Dispatcher I

PHILABUNDANCE • Philadelphia, PA

7d • $52,000 - $52,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Dispatchers are the point of contact for drivers and have all the information needed to make deliveries. The Dispatcher is responsible for arranging pickups and deliveries of food donations, route planning and maintenance, as well as driver scheduling. This position plans daily routes for a driving team of CDL drivers, Van Drivers, and other vehicles; plus, support for temporary drivers when needed. Additionally, this position works in partnership with the entire operations team to ensure our donors and agencies receive prompt courteous service. Drivers are efficiently picking up and delivering donated surplus, prepared and perishable foods in the Philadelphia region. Drivers work an 8-hour shift between the hours of 5am and 5pm, M-F. Overtime, evening, weekend and/or holiday hours may be required as necessary. The Dispatcher ensures there is a smooth transition for agencies, events, and the warehouse to receive or send food to a new location.

Requirements

• Minimum of 1 year commercial or industrial dispatching related experience, ideally in a food-based industry.
• Experience moving food, frozen, fresh or shelf stored, with interaction to public.
• Previous work in a team environment, ideally with deadlines, detail, safety, and large equipment.
• Previous experience with organization, shared goals, and defined instructions.
• Previous experience in tracking manually or with a database.
• Hands-on driving and warehouse expertise.
• Commercial dispatch best practices, ideally within a food distribution environment.
• Ability to manage competing priorities with tight timelines and execute solutions with strong communications and directives.
• Ability to influence and manage change, unexpected situations and delivery adjustments with ownership, poise, and strong communication, internally and externally.
• Ability to read, write and complete basic math to support inventory, space calculations and tracking as is needed.
• Ability to establish and work well within a defined operating system, follow directions, consistent placement, and tracking.
• Basic ability to enter information into databases, ability to use GPS, tracking equipment and general technological tools as they apply to role.
• Ability to learn and grow with the position and business needs.
• Ability to handle multiple assignments simultaneously with poise and a calm thinking pattern.
• Ability to follow instructions, retain information and apply information, with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook).

Nice To Haves

• Serve Safe Certification preferred. Must be able to certify within 30 days of hire.
• Some CDL knowledge is preferred
• Preferred Inventory, Shipping/Receiving experience a plus.
• Previous experience operating a forklifts and pallet jacks, safely and effectively.
• Previous experience working within a defined operating system, follow directions, consistent placement, and tracking
• Warehouse experience moving food a plus.
• Knowledge of the Philadelphia region.
• Experience driving straight trucks or other large equipment.
• CDL a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide positive customer service, with a high level of urgency, to Philabundance contacts; communicate with customers/volunteers, drivers, internal and external contacts, in a courteous manner.
• Coordinates resources with delivery routes and needs to ensure on time delivery, successful turnaround and meets customer, internal and external, needs for food distribution.
• Perform administrative duties to maintain accurate records, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Proactively approaches customer needs, pick up and drop off requirements.
• Prioritize requests as well as gathering information quickly with ability to organize and communicate requests for drivers and other departments.
• Daily, weekly and special events, Tracks delivery and pick up activity, details, status, resolution of issues, communication to others and maintains accurate records at all times.
• Monitors success of distribution or pickups.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED