Load Dock Specialist - Be the Backbone of Our Shipping Team!
About The Position
Johnson Nursery is a thriving 100-acre ornamental plant nursery in southeastern North Carolina, where quality plants meet exceptional service. Our shipping department is the heartbeat of our operation—ensuring thousands of beautiful ornamental plants reach our customers in perfect condition. We're looking for a reliable, energetic team member to join our load dock crew and help us deliver excellence, one shipment at a time. This isn't your typical warehouse job. As a Load Dock Specialist, you'll be at the center of the action—learning plant identification, mastering the art of secure loading, maintaining equipment, and ensuring our customers receive exactly what they ordered in pristine condition. You'll work both in our shipping department and outdoors with our production team, gaining diverse skills in the nursery industry. Peak Season Alert: Our busiest months (March-May) are fast-paced and exciting, often requiring evening work past 5 PM. If you thrive in high-energy environments and don't mind earning extra hours, you'll love this role!
Requirements
- Eagerness to learn plant identification and quality standards
- Valid driver's license and clean driving record (some local parts pickup required)
- Ability to operate manual transmission tractors
- Physical fitness to lift 89 lbs to waist height, carry 30 lbs in each hand, and push/pull 100 lbs
- Strong work ethic—proactively find your next task when you finish one
- Flexibility to work overtime, evenings, and weekends (especially March-May)
- Authorization to work in the United States
- Ability to pass drug screening and post-offer physical assessment
- Willingness to wear ankle-high work boots and follow safety protocols
Nice To Haves
- Take pride in accuracy and attention to detail
- Enjoy both physical work and problem-solving
- Thrive in team environments where communication matters
- Can adapt between indoor loading and outdoor production tasks
- Love the satisfaction of completing orders perfectly and on time
Responsibilities
- Load shipping carts with customer orders, ensuring plants are secured to prevent damage during transport
- Verify order accuracy through careful counts and quality checks—you're the last line of defense before plants ship!
- Identify and tag products correctly, ensuring all custom and brand tags are secure and visible
- Maintain quality standards and flag any questionable products to leadership
- Keep the workspace organized and efficient
- Load and unload trailers according to load manifests and delivery drop orders
- Secure carts properly on trucks for safe transport
- Complete driver paperwork and organize documentation
- Process and report product returns accurately
- Track cart inventory (outgoing and returning)
- Monitor cart condition and perform maintenance (painting, greasing wheels, replacing bad wheels)
- Ensure all equipment is in safe, working order
- Picking plants from growing areas
- Plant care tasks: weeding, pruning, mowing, watering, fertilizing
- Nursery maintenance: installing ground mat and shade cloth, moving gravel, and general upkeep
- Seasonal winter protection (covering/uncovering plants)
- Basic construction tasks using hand and power tools
- Ladder work up to 10 feet
Benefits
- Diverse Role: Mix of shipping operations and plant production—never boring
- Learn a Trade: Gain valuable plant knowledge and logistics skills
- Team Environment: Work with a dedicated crew that values reliability
- Critical Role: Be the final quality check ensuring customer satisfaction
- Growth Potential: Build skills in both shipping and horticulture
- Active Lifestyle: Physical work that keeps you moving and engaged
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
