Order Picker Job Description: 6 Templates
Free order picker job description templates: warehouse, e-commerce, grocery, picker/packer, and first hire. With FLSA and OSHA forklift notes. DOCX.
Order Picker Job Description Templates
6 free templates by operation: standard, warehouse, e-commerce, grocery, picker/packer, and first hire, with FLSA and OSHA forklift guidance. Download as DOCX.
The order picker job description looks simple until you realize the templates online all assume one generic warehouse, and your operation is probably not generic. A distribution picker running a reach truck, an e-commerce picker packing orders against a shipping cutoff, and a grocery order selector case-picking in a freezer all share the title, but they are different jobs. And the generic templates skip what matters most for a small operation: the FLSA classification (order pickers are non-exempt and hourly), and the OSHA forklift certification that comes with powered equipment.
At FirstHR, we build templates for exactly that situation: the warehouses, e-commerce fulfillment operations, grocery and foodservice distributors, and 3PLs that hire directly, where the owner or a supervisor does the hiring. Many of these are small businesses without a dedicated HR person, hiring hourly warehouse staff often. The six templates below cover the real operations: standard, warehouse, e-commerce, grocery, picker/packer, and first warehouse hire, each ready to fill in and post, with the classification and compliance guidance built in. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
What an Order Picker Does
An order picker reads orders, selects the correct items from warehouse shelves, and prepares them for shipment. The work spans reading pick tickets, selecting items with a barcode or RF scanner, verifying quantity and quality, packing and staging orders, building and moving pallets, updating inventory, and following safety rules.
What changes is the operation. A warehouse picker runs powered equipment and hits targets; an e-commerce picker packs against shipping deadlines; a grocery selector case-picks in the cold; a picker/packer does both. The role also goes by order filler and order selector. For scoping the role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Order Picker Types by Operation
Order picker is an umbrella title that splits by operation, each with its own equipment, environment, and pace. Naming the right one keeps the posting credible and sets the right expectations. Here is how they compare.
| Operation | Core work | Key factor |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse / distribution | Pick with RF and powered equipment | Forklift, productivity targets |
| E-commerce / fulfillment | Pick and pack online orders | Peak season, shipping deadlines |
| Grocery / cold-storage | Case-pick in coolers and freezers | Cold, heavier lifting |
| Picker / packer | Pick and pack combined | Smaller warehouse |
| First warehouse hire | Do a bit of everything | Small business, hands-on |
The right job description depends on your operation, since the equipment, the environment, and the pace all differ. Start from the matching version so the posting describes the real job, then fill in your specific equipment, lifting limits, and targets. This page provides a template for each operation plus a standard version for any employer.
Order Picker Duties and Responsibilities
Order picker duties center on four areas: reading and selecting, packing and staging, moving and tracking, and safety. Every operation shares these, with the emphasis shifting by setting. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
A strong posting grounds these in your operation: the scanners and WMS, the equipment, the lifting limits, the productivity targets, and the environment. It also states physical requirements honestly, since this is demanding work and accurate expectations reduce early turnover. Candidates read a picker posting for the pay, the shift, the equipment, and the physical demands before applying.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your operation. The read-select-stage core runs through all six, but the equipment, the environment, and the pace differ enough that the matched version reads more credibly. Use this guide to choose.
6 Free Order Picker Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, physical requirements, classification, compensation, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets, set the equipment and lifting limits, and post.
Template 1: Standard Order Picker
The universal version: read orders, select items from shelves, verify quantity and quality, and stage them for shipping. The right base to adapt.
Template 2: Warehouse / Distribution Order Picker
For a warehouse or 3PL. Adds RF scanners and a WMS, powered equipment like reach trucks and order pickers, OSHA forklift requirements, and productivity targets.
Template 3: E-commerce / Fulfillment Order Picker
For an e-commerce or fulfillment operation. Adds packing and labeling, a WMS, shipping deadlines, and the speed needed for peak-season volume.
Template 4: Grocery / Cold-Storage Order Selector
For grocery or foodservice distribution. Adds case-picking, cooler and freezer environments, voice-pick systems, and heavier lifting in cold conditions.
Template 5: Picker / Packer (Combined)
For a smaller warehouse. Combines picking and packing into one role: pull orders, verify accuracy, then pack, label, and prepare shipping documents.
Template 6: First Warehouse Hire (Small Business)
For a growing business making its first warehouse hire. Hands-on and do-a-bit-of-everything: pick, pack, ship, manage inventory, and build the operation.
Exempt or Non-Exempt?
Order pickers are non-exempt under the FLSA, which means hourly pay and overtime. Get it right before you post, since misclassifying manual labor as salaried is a common and costly wage-and-hour mistake.
This is a manual, blue-collar role, and the FLSA's white-collar exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees do not apply to manual laborers regardless of how they are paid. The Department of Labor is clear that blue-collar workers performing repetitive operations with their hands and physical skill are entitled to minimum wage and overtime. So an order picker must be paid at least the minimum wage and overtime at one and a half times their regular rate over 40 hours a week, and overtime is common in warehousing during peak periods. One related rule: federal youth-employment rules and OSHA generally prohibit workers under 18 from operating forklifts. The exempt vs non-exempt guide covers the full test. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with a professional.
OSHA Forklift Certification
Many order picker roles run powered equipment, and that triggers a specific OSHA requirement small warehouses often miss. Name it in the role and capture it in onboarding. These are specific regulatory requirements, so treat this as a prompt to review the standard, not legal advice.
For hiring, the practical step is that if the role runs equipment, the job description should state that certification is required or will be provided, and onboarding should include the documented training before the new picker operates a truck. For the warehouse and grocery versions on this page, that expectation is reflected in the template.
How to Write an Order Picker Job Description
A strong picker posting takes about 10 minutes once you settle the operation, the equipment, and the lifting requirements. Here is the process the templates are built around.
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
Order Picker Pay and Outlook
Order pickers are paid hourly, and pay tracks the broader stocker and order filler occupation, which is large and growing fast on e-commerce demand.
The big variables are region, shift, and conditions. Night shifts, cold-storage work, and high-cost areas typically pay more, and forklift-certified pickers often command a premium. Because the role is non-exempt, overtime adds to take-home pay during busy periods. For your posting, benchmark to your region, shift, and conditions rather than the national median, and include a good-faith hourly range where your state or city requires it. In a tight market for warehouse labor, a competitive, clearly stated rate, plus any shift or cold-storage premium, helps you fill the role faster. National compensation surveys and local listings both help you set the number.
Hiring an Order Picker
A large distribution center hires pickers through a staffing team and a standard pipeline. A small warehouse, e-commerce operation, or distributor makes the same hire directly, where the owner or a supervisor runs the whole process, and usually fills the role repeatedly because turnover is high. Here is what actually matters.
After You Hire: Onboarding
The job description is step one, and because warehouse roles turn over fast and often involve equipment, the onboarding should be fast, repeatable, and safety-first, which saves real time on a role you fill often. Send the offer letter with the hourly pay, the non-exempt classification, and the terms, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, and gather tax forms.
For a warehouse role specifically, add the operations-relevant steps: run any post-offer background check or drug screen under a consistent, lawful policy; if the role uses equipment, schedule and document the OSHA forklift certification before the picker operates a truck; and run a safety orientation covering PPE, safe lifting, and your procedures, alongside the usual onboarding documents. A structured first days gets a new picker productive and safe quickly, and a repeatable onboarding template makes it consistent across frequent hires, the kind of structured start the employee onboarding guide describes. Once terms are agreed, the offer letter template handles the core terms, and the employee handbook template covers your safety and conduct policies. FirstHR fits this directly for an owner-led operation: send the offer for e-signature with the classification stated, store the signed offer, the I-9, and the forklift certificate in document management, and assign safety-orientation training with completion records. Its flat monthly price does not charge per employee, which suits a warehouse with many hourly workers. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with your payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an order picker do?
An order picker reads orders, selects the correct items from warehouse shelves, and prepares them for shipment. The core responsibilities are consistent across operations: reading pick tickets and pick lists; selecting items using a barcode or RF scanner; verifying quantity, quality, and condition; packing, wrapping, and staging orders; building and moving pallets; updating inventory; and following safety rules. The emphasis shifts by operation. A warehouse or distribution picker uses RF scanners and powered equipment and hits productivity targets. An e-commerce picker pulls and packs online orders against shipping deadlines. A grocery or cold-storage order selector case-picks in coolers and freezers. A picker/packer combines picking and packing. A first warehouse hire for a small business does a bit of everything. The role also goes by several names, order filler, order selector, and picker/packer among them, that map to the same broad occupation. This page offers a template for each common operation, with the FLSA and OSHA forklift guidance generic templates leave out.
What is the difference between an order picker and a packer?
The two roles are sequential steps in getting an order out the door, and many small warehouses combine them. An order picker reads the order and selects the correct items from shelves or racks, verifying quantity and condition, often using a scanner. A packer takes those picked items and prepares them for shipment: packing them securely, adding protective material, labeling, and creating the shipping documents. In a large operation these are separate roles, sometimes separate departments, because specialization speeds each step up. In a smaller warehouse, one person frequently does both as a picker/packer, which is more efficient when volume does not justify splitting the work. For your posting, decide which you need: a dedicated picker if you have enough volume and a separate packing station, or a combined picker/packer if one person can handle the full flow. This page includes both a standard order picker template and a combined picker/packer template, so you can match the posting to how your warehouse actually runs rather than forcing a generic description onto either.
Is an order picker exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
Order pickers are non-exempt under the FLSA, which means they are paid hourly and entitled to overtime. This is a manual, blue-collar role, and the FLSA's white-collar exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees do not apply to manual laborers no matter how they are paid. The Department of Labor is explicit that blue-collar workers who perform repetitive operations with their hands, physical skill, and energy are entitled to minimum wage and overtime and are not exempt. So an order picker must receive at least the minimum wage and overtime pay at one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Real corporate warehouse job descriptions reflect this by marking the role non-exempt explicitly, and you should too. Overtime is common in warehousing during peak periods, so budget for it rather than trying to avoid it through misclassification, which is a frequent and costly wage-and-hour mistake. One related rule worth knowing: federal youth-employment rules and OSHA generally prohibit workers under 18 from operating forklifts and other powered industrial trucks. For the job description, classify the role non-exempt and hourly. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm classification and youth rules with an employment professional, since state rules vary.
Does an order picker need a forklift certification?
It depends on whether the role operates powered equipment, but if it does, OSHA requires certification, and this is something small warehouses often overlook. Under OSHA's Powered Industrial Trucks standard (29 CFR 1910.178), an employer must train and certify every operator of a forklift, order picker truck, reach truck, or similar equipment before they operate it unsupervised. Importantly, certification is employer-specific and cannot simply be carried over from a previous job: it requires formal instruction, hands-on practical training, and an evaluation of the operator in your actual workplace, and it must be refreshed periodically and after any incident or observed unsafe operation. If your order picker role only involves manual picking and a hand pallet jack, formal PIT certification may not be required, but the moment the role runs a powered truck, it is. Powered industrial trucks cause dozens of worker deaths each year, and OSHA considers a large share of those incidents preventable through better training. For your posting, state whether forklift or PIT certification is required or will be provided, and build the documented certification into onboarding before the new hire operates equipment. This is general information, not legal advice; review the OSHA standard for your specific equipment.
How do I write an order picker job description?
Start by identifying your operation, since a warehouse, e-commerce, grocery, or combined picker/packer role differ, then write the posting around the real work. Pick the version that matches: standard, warehouse, e-commerce, grocery/cold-storage, picker/packer, or first warehouse hire. Write a clear position summary and list the actual responsibilities, which span reading and selecting, packing and staging, moving and tracking, and safety, calibrated to your operation. State the equipment the role uses, the lifting requirements, and any productivity targets, since those set expectations for hourly warehouse candidates. Include a physical-requirements section honestly, since this is physically demanding work. Classify the role non-exempt and hourly, since order pickers are manual laborers owed overtime. If the role runs powered equipment, note that forklift or PIT certification is required or provided. Add the qualifications, the compensation with a good-faith hourly range where your state requires it, and an equal-opportunity statement. Because these roles turn over and you will hire often, a clear, specific template you can reuse saves real time. The free templates on this page give you a starting structure for each operation.
What are the physical requirements for an order picker?
Order picking is physically demanding work, and the job description should state the real requirements clearly so candidates can self-select and you stay on the right side of the law. Typical requirements include standing and walking for an entire shift, often eight or more hours; lifting up to about 50 pounds regularly, with some operations requiring heavier lifting up to 75 or 80 pounds for case-picking; and frequent bending, reaching, twisting, and repetitive motion. Some operations add environmental factors: grocery and foodservice cold-storage roles require working in coolers and freezers, sometimes well below freezing, while other warehouses can be hot in summer. For your posting, state the specific lifting limits and conditions for your operation rather than copying a generic line, because accurate physical requirements reduce mismatched hires and early turnover. When you describe physical requirements, frame them around the actual demands of the job and be prepared to consider reasonable accommodations, since employment law requires evaluating qualified candidates with disabilities individually rather than screening them out with blanket physical requirements. The templates on this page include a physical-requirements section you can tailor to your operation.
How much does an order picker make?
Order pickers are paid hourly, and pay tracks the broader stocker and order filler occupation. According to federal data, the median wage for stockers and order fillers, the occupation that includes order pickers, order fillers, and order selectors, was $17.83 per hour, or $37,090 per year, in May 2024. For the broader category of hand laborers and material movers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $37,680 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $29,780 and the highest 10 percent more than $50,970. The occupation is large and growing: stockers and order fillers number in the millions and the role is projected to grow much faster than average through 2034, driven by e-commerce and buy-online-pickup-in-store demand. Pay varies by region, shift, and conditions: night shifts, cold-storage work, and high-cost areas typically pay more, and forklift-certified pickers often command a premium. Because the role is non-exempt, overtime adds to take-home pay during busy periods. For your posting, benchmark to your region, shift, and conditions, and include a good-faith hourly range where your state or city requires it. National compensation surveys and local listings both help you set a competitive rate in a tight market for warehouse labor.
What happens after I hire an order picker?
Once the candidate accepts, the hire moves into onboarding, and because warehouse roles turn over fast and often involve equipment, a clean, repeatable, safety-first process saves real time and keeps you compliant. The base sequence matches any W-2 hire: send the offer letter with the hourly pay, the non-exempt classification, and the terms; collect the signed offer; complete Form I-9 within the first days; and gather tax forms. For a warehouse role specifically, add the operations-relevant steps: run any post-offer background check or drug screen you require under a consistent, lawful policy; if the role uses equipment, schedule and document the OSHA forklift certification before the picker operates a truck; and run a safety orientation covering PPE, safe lifting, and your warehouse procedures. A structured first days gets a new picker productive and safe quickly, which matters most in a role you fill repeatedly. FirstHR fits this directly for an owner-led or small operation: send the offer for e-signature with the classification stated, store the signed offer, the I-9, and the forklift certificate in document management, route onboarding tasks through a workflow, and assign safety-orientation training with completion records, using the HRIS and self-service portal. Its flat monthly price does not charge per employee, which suits a warehouse with many hourly workers. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with your payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR; today the platform handles onboarding and document tracking once the candidate signs.