Hiring Warehouse Associate in Tolleson, AZ

Gourmet Foods International is a leading specialty food distributor serving the Southwest U.S., partnering with 200+ premium local and international gourmet brands to supply restaurants, boutique grocery stores, catering companies, and specialty retailers across Arizona, Nevada, and California. Our 120,000 sq ft climate-controlled distribution hub in Tolleson, AZ is the central node for our Phoenix metro operations, handling everything from artisanal cheeses and imported charcuterie to organic specialty produce and craft confectionery, with a focus on maintaining strict cold chain and food safety standards for all temperature-sensitive products.

We are actively hiring full-time Warehouse Associates to join our Tolleson team, with immediate openings available following our four-day open house event running April 21–24, 2025, from 9 AM to 6 PM at 10401 W Van Buren, Tolleson, AZ 85353. This role is ideal for candidates with hands-on warehouse experience who want to work in a fast-paced, quality-focused food distribution environment, with clear paths for advancement into lead, supervisory, or logistics coordination roles within 12–18 months for high-performing team members.

Key responsibilities for this role include:
1. Execute end-to-end order fulfillment processes for gourmet food products, including picking, packing, and staging 80–120 customer orders per shift with 99.8% accuracy, adhering to strict first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory rotation protocols to minimize product spoilage and waste.
2. Operate sit-down and stand-up forklifts, pallet jacks, and electric hand trucks to move inbound and outbound freight weighing up to 2,500 lbs, completing all equipment pre-operation safety checks and logging maintenance issues immediately to the facilities team to reduce equipment downtime by 15% year-over-year.
3. Process inbound shipments of temperature-controlled (refrigerated and frozen) gourmet food products, verifying purchase orders against delivered stock, inspecting for damage, proper labeling, and temperature compliance, and updating inventory records in our Manhattan WMS (Warehouse Management System) within 30 minutes of receiving to maintain real-time stock visibility.
4. Conduct daily cycle counts of high-value and perishable inventory categories, including imported cheeses, cured meats, and specialty confectionery, resolving discrepancies of more than 5 units within 2 hours of identification to support accurate financial reporting and customer order accuracy.
5. Load and secure outbound delivery trucks for 15–20 daily customer routes across the Phoenix metro area, verifying shipment contents against delivery manifests, applying proper cold chain packaging for refrigerated goods, and confirming driver sign-off on all outgoing freight to maintain a 0% damaged shipment rate for temperature-sensitive products.
6. Maintain a clean, organized, and compliant warehouse work environment, completing daily sweeping, trash removal, and spill cleanup of food-safe surfaces, adhering to all FDA food safety and OSHA workplace safety regulations, and participating in monthly safety training sessions to reduce workplace incident rates by 10% annually.
7. Support cross-functional team initiatives including annual physical inventory counts, process improvement projects to reduce order fulfillment time, and new product onboarding workflows, contributing at least 4 hours per month to continuous improvement tasks to support a 10% reduction in average order processing time over the next fiscal year.
8. Collaborate with logistics coordinators and quality assurance teams to resolve customer order discrepancies, product damage reports, and delivery exceptions, documenting all issues in the company's ticketing system (Zendesk) and implementing corrective actions to reduce repeat errors by 12% per quarter.

Our Tolleson facility operates with a 120-person cross-functional team, with a focus on creating a supportive, low-turnover work environment. All new hires complete a 2-week paid onboarding program covering food safety, equipment operation, and WMS training, with a dedicated mentor assigned for the first 30 days on the job. We prioritize work-life balance, offering consistent scheduling with no mandatory overtime outside of peak holiday seasons (November–December), and a break room stocked with complimentary gourmet snacks and beverages for all team members. Our leadership team holds monthly all-hands meetings to share company performance updates, and we celebrate team and individual wins quarterly with catered lunches and performance bonuses.

We require a minimum of 1 year of full-time experience in a warehouse, distribution center, or food production environment, with experience handling perishable or temperature-controlled goods preferred. Candidates must be able to lift up to 50 lbs repeatedly throughout a 10-hour shift, stand and walk for 8+ hours per day, and operate industrial warehouse equipment safely. A valid driver's license and clean driving record are required for all candidates, as is the ability to pass a pre-employment background check and FDA food safety certification training (completed during onboarding). Bilingual English/Spanish skills are a strong plus, as 40% of our frontline team and 25% of our customer base are Spanish-speaking.

Proficiency in basic warehouse technology tools is required, including experience using Warehouse Management Systems (we use Manhattan WMS, with 2 days of paid training provided for new hires unfamiliar with the platform), barcode scanners, and inventory tracking software. Forklift certification is preferred but not required, as we offer free OSHA-compliant forklift certification training for all new hires during their first month on the job. Familiarity with Zendesk or similar customer support ticketing tools is a plus.

We offer a competitive starting wage of $18.50–$21.00 per hour, depending on prior experience and forklift certification status, with a $0.50 per hour shift differential for all associates working the 2 PM–11 PM shift. Full-time employees working 30+ hours per week are eligible for our comprehensive benefits package, including 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents, a 401(k) plan with 4% employer match, 10 paid vacation days per year (increasing to 15 after 2 years of service), 8 paid company holidays, and 3 paid sick days per year. All team members receive a free weekly gourmet food basket valued at $35, with access to discounted gourmet products for personal purchase. We also offer tuition reimbursement of up to $5,000 per year for employees pursuing degrees in logistics, supply chain management, or related fields.

We prioritize internal promotions for all leadership and specialist roles, with 70% of our current warehouse leads and logistics coordinators promoted from within the Warehouse Associate role. High-performing associates can advance to Senior Warehouse Associate (with a $2 per hour pay increase) after 1 year of service, then to Warehouse Lead (with a $3 per hour pay increase and supervisory responsibilities) after 2 years, or transition to logistics coordination, inventory management, or quality assurance roles with tailored on-the-job training and support for required certifications. We also offer cross-training opportunities in cold chain logistics, inventory auditing, and equipment maintenance for associates interested in expanding their skill sets.

Our hiring process for this role is designed to be fast and transparent, with same-day job offers for qualified candidates who attend our open house. Steps are as follows:
1. Walk in to our open house at 10401 W Van Buren, Tolleson, AZ 85353 any time between 9 AM and 6 PM between April 21 and April 24, 2025, with a copy of your resume and a valid government-issued ID.
2. Complete a 15-minute initial screening with a member of our HR team to verify your eligibility to work in the US and your prior warehouse experience.
3. If you pass the initial screening, you will complete a 30-minute on-site interview with the warehouse operations manager, including a brief discussion of your past experience and a walkthrough of our facility to answer any questions you have about the role.
4. If you are selected for the role, you will receive a conditional job offer on the spot, with a formal offer letter sent to your email within 24 hours.
5. Complete a pre-employment background check and drug screen within 3 business days of receiving your conditional offer, and attend your first day of onboarding the following Monday.

If you are unable to attend our open house, you can also apply by sending your resume to [email protected] with the subject line "Warehouse Associate Application – [Your Full Name]", and our HR team will reach out within 2 business days to schedule a virtual or in-person interview.