Picker Packer Job Description: Duties, Responsibilities, Template & Pay (2026)
A picker packer selects the items on an order and packs them for shipment, at a rate the warehouse measures. It is one of the highest-turnover jobs in the country — roughly 74,000 packing openings a year on top of 472,300 in picking and stocking — which makes the posting a permanent piece of infrastructure. This page has a picker packer job description template you can copy, what the role pays, and the three facts that decide whether anyone applies.
Picker, packer, or both?
"Picker packer" is a single job title covering two functions that are often separate roles and always separate skills. Decide which you are advertising, because the candidates rate themselves differently.
Picking is selecting items against an order from locations across the warehouse — by paper, RF scanner, voice or pick-to-light — and it is measured in lines or units per hour. Accuracy and walk path are the skill.
Packing is verifying the picked order, selecting the right carton and void fill, packing it to survive transit, labelling and staging it. Care, consistency and dexterity are the skill.
BLS separates them too. Packers and packagers, hand: 591,800 people, a median of $17.44 an hour. Stockers and order fillers, which covers the picking side: 2,764,800 people at $17.95. If your role genuinely does both, say so and say the split; if it rotates, say that, because rotation is a genuine selling point to some candidates and a reason to decline for others.
What a picker packer does
Picks the order. Working from a pick list or device, travelling the route, selecting the right item in the right quantity, and confirming as they go. Mis-picks are the number the operation watches most closely after rate.
Packs the order. Verifying contents against the order, choosing carton and protection, packing to survive the carrier, sealing, weighing, labelling and staging to the right lane or pallet.
Moves material. Pallet jack, cart, conveyor, sometimes an order picker or forklift once certified. Replenishing pick faces and breaking down pallets.
Keeps the count right. Cycle counting, reporting discrepancies, handling damages and returns, and flagging a location that is wrong before it generates twenty more errors.
Keeps the area safe. Clear aisles, correct lifting, awareness around powered equipment, and the housekeeping that prevents most warehouse incidents.
Picker packer job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and delete what does not apply. It is written for a distribution or fulfilment centre role; the customization section covers e-commerce, third-party logistics, cold storage, manufacturing and peak-season hiring.
Job title
Picker Packer [/ Order Picker / Warehouse Packer] — [Shift], [Company name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company name] is hiring picker packers for our [000,000] sq ft [distribution centre / fulfilment centre] in [city]. You will [pick / pack / both] using [RF scanner / voice / pick-to-light], working to a target of [000] [units / lines] an hour, with a team of [00] on shift. The shift is [pattern, exact hours], [00] hours a week, [the same days every week], with [voluntary / mandatory] overtime [and mandatory Saturdays during peak in [months]]. Pay is [$00.00–$00.00] an hour [plus a [$0.00] shift differential] [plus a production or attendance bonus]. [No experience needed — we train for [0] days and certify you on equipment.]
Responsibilities
- Pick orders accurately against the device or pick list, meeting the rate target
- Verify order contents before packing; identify and report discrepancies
- Select cartons and protective material and pack orders to survive transit
- Seal, weigh, label and stage completed orders to the correct lane or pallet
- Operate [pallet jack / order picker / forklift] safely once certified
- Replenish pick locations and break down pallets as needed
- Support cycle counts and report inventory or location discrepancies
- Process damages, returns and rework per procedure
- Keep aisles, the pack bench and the work area clean, clear and safe
Requirements
- Able to work [the exact shift], including [weekends and overtime at peak]
- Able to stand and walk for a full shift, lift [50] lbs repeatedly, and bend, reach and squat
- Able to work accurately at pace and to a measured rate
- [Comfortable in a cold or freezer environment at [00]°F]
- Able to pass a background check and [drug screen]
Preferred
- Previous warehouse, fulfilment, production or retail stocking experience
- [RF scanner, voice pick or WMS] experience
- [Forklift, order picker or pallet jack certification — we will certify you]
- [Spanish and English]
Pay and benefits
- [$00.00–$00.00] an hour plus [$0.00] shift differential, paid [weekly]
- [Production or attendance bonus of up to [$000] per [month]]
- [Set schedule, same days every week; overtime posted [7] days ahead]
- [Health, dental and vision from day [00] / at [00] hours a week], [401(k) with match], [PTO]
- [Paid equipment certification], [clear path to lead, trainer or inventory control]
- [Climate-controlled building], [safety shoes provided or allowance]
How to apply
[Apply here / text PACK to 00000 / walk in for an on-the-spot interview [days, times]]. We reply within [24] hours and can usually start you within the week.
Requirements: what is required, what is preferred, and what costs you applicants
You are competing for attention, not for skills. Every warehouse, store, restaurant and delivery operation in the same catchment wants the same person at roughly the same rate, and the winner is usually whoever is clearest and fastest.
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Experience | Not needed, and asking for it is pure loss. Training is days. O*NET reports 54% of packers entering with a high school diploma or equivalent and 33% with less, which tells you what the real pool looks like. |
| Equipment certification | Offer it, do not require it. "We will certify you on a pallet jack and order picker, paid, in your first two weeks" is one of the strongest lines available to a warehouse posting, because the certification is portable and candidates know its value. |
| Rate or quota | If the job is measured, say the number and say what support exists to reach it. Candidates from warehouse backgrounds expect a rate and distrust a posting that hides one — they assume it is unreasonable. |
| Physical requirements | State them exactly: lifting weight and frequency, miles walked, standing, bending, and temperature if the environment is cold or hot. This is demanding work and honesty here improves retention more than it costs applications. |
| Availability and overtime | The most decisive section. Give the exact hours, whether the days are the same every week, and whether overtime is voluntary or mandatory — and if peak season means mandatory Saturdays in October and November, say that in the posting, not in week eight. |
| Background check and drug screen | Name them if you run them. A surprise screen after acceptance is one of the most common reasons a warehouse start date falls through. |
| Transport | A 5am start or an 11pm finish is a real constraint where transit is thin. Stating the exact times saves both sides a wasted week. |
Picker packer duties, written for a posting
Describe the building and the shift. Square footage, what the product is and how heavy it is, the pick method, the rate target, how many people are on shift, whether the building is climate-controlled, and how far a picker typically walks in a day. Those facts are what an experienced warehouse worker uses to decide.
Say whether the role rotates between picking, packing and other functions. Some candidates want the variety and some want to stay on one station; either is fine, and stating it is what lets them choose correctly.
Keep the list to eight or nine lines, ordered by how much of the shift each takes, and include the cycle counting and the returns work. They are part of the job, and a posting that lists only picking and packing is describing a shift that does not exist.
How to customize it by operation
E-commerce fulfilment
Small units, high line counts, single-item orders, and a rate that is closely tracked. Say the units-per-hour target, the pick method and the peak-season expectation. This segment lives and dies on peak staffing, so say the dates and pay a peak premium if you can.
Third-party logistics
Multiple clients, changing products and processes, and variable volumes. Be honest about hour variability, because it is the main source of dissatisfaction in 3PL work, and say how far in advance schedules are set.
Cold storage and freezer
Say the temperature and how much of the shift is spent in it, and pay the differential visibly. Cold storage roles fill badly when the environment is buried and fill well when it is stated with a premium attached — the people who can do it are self-selecting and unbothered.
Manufacturing and food production packing
Line-paced packing, GMP and sanitation requirements, hairnets and PPE, allergen control. Say the standards and the environment. See the food production worker job description.
Peak and seasonal hiring
If the role is seasonal, say so plainly along with the dates, the hours and whether there is a conversion to permanent — and if there is, say how many people converted last year. Hiding a seasonal end date produces a workforce that leaves in week three when they find out.
What it costs to reach picker packers on social
Warehouse and production is among the cheapest and highest-volume families we run: across 82 campaigns in the 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark the median cost per applicant was $9.83, the middle half $3.15 to $18.72, with a volume-blended figure of $4.44 and a 20% apply rate. Across all 891 managed campaigns the median was $13.88 and the cheapest decile $2.91.
At $4.44 blended, media spend is rarely the reason a warehouse cannot staff a shift. The reasons are the form and the callback. Across the benchmark, campaigns converting over 20% of clicks paid a median $4.41 an applicant and those under 10% paid $53.77 — and the difference is almost always how many fields the application asks for on a phone. Two questions here: which shift can you work, and when can you start. Then call within the hour, because the same candidate applied to two other buildings this morning.
One structural point for high-turnover roles: run continuously rather than in bursts. Past three impressions a month the median cost per applicant roughly doubles, and a distribution centre's catchment is a fixed drive-time ring — you exhaust it quickly and then pay double for the same people.
Staffing a building? See the warehouse associate, packer, stocker and forklift operator job descriptions, and manufacturing and logistics recruiting for the hiring side.
Writing the ad version
The description is the document. The advertisement is read on a phone by somebody comparing three warehouses. It needs the rate including differential, the exact shift, whether the days are fixed, and that no experience is needed — in the first three lines. Our campaign data puts the best-converting length at 201–400 words, and shorter works here.
Run it in Spanish as well as English where the local workforce warrants it, and offer a walk-in or text-to-apply route. For high-volume hourly hiring both consistently outperform a form.
What picker packers earn
The two occupations that make up this role sit close together and just below eighteen dollars an hour.
| Occupation | Median pay (2025) | Employed | Openings per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockers and order fillers (picking side) | $17.95/hr · $37,330 | 2,764,800 | ~472,300 |
| Packers and packagers, hand (packing side) | $17.44/hr · $36,280 | 591,800 | ~74,000 |
The picking side is growing at 7% or more through 2034; the packing side is projected to decline slightly as more packing is automated. Both still generate very large replacement needs — together roughly 546,000 openings a year — because turnover in these roles is structurally high rather than because the work is disappearing.
For context against the jobs you are competing with: this pay sits above dishwashing at $16.73, above counter work at $15.00, and slightly below general assembly at $21.85. If your rate is at or above the $17.44–$17.95 range, put the number in the advertisement rather than writing "competitive pay". In a market where every employer within a thirty-minute drive is advertising at roughly the same rate, being the one that states it is a meaningful advantage.
Frequently asked questions
What does a picker packer do?
A picker packer selects items against an order from warehouse locations — using a paper list, RF scanner, voice system or pick-to-light — then verifies the contents, selects the right carton and protective material, packs the order to survive transit, and seals, weighs, labels and stages it for shipment. The role usually also includes replenishing pick faces, cycle counting, handling returns and damages, and operating a pallet jack once certified.
What is the difference between a picker and a packer?
Picking is selecting the items on an order and travelling the warehouse to do it, measured in lines or units per hour. Packing is verifying, protecting, sealing and labelling the order for shipment. BLS counts them in different occupations — stockers and order fillers at a $17.95 median and packers and packagers at $17.44 — so a combined posting should say whether the job is one, the other, or a rotation.
How much do picker packers make?
Packers and packagers had a median of $17.44 an hour, or $36,280 a year, in 2025; stockers and order fillers, which covers the picking side, $17.95 an hour or $37,330. That sits above dishwashing and counter work and slightly below general assembly, which is worth stating as a number in any advertisement aimed at people currently doing one of those jobs.
What qualifications does a picker packer need?
Very few. O*NET reports 54% of packers entering with a high school diploma or equivalent and 33% with less. What matters in practice is the ability to work the shift, stand and walk for it, lift around 50 lbs repeatedly, and work accurately at a measured pace. Equipment certification is normally provided by the employer rather than required at hire.
What should a picker packer job description include?
The building size and what the product is, the pick method, the rate target and what support exists to hit it, how many people are on shift, the exact shift hours and whether the days are the same every week, the overtime position including any mandatory peak periods, the lifting requirement in pounds, the temperature if the environment is cold, and whether equipment certification is provided.
Should a warehouse job posting state the rate target?
Yes. Candidates with warehouse experience expect a units-per-hour or lines-per-hour number and are suspicious of a posting that omits one, because the usual reason to hide it is that it is hard to hit. Stating the target alongside what support exists — training period, ramp expectations, equipment — produces better-matched applicants and fewer early leavers.
Is picker packer work seasonal?
Often, partly. E-commerce and retail distribution peak sharply in the autumn, and many operations hire seasonal picker packers for that window. If a role is seasonal the posting should say so plainly, with the dates, the hours and whether there is a conversion to permanent — ideally with the number who converted last year, which is the fact candidates actually want.
Why is it hard to hire picker packers?
Because the two occupations together generate roughly 546,000 openings a year and compete for the same worker as every store, restaurant and delivery operation in the same drive-time ring, at a similar rate. Advertising is cheap at a $4.44 blended cost per applicant, so the binding constraints are the application form, the speed of the callback, and whether the schedule is fixed — which is the one thing most competing jobs cannot offer.
Other job description templates
Hiring picker packers?
The description is the document. Filling a shift continuously inside a fixed drive-time ring is the job. That is what we run.
Wage, employment, projection and task descriptions for packers and packagers, hand (SOC 53-7064) and stockers and order fillers (SOC 53-7065): O*NET OnLine, republishing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 OEWS wage data and BLS employment projections. Cost-per-applicant, apply-rate and frequency figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.