23236 - Warehouse Operative

Job Title Warehouse Operative

Job Grade AO

Job Location Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. DE14 3EG

Contract Type Permanent

Business Area Ministry of Justice Commercial

Working pattern Full-time

Number of Posts 1

Please note this role requires full time attendance on site. Therefore, is not suitable for hybrid or remote working.

The address is: National Distribution Centre, Branston, Burton on Trent. DE14 3EG

The National Distribution Centre (NDC)

The Ministry of Justice Transport Unit is made up of three core business areas and sits within Commercial directorate.

Fleet Engineering Services (FES)

The provision of first line servicing for the National Distribution Centre (NDC) fleet of heavy and light commercial vehicles, the workshop also provides support to the wider MoJ fleet.

The team designs, develops and carries out vehicle conversions for HMPPS tactical units based on their requirements. They are also responsible for managing all vehicles as they enter and leave the fleet.

Before a vehicle is disposed of, the team carries out inspections and removes any sensitive equipment. They also inspect vehicles returned to Branston to decide if they can be reused instead of issuing a new one. If a vehicle can be reused, the team assesses its condition, identifies and costs any parts needed, and once agreed with the unit carries out repairs to ensure the vehicle is safe, roadworthy and meets legal standards.

National Distribution Centre (NDC)

Manages the collection, storage and delivery of goods. These include manufactured items, raw materials, prisoner property, mattresses, footwear, and a small amount of document storage. The site also supports other MoJ activities when needed.

The warehouse is a modern 135,000 sq. ft. facility with high storage capacity. It can hold up to 16,500 pallets in both wide and narrow aisles, along with around 6,000 sq. ft. of office space.

The NDC operates its own fleet of 22 vehicles, providing around 500 scheduled deliveries each month. Deliveries are made across the prison estate nationwide, operating five days a week on a single shift, with overnight stays when required.

Transport Unit

Provides transport management services for the Ministry of Justice. It also manages a specialist vehicle workshop in Branston, supported by engineering and administrative staff. The unit’s main responsibilities include developing transport policies, providing technical advice, and managing both Crown Indemnity Insurance and commercial insurance requirements.

Role Summary

Please note: This is full time role, on site role and is not available as hybrid or remote working.

The contracted hours will be:

• Monday to Thursday: 0800hrs to 1600hrs
• Friday: 0800hrs to 1530hrs

We are looking for a dependable and hardworking Warehouse Operatives to join our team. This role is ideal for individuals who take pride in their work, physically fit, and thrive in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.

This is a manual role and can be physically demanding. It will involve repetitive light, medium or occasionally heavy lifting, including regular bending. The job holder will need to be flexible and respond to the needs of the business, working in other departments when requested, including additional hours (if required) and supporting other departments when and where necessary.

The contracted hours will be Monday to Thursday 0800hrs – 1600hrs and Friday 0800hrs – 1530hrs.

On occasions, you might be required to work weekends and some days overtime dependant on the demands of the NDC.

The job holder will require basic knowledge/skills to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post and will be required to undertake specific training in these work areas. Full training/guidance will be given on all duties as necessary.

Key Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

General Tasks

• Report to Warehouse Team Leader at the start of the shift
• Conduct daily pre-shift checks on mechanical handling equipment and complete associated paperwork. Report all defects to your team leader immediately
• Daily Operation of MHE as required by the Team Leader or Supervisor
• Unloading vehicles and containers
• Palletising, banding, and shrink wrapping of stock
• Accurately completing check of all incoming goods and undertake all necessary goods inwards inspection procedures
• Use of Keyboard, handheld scanners, data entry screens and other hand held tools.
• Locate stock, undertake stock transfers and picking area replenishments
• Pick, check, inspect and pack customer orders
• Marshalling goods to appropriate area of the warehouse by correct selection, use, and safe operation of forklift trucks, and other handling equipment
• Follow correct ‘On Charge / Off Charge’ procedures for charging of Mechanical Handling Equipment batteries
• Loading goods for despatch, completing vehicle checks, and making effective use of vehicle space
• Stacking, assembly, and disassembly, of wooden pallets and metal stillages
• Report all stock discrepancies, equipment faults, defects or malfunctions, and stock or equipment damage immediately to a Team Leader
• Doing stock counts and inventory checks when required
• General housekeeping, and cleaning of areas and equipment
• Collection and disposal of waste as required. To Support the site operations during periods of adverse weather e.g. snow and ice clearance
• Work to strict daily deadlines, to ensure that all customer orders are prepared and completed on time and all goods received are unloaded, inspected and located to the highest standards.
• Maintain paperwork and ensure documents are updated and correct processes followed
• To work efficiently and effectively as part of a team, supporting the business in the achievement of its key targets and performance standards

Health, Safety and Welfare

• Report hazards. Support the Warehouse Manager in creating a safe working environment for staff, visitors, and contractors by adhering to Health and Safety legislation, ensuring Safe Systems of Work (SSOW) and Risk Assessments (RA) are followed, and by reporting any incidents to a Warehouse Team Leader.

Mechanical Handling Equipment (MHE)

The job holder will be frequently required to operate Mechanical Handling Equipment (MHE) on the site, after successful completion of suitable training and assessment. Operators must be qualified and hold licences before being permitted to operate the following types of MHE:

Low Level Order Picking Truck, Powered Pallet Truck, Pedestrian Operated Stacker Truck, Floor Sweeping Machine, Floor Scrubbing Machine, High Level Reach Forklift Truck, Counter Balance Forklift Truck, High Level Narrow Aisle (Man Up) Forklift Truck

Any training for MHE will be provided

The duties listed are not exhaustive. The job holder should be willing to take on reasonable changes and additional tasks of a similar level when needed. Training will be provided where required.

Essential Criteria

• Ability to carry out the duties of the role, including tasks that may involve manual handling of moving and handling equipment and/or materials of various weights and sizes
• Willing to undertake the necessary manual handling and MHE training
• Excellent team-working skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Great organisational and record-keeping skills
• Ability to work effectively under limited supervision

Desirable Criteria

• Previous picking and packing experience
• Previous warehouse experience
• Mechanical Handling Equipment (MHE) experience

Application Stage

An initial sift will be performed against the following elements and will be assessed against the Civil Service success profiles framework:

Experience

• CV
• Statement of Suitability (between 100 - 250 words): this should be based around the key responsibilities and essential criteria

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview and will be assessed on the selected success profile elements at the interview stage.

Interview stage

The interviews will be held at National Distribution Centre, Burton Road, Branston. DE14 3EG. The site is shared with B&Q distribution, please follow the road signs for MoJ once entering the site and report to the security gate where you will be directed to the reception to sign in. The interviews will be held on an Industrial Site and all staff and visitors are required to wear Hi-Vis Vests whilst moving around site; these will be provided by security on arrival, please ask for a vest if not offered one.

Behaviours

We will assess your application on the following behaviours

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Team player

Strengths maybe assessed at the interview, and these are not shared in advance.

To learn more about the Civil Service success profiles framework and how they are assessed please click here.

Use the STAR method to structure your examples:

• Situation: Briefly describe the context.
• Task: Explain what you needed to achieve.
• Action: Focus on what you did, how you did it, and why (use “I”).
• Result: Share the outcome, including impact, results, and any lessons learned.

Keep Situation and Task concise and focus on Actions and Results.