy; does what is right and necessary

• Humility: demonstrates humility and flexibility; recognizes achievements of others

• Curiosity and growth mindset: willingness to learn and grow

• Efficient and organized: able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be able to sit at a desk and work on a computer for prolonged periods of time

• Must be able to access and navigate every department within the organization

• Must be able to bend, lift (at least 55 lb.), stretch, and climb (including ladders)

• Must be able to sustain prolonged periods of standing and walking

• Must be able to work across temperature zones (dry/refrigerated/frozen)

• Must be able to work at heights up to 60 feet using ladders, lifts, and MHE; must be able and willing to operate equipment as needed

• Requires bending, sitting, standing, walking, use of hands, arms, legs, eyes, and voice