Inventory & Warehouse

Job Description

General Warehouse Associate

Location: Woonsocket, RI
Department: Warehouse / Operations
Employment Type: Full-Time

About Surplus Solutions

Surplus Solutions® is a global leader in the buying, selling, and refurbishment of pre-owned laboratory, processing, packaging, and medical equipment. With more than 25 years of experience serving the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences industries, we handle a vast range of specialized equipment from leading manufacturers around the world. Our inventory moves quickly, and our team plays a critical role in getting valuable equipment safely from our facilities to customers worldwide.

Position Summary

We are seeking a General Warehouse Associate to join our fast-paced warehouse team.

This is a hands-on, physically active position where priorities can change quickly based on incoming shipments, customer orders, and warehouse needs. The successful candidate must be comfortable working at a fast pace while maintaining a high standard of safety, accuracy, organization, and care.

Unloading incoming trucks is the highest-priority responsibility of this position. The ideal candidate will have strong forklift operating skills and be confident safely moving large, heavy, and sometimes delicate laboratory equipment.

Because we handle valuable laboratory equipment, speed can never come at the expense of quality or safe handling.

Key Responsibilities

Truck Unloading & Material Handling — Primary Responsibility

• Safely and efficiently unload incoming trucks and trailers.
• Operate forklifts to unload, move, stage, and store equipment throughout the warehouse.
• Safely handle large, heavy, awkward, and high-value laboratory equipment.
• Inspect incoming equipment and shipments for visible damage or discrepancies.
• Verify quantities and identify equipment, pallets, crates, and associated materials.
• Stage incoming equipment in designated areas for processing, inspection, refurbishment, or storage.
• Secure equipment appropriately to prevent damage during movement and storage.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe receiving area.

Warehouse Operations

• Pick equipment and materials accurately for customer orders and internal requests.
• Stage orders for shipment and assist with loading outbound trucks when required.
• Move inventory throughout the warehouse using forklifts, pallet jacks, carts, and other material-handling equipment.
• Assist with wrapping, palletizing, crating, labeling, and preparing equipment for shipment.
• Maintain accurate product locations and follow established inventory-control procedures.
• Assist with warehouse organization, housekeeping, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support other warehouse activities as business needs require.

Quality & Equipment Care

• Handle all laboratory equipment with exceptional care.
• Follow procedures for protecting sensitive, fragile, and high-value equipment.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy when identifying, moving, staging, and preparing equipment.
• Report damage, discrepancies, or unsafe conditions immediately.
• Understand that the condition and presentation of our equipment directly affects our customers and our business.
• Follow all company safety, quality, and operating procedures.

Qualifications

Required:

• Demonstrated forklift operating experience and strong material-handling skills.
• Ability to safely operate a forklift in a busy warehouse environment.
• Previous warehouse, distribution, manufacturing, logistics, or material-handling experience.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Ability to safely lift, move, push, pull, and position heavy equipment.
• Ability to work independently while also functioning effectively as part of a team.
• Dependable attendance and a strong work ethic.
• Commitment to workplace safety.

Preferred:

• Forklift certification.
• Experience unloading tractor-trailers.
• Experience handling large or high-value equipment.
• Experience in a manufacturing, laboratory, medical equipment, biotech, or industrial environment.
• Experience with inventory systems, scanners, or warehouse management systems.

What We're Looking For

The right person for this position is a warehouse operator first—someone who knows how to safely move material, operate a forklift, unload a truck efficiently, and keep things moving.

You should be someone who:

• Can jump off the forklift and help wherever the warehouse needs you.
• Works quickly without becoming careless.
• Takes pride in doing things correctly the first time.
• Understands that expensive equipment cannot be treated like ordinary warehouse freight.
• Notices problems before they become bigger problems.
• Keeps their work area organized.
• Is comfortable working hard in a high-volume environment.
• Takes ownership of their responsibilities and can be counted on when the trucks arrive.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to regularly lift and move materials and equipment.
• Ability to operate a forklift safely for extended periods.
• Ability to work around large equipment, pallets, crates, and industrial vehicles.
• Ability to perform physical warehouse duties in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to safely handle equipment weighing up to the limits established by company procedures and available material-handling equipment.

Why Join Surplus Solutions?

At Surplus Solutions, no two days in the warehouse are exactly the same. We handle an enormous variety of specialized equipment, and new inventory arrives regularly. Our warehouse team is an essential part of a global operation supporting the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical, and life sciences industries.

If you're an experienced forklift operator who takes pride in working hard, working safely, and taking care of what you're moving, we'd like to hear from you.