Job Description

Warehouse Associate – Contract-to-Hire

Location: Costa Mesa, CA

Opportunity: Contract-to-hire with full-time conversion after project completion.

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM

A leading food and beverage company in Costa Mesa is seeking a Warehouse Optimization Specialist for a contract-to-hire opportunity. This role supports a major warehouse reorganization project, moving inventory from one facility to another. The project is expected to run through December and may extend into January. Upon successful completion, the company aims to transition associates to full-time employment.

This position focuses on organization, layout, and workflow optimization —not general labor or forklift-heavy tasks. Ideal candidates have experience in food, beverage, CPG, or manufacturing environments and can quickly assess operational needs to implement effective organizational strategies.

Key Responsibilities

Warehouse Organization & Physical Layout Optimization

• Conduct a full assessment of current warehouse layout, storage zones, bin systems, and product flow.
• Reorganize shelves, racks, bins, pick faces, and overstock zones to improve accessibility, efficiency, and safety.
• Implement systematic product slotting based on SKU velocity, case size, seasonality, and workflow requirements.
• Physically restructure zones (receiving, production staging, pick/pack, backstock, QA, and shipping).

WMS Alignment & Inventory Placement Planning

• Map physical layout changes to align with WMS logic, settings, and bin-location hierarchy.
• Create or refine location codes, bin naming conventions, and standardized zone identifiers.
• Ensure WMS-directed picks, putaways, replenishments, and cycle counts match real inventory flow.
• Recommend improvements to WMS rules (slotting, replenishment triggers, batch picking paths, FIFO/FEFO compliance).

Labeling, Barcoding & Compliance

• Implement or refine labeling systems for shelves, racks, products, and zones.
• Ensure barcode accuracy, scannability, and WMS integration.
• Audit lot codes, expiration dates, and compliance requirements (beverage, food-safe, hemp, or supplement standards).

Inventory Accuracy, Audits & Process Improvement

• Perform physical cycle counts, bin audits, and reconciliation to strengthen inventory accuracy.
• Identify discrepancies between physical stock and WMS data; recommend and execute corrective actions.
• Document all process improvements and create SOPs for future warehouse and WMS alignment.
• Train staff on new organization systems, scanning workflows, and updated physical processes.

Operational Workflow Optimization

• Analyze and improve receiving, picking, packing, and shipping workflows.
• Identify bottlenecks in material flow and implement solutions rooted in WMS-led best practices.
• Streamline staging areas for production, wholesale orders, and sampling operations.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of warehouse experience in food, beverage, CPG, manufacturing, or similar regulated environments.
• Hands-on experience with WMS systems (slotting, bin management, putaway logic, cycle counting).
• Strong understanding of physical warehouse layout, inventory flow, and operational process design.
• Experience with barcode systems, labeling, scanning equipment, and inventory reconciliation.
• Ability to lift, move, and reorganize warehouse items safely and efficiently.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to create clean, easy-to-follow organization systems.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to train staff on new processes.

Compensation: $19-22/hr with potential flexibility based on experience. Exact compensation may vary based on several factors, including skills, experience, and education. Benefit packages for this role will start on the 1st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.

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