Load Dock Specialist - Backbone of Our Shipping Team

Description

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

Order Fulfillment:

• 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

Trailer Operations:

• 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)

Equipment Maintenance:

• Monitor cart condition and perform maintenance (painting, greasing wheels, replacing bad wheels)
• Ensure all equipment is in safe, working order

When not shipping, you ll assist with:

• 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

Must-Haves:

• 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

You'll Excel Here If You:

• 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

We're looking for team members who embody:

• Passion for service and quality - Our customers depend on us
• Reliability - Your team counts on you to show up and deliver
• Team player attitude - We succeed together
• Diligence - Details matter in every order
• Humble confidence - Skilled but always willing to learn
• Enjoyment of your work - Find fulfillment in what you do

This is an active, hands-on role requiring:

• Standing and walking for 4-hour periods
• Lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, kneeling, stooping, squatting, bending, reaching, and grasping
• Close vision, color vision, and depth perception for plant  quality control
• Outdoor work in all weather conditions (heat, cold, rain, snow, ice)
• Work around horticultural chemicals…