Associate, Logistics

CRADLES TO CRAYONS INC • Chicago, IL

1d • $24 - $24 • Onsite

About The Position

ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS: Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play. We supply clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies, and more, free of charge. Our vision is that one day all children will have the essentials they need to thrive. Two in 5 kids in the United States are currently facing Clothing Insecurity, going without basic essentials like pants, shoes, diapers, and school supplies during their critical development years. Three of the top 10 reasons kids miss school are rooted in Clothing Insecurity—just one example of the significant short- and long-term social and economic costs when these needs go unmet. Cradles to Crayons keeps Clothing Insecurity at the core of our mission and is the only large-scale nonprofit organization to focus on this resource gap. Since its founding, Cradles to Crayons has distributed more than six million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, and nationally. Cradles to Crayons takes a two-pronged approach to mitigating Clothing Insecurity: 1. In-person Engagement—through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve. 2. Advocacy and Awareness—Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach. Cradles to Crayons’ strong financial health and ongoing effectiveness and reliability have helped it earn a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator every year since 2009. C2C has a budget of $20M for FY26 and a total staff of approximately 100. POSITION OVERVIEW: The Logistics Associate is responsible for managing C2C Chicago’s day-to-day inbound and outbound transportation schedule. This role coordinate logistics for staff driver(s) and/or external transportation vendors, both paid and pro-bono. In partnership with the Senior Director of Operations, the Logistics Associate also supports the upkeep and maintenance of C2C-owned and rented property, including vehicles, the Giving Factory, outdoor donation receptacles and other capital assets. This role requires strong organizational, technology and communication skills, as it involves balancing multiple priorities and working with a wide range of stakeholders. All Cradles to Crayons team members contribute to a culture of shared mission by participating in one volunteer shift per month.

Requirements

• Passion for Cradles to Crayons’ mission.
• 1-2 years of experience in a logistics and/or warehouse environment.
• Proficiency using technology and computer applications (Salesforce, Outlook, Word, Excel) to organize data and/or manage schedules.
• Strong organizational, communication and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work with a variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to work some evening and weekend hours.
• Valid driver’s license required; professional experience driving trucks or vans a plus.
• Physically able to walk up and down stairs, stand for long periods, and bending, reaching, pushing, pulling and lift up to 80 lbs.
• Fluency in spoken and written English

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Salesforce and Geopointe preferred.
• professional experience driving trucks or vans a plus.

Responsibilities

• Model and lead a positive “One Cradles” culture, underpinned by Cradles’ Cultural Values and related behaviors.
• Develop and finalize Standard Operating Procedures applicable to the team’s function that ensure functionality and standardization.
• Coordinate the transportation of donated products to the Giving Factory and the distribution of goods to partnering organizations.
• Maintain an ongoing calendar for all inbound and outbound transportation needs.
• Prepare and finalize routing for C2C’s driver(s), properly preparing them for the day and weeks ahead.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure a successful logistics plan is in place for all C2C events held outside of the Giving Factory.
• Maintain relationships with our logistics vendors both paid and in-kind and ensure they are equipped with everything they need to be successful in their work with us.
• Create new efficiencies where needed as we grow our fleet and capacity for pick-ups and deliveries.
• Coordinate vendors for the maintenance of buildings, grounds, vehicles and warehouse equipment which includes maintaining a regular schedule of preventive maintenance as well as reacting swiftly to needs as they arise.
• Understand the resources required to maintain federal, state, and local requirements.
• Keep supervisor up to date on areas of responsibility and report problems or issues promptly.
• Attend and participate in all C2C meetings as required.
• Complete special projects and miscellaneous assignments as assigned.
• Perform the duties needed to run volunteer stations
• Assist the Operations team with the fulfilment of Everyday and Emergency Essentials requests
• Perform other warehouse, inventory, receiving and distribution tasks as directed
• Receive gently used donations as outlined in the Material Handling Policy
• Unload pallets of incoming donations and purchases from delivery trucks
• Load vehicles designated for delivery.
• Assist the Senior Director of Operations with the movement, organization and tracking of inventory
• Other duties as assigned

Benefits

• Health benefits including medical, dental, vision and a Health Reimbursement Arrangement
• A monthly cell phone and internet usage stipend
• Employer-sponsored short- and long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Retirement plan matching
• Annual professional development stipend

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed