Warehouse Associate - Lead

About the Role

Sonny's Enterprises is the world's largest manufacturer of conveyorized car wash equipment, parts, and supplies. As the industry leader, we innovate new technologies to advance the car wash industry with products proudly designed and built in the USA. Our culture thrives on finding new and better ways to accelerate what’s next, embracing change to maximize the potential of our most valuable resource — our people.

The Warehouse Associate Lead ensures all materials are dispersed as required, all sales orders and deliveries are shipped safely, on time, and with high quality. This "Working Lead" role involves managing work schedules, assigning tasks, training team members, and actively participating on the warehouse floor. The Lead also drives process improvements, analyzing programs, tooling, and constraints to identify efficiency gains and implement solutions.

Responsibilities

• Safety
  • Wears PPE as outlined in the Sonny’s PPE policy.
  • Maintains PPE and ensures team members follow safety policies for a safe work environment.
  • Attends safety trainings and huddles.
  • Identifies unsafe work conditions and reports them to the Supervisor, Safety Manager, or Production Manager.
  • Actively suggests and implements safety improvements or initiatives.
  • Ensures walkways, emergency exits, and panels are kept free from obstruction per local, state, and national safety codes.
  • Checks for the safe and correct use of equipment by shipping/receiving staff.
• Quality
  • Follows work instructions and meets quality control expectations.
  • Participates in corrective action and problem-solving meetings.
  • Follows quality processes, performs inspections, and documents checklist actions (e.g., staging documents, packaging line items).
  • Provides accurate dimensions for freight shipment booking to the supervisor.
  • Actively performs and sustains 5S initiatives.
• Packaging and Shipping
  • Works autonomously and as part of the team to ship parts according to timelines and constraints.
  • Problem-solves and adapts creatively to challenges in partnership with the Manager.
  • Ensures finished products meet sales order requirements and are packaged to minimize shipping damage.
  • Substitutes for other shipping Associates as needed.
• Personal Development
  • Completes annual self-evaluation on time.
  • Articulates goals for the upcoming quarter during annual reviews.
  • Attends monthly 1-to-1 meetings with the Manager.
  • Completes goals set by the Supervisor within the designated time period.
  • Attends internal training seminars as required.
• Inventory Management
  • Places finished goods into correct storage locations.
  • Puts completed parts away in their respective bin locations.
  • Leads monthly inventory cycle counts with assistance from the Manager.
• Preventive Maintenance, Calibration, and Housekeeping
  • Performs daily preventive maintenance actions.
  • Ensures daily forklift checklists are completed.
  • Maintains cleanliness by wiping surfaces, sweeping floors, and putting away materials daily.
  • Engages the Manager to promptly schedule repairs and minimize downtime.
  • Ensures walkways, emergency exits, and panels remain unobstructed per safety codes.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Attends continuous improvement trainings and actively participates in 5S initiatives.
  • Discusses challenges related to work center setup, part storage, and material handling with the Manager.
  • Submits or proposes solutions to existing challenges.
  • Participates in problem-solving meetings with team members.
  • Works with the Manager to plan and schedule improvement projects around production requirements.
• Culture
  • Coaches staff and models behaviors that support the company’s culture.
  • Monitors team behavior in alignment with the company’s mission, vision, and values, reporting concerns to the supervisor.
  • Provides constructive input to define departmental and company cultures.
  • Reinforces required behaviors and holds team members accountable.
  • Trains and cross-trains personnel to ensure they have the skills needed for their roles.
  • Composes professional emails and maintains diligent response times with team members and management.

Requirements

• Experience & Education
  • 5+ years of warehouse experience preferred.
  • Forklift experience required.
  • Scan gun experience required.
  • High School Diploma/GED required.
• Working Conditions & Physical Demands
  • Normal manufacturing environment conditions.
  • Heavy work (lifting greater than 30 pounds).
  • Ability to carry 50 lbs. for 100 feet unassisted.
  • Machinery operation requires PPE: safety glasses, hearing protectors, steel-toe shoes, and hard hats.
  • Loose-fitting clothes and jewelry are not permitted.
  • Regularly required to stand, sit, and move about the facility; ability to stand for 8 hours per day.
• Materials and Equipment Used
  • SAP Software, label machines, scales, and printers.
  • Proper coordination and motor skills to work with power/hand tools as needed.

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid medical plan.
• Optional benefit programs for employees and their families, including:
  • 401(k) match.
  • Additional medical plans.
  • Dental and vision coverage.
  • Flex spending account.
  • Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
  • Life insurance.