Free Material Handler Job Description Templates
Free material handler job description templates: standard, warehouse, entry-level, manufacturing, forklift combo, and lead. Download as DOCX.
Material Handler Job Description Templates
6 free templates by type. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
Material handlers are the roles that keep a physical business moving. When the position sits empty, deliveries pile up at the dock, orders ship late, and the owner ends up driving the forklift. In any posting for this job, I check three things first: how much the person lifts, which shift they work, and what it pays.
Material handling is one of the largest hiring markets in the country: the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted about 6.9 million hand laborer and material mover jobs in 2025 and projects about 904,200 openings a year through 2035. That volume cuts both ways for a small employer. Candidates exist, but they compare dozens of nearly identical postings, and a vague one gets scrolled past.
At FirstHR, we build for small businesses that hire without an HR department, where the owner or the warehouse manager writes the posting between other tasks. The six templates below cover the most common versions of the role: standard, warehouse, entry-level, manufacturing, forklift combo, and lead. Each is ready to use. Fill in the bracketed fields, set your lifting requirement and pay range, and post.
What Is a Material Handler?
A material handler moves, stores, and tracks materials through a warehouse, plant, or stockroom. They receive and unload shipments, put stock away, pick and stage orders, load outbound trucks, and keep inventory counts accurate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies the role under hand laborers and material movers, workers who manually move freight, stock, or other materials in stockrooms, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other settings.
A material handler job description is the document that turns that general role into your specific opening: which dock, which equipment, which shift, what pay. The SHRM job description guide says a job description outlines the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a position and doubles as a recruitment tool.
For an hourly role like this one, a job description recruits best when it uses plain language. Candidates skim. The posting that states the duties, the shift, and the rate clearly wins over the one with three paragraphs about synergy.
Material Handler Duties and Responsibilities
Material handler duties center on receiving and unloading shipments, moving stock to storage, picking and packing orders, loading outbound trucks, maintaining accurate inventory counts, and following safety procedures. The mix shifts with the setting: a distribution warehouse leans on scanning and order picking, a manufacturing plant leans on supplying production lines, and a small shop usually needs some of everything. Here are those responsibilities, grouped the way the templates use them.
A good posting picks 6 to 10 specific duties from these categories rather than listing every possible task. At a small business, expect the list to expand into neighboring work like light assembly, delivery runs, or shipping paperwork.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template that matches your facility and the level you are hiring. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one emphasizes the duties, equipment, and language that fit a specific setting. Use this guide to choose.
6 Free Material Handler Job Description Templates
Download all six as separate Word files in one ZIP, or copy individual templates. Each one covers the job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and how to apply, and the Standard template adds a company overview. All but the Lead template also build in the lifting requirement and the shift. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: Standard Material Handler
The universal baseline for any small business. Covers receiving, moving, picking, inventory records, and safety, with fill-in fields for the lifting requirement, shift, and pay range.
Template 2: Warehouse Material Handler
For warehouses and distribution operations. Built around dock work, RF scanners, putaway and picking, cycle counts, and the standard 50 lbs lifting requirement.
Template 3: Entry-Level Material Handler (No Experience)
A we-train-you posting for hiring without experience. Short must-have list, paid training language, an optional-resume application process, and a growth path section that helps you compete for reliable people.
Template 4: Manufacturing / Production Material Handler
For plants and production shops. Focused on staging raw materials, kitting, line-side replenishment, moving finished goods, ERP records, and lot tracking.
Template 5: Forklift Operator / Material Handler Combo
For the dual role common in smaller operations: forklift work for heavy moves plus general material handling the rest of the shift. Includes OSHA certification language and daily inspection duties.
Template 6: Lead / Senior Material Handler
For a working team lead who trains new hires, assigns daily tasks, and leads cycle counts while staying hands-on. The right posting when a growing team needs more structure.
What to Include in a Material Handler Job Description
Every strong material handler job description includes the same core sections: summary, duties, physical requirements, shift, pay range, qualifications, and how to apply. The templates above are built around them. What separates a posting that attracts good candidates from one that gets ignored is how concrete the duties are.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Handle materials | Unload trucks at the receiving dock and check shipments against POs |
| Keep inventory | Count, label, and shelve stock, and perform weekly cycle counts |
| Help with orders | Pick orders with an RF scanner and stage them by carrier and route |
| Physical work required | Lift up to 50 lbs repeatedly and stand for a full 8-hour shift |
| Operate equipment | Operate a sit-down forklift; daily pre-shift inspection required |
Specific duties signal a well-run operation and let candidates self-select accurately, which saves you screening time and first-week surprises.
Keep the language neutral and based on the actual demands of the job, since the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) states that it is illegal to publish a job advertisement that shows a preference based on protected characteristics. Physical requirements are fine to state, and you should state them, as long as they reflect what the work genuinely requires.
Material Handler vs Warehouse Associate vs Forklift Operator
These three titles overlap, and small operations often combine them into one job. Knowing the differences helps you pick the title candidates actually search for and set the right pay.
| Factor | Material Handler | Warehouse Associate | Forklift Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Moving and tracking materials | Broad warehouse operations | Operating powered equipment |
| Typical setting | Warehouse or manufacturing | Warehouse and fulfillment | Warehouse, yard, or plant |
| Equipment | Pallet jacks, hand trucks, scanners | Scanners, packing stations | Forklifts and reach trucks |
| Certification | Only to operate powered trucks | Only to operate powered trucks | OSHA-required training and evaluation |
| Typical pay position | Slightly above the group median | At or near the group median | Above the group median |
In practice, the titles are often interchangeable, and the duties section defines the real job. If your opening is mostly forklift work, post it as a forklift role or use the combo template above.
For a broad warehouse role, the warehouse associate templates may fit better, and for parcel-focused work the package handler templates cover sorting and loading.
How to Write a Material Handler Job Description
A strong material handler job description is quick to write if you follow a clear structure. Here is the process the templates are built around.
Material Handler Salary
Set your hourly range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for your local market, the shift, and equipment skills. In federal wage statistics, material handlers fall under the hand laborers and material movers group.
Those openings mean your posting competes with many others, including large operations with recruiting budgets. A small business wins on specifics: an honest rate stated up front, a clear shift, a shift differential if you pay one, and a forklift certification path if you offer it.
For a closer benchmark, O*NET, an occupation database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, lists "material handler" among the job titles of "laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand." In the May 2025 BLS wage survey, that occupation had a median of $19.35 an hour ($40,240 a year).
Industrial truck and tractor operators, the classification that covers forklift drivers, had a median of $22.32 an hour ($46,420 a year) in the same survey. Certified operators and overnight shifts sit above the group median; entry-level stockroom roles sit below it. Whatever you decide, publish the range, since pay is the first filter material handler candidates apply to every posting.
Forklift Certification and Safety Requirements
If the role involves a forklift or any other powered industrial truck, electric pallet jacks included, federal rules from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) apply before the new hire touches the controls. As the OSHA powered industrial trucks overview explains, employers must ensure every operator is trained and evaluated, and must certify that both happened.
Certification is employer-specific. In an interpretation letter on power pallet jacks, OSHA called the required training and evaluation truck-specific and site-specific, so even an operator with years of experience must be evaluated at your facility on your equipment. The forklift standard itself requires training that combines formal instruction, practical exercises, and an evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace.
For the job description, this means two practical things. First, say clearly whether forklift work is part of the role and whether you provide the certification, because paid certification is a genuine attraction point for candidates building a warehouse career.
Second, put the daily pre-shift inspection in the duties. OSHA's forklift standard requires each truck to be examined at least daily before it is placed in service, and after every shift where trucks run around the clock.
Warehouses also carry their own hazard profile beyond equipment, from dock edges to manual lifting, and the OSHA warehousing guidance is a useful checklist when you write the safety expectations into the posting and the training plan. The forklift combo and lead templates above already include forklift certification and safety language.
Hiring a Material Handler for a Small Operation
Corporate material handler postings assume a big facility: narrow lanes of responsibility, a safety department, a training team. A small operation has one or two people covering the whole flow of goods, reporting to the owner or a working manager. Here is how to write the posting for that reality.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the foundation for the offer letter and the onboarding plan.
For material handlers, onboarding is where safety and retention are decided. The first week should cover the facility walkthrough, equipment training, lifting procedures, and forklift certification if the role requires it. Early quits and first-month injuries are expensive on hourly roles, and structure helps prevent both.
FirstHR keeps the e-signed offer, the new hire's documents, and the onboarding plan in one system, so a small business can get a material handler from accepted offer to trained and productive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a material handler do?
A material handler keeps goods moving, stored, and accounted for in a warehouse, a plant, or a stockroom. On a typical shift that means unloading and receiving deliveries, taking stock to its storage location on a pallet jack or hand truck, picking and packing orders, counting inventory, loading trucks for outbound shipments, and keeping the work area clean and safe. On a manufacturing floor, the job tilts toward feeding production lines with raw materials and carrying finished goods to shipping. Because every facility combines these tasks differently, a clear job description is worth the effort: it tells candidates whether they will run a receiving dock, supply a production line, drive a forklift, or cover a little of everything.
What are the main duties of a material handler?
The main duties fall into four categories. Receiving and shipping: unloading deliveries, inspecting shipments, picking and packing orders, and loading trucks. Inventory and records: counting, labeling, shelving stock, updating inventory systems, and performing cycle counts. Equipment and movement: operating pallet jacks, hand trucks, and forklifts where certified, plus daily equipment checks. Safety and housekeeping: following safety procedures, wearing protective equipment, keeping aisles clear, and reporting hazards. A strong job posting keeps only the duties that actually apply to your facility instead of copying every task a generic template lists.
What should a material handler job description include?
A material handler job description should include a brief summary of the job, 6 to 10 concrete responsibilities, the physical demands in plain words, the shift and schedule, an hourly pay range, required and preferred qualifications, and clear instructions for applying. Give the physical section extra care: state in pounds how much the person must lift, and mention standing, bending, or temperature conditions. Be just as specific about the shift, because candidates who discover an overnight schedule late tend not to show up for the interview. Finally, make applying easy for an hourly role. Asking for a polished resume screens out good people, while accepting an email or a walk-in brings more of them in.
Do material handlers need a forklift certification?
Not always. Many material handler jobs are entry-level and involve only work by hand, manual pallet jacks, and hand trucks, and none of those require certification. Operating a forklift, an electric pallet jack, or another powered industrial truck is different: before anyone runs one independently, OSHA requires the employer to make sure that person has been trained and evaluated, and to certify it. OSHA treats the training and evaluation as specific to each truck and site, so even a veteran operator must be evaluated at your facility, on your equipment. If the job includes forklift work, say so in the posting and state whether you provide the training, since offering certification is a real draw for candidates.
What is the average material handler salary?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics places material handlers in the hand laborers and material movers group, whose median pay in May 2025 was $38,220 a year, or $18.38 an hour. The lowest-paid 10 percent of the group earned under $30,190 and the top 10 percent over $52,340. The closest single occupation, “laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand,” had a higher median of $40,240. Pay also varies by industry, shift, and equipment skills. BLS industry medians put the group at $44,710 in transportation and warehousing against $36,090 in retail trade. Overnight shifts often carry a differential, and industrial truck and tractor operators, the forklift classification, had a median of $46,420. Put an hourly range in every posting, because candidates for this job look at pay before anything else.
What is the difference between a material handler and a warehouse associate?
The titles overlap heavily and many companies use them interchangeably. Where there is a distinction, material handler emphasizes the physical movement and tracking of materials: receiving, putaway, staging, and inventory accuracy, and it is common in manufacturing as well as warehousing. Warehouse associate is the broader warehouse-specific title that can also cover order fulfillment, returns processing, and customer order work. For a small business the practical advice is simple: pick the title candidates in your area actually search for, and let the duties section define the real job. If you operate a warehouse, posting under both titles is a legitimate tactic.
How do I write a material handler job description for a small business?
Describe the real scope rather than copying a corporate template. At a small company the material handler often covers receiving, shipping, inventory counts, and forklift work in one role, sometimes with light assembly or delivery on top. State the physical requirements and shift plainly, give an honest hourly range, and keep the must-have list short, since reliability and willingness to learn matter more than experience for most of these roles. Make applying easy: an email or phone call should be enough. The standard and entry-level templates here are written for exactly this situation, and each takes about ten minutes to customize.
What happens after I hire a material handler?
After the candidate says yes, the job description becomes the starting point for the offer letter, the new hire paperwork, and the onboarding plan. Build onboarding for this role around safety: a tour of the facility, hands-on equipment training, clear rules for lifting and dock work, and forklift certification wherever the job calls for it. A first week with real structure helps cut early quits and injuries alike, and each one is expensive for a small operation that runs on hourly staff. FirstHR handles the offer letter, document storage, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small business can take a material handler from accepted offer to trained and productive without a dedicated HR department.