Custom Furniture Shipping Lead

Fargo Woodworks builds heirloom-quality furniture by hand — conference tables, executive desks, reception desks and sideboards that ship to offices across the country. Every piece is made to order right here in Fargo. Nothing is mass-produced, nothing is outsourced, and nothing leaves this shop that we wouldn't put in our own homes.

Hands‑on working lead for Fargo Woodworks’ Shipping department. This role performs final assembly, inspection, documentation, protective wrapping, crate packing and loading, shipment coordination, staging, and workspace readiness while building the processes, training, and capacity needed for a growing team.

• Perform final furniture assembly and inspection before shipment.
• Clean, photograph, and document every component before it is packed.
• Disassemble pieces as required for safe transport, then wrap, cushion, protect, label, and pack them so they arrive as intended.
• Pack finished components into the correct crates and help load, stage, and move shipments safely.
• Coordinate daily Shipping priorities, readiness checklists, ship dates, pickups, and handoffs with Production and other departments.
• Work with the Crate Builder to confirm crate size, materials, strength, and timing so completed crates are staged ahead of need.
• Verify order components, destination information, package or crate dimensions and weight, carrier, service, labels, documents, and tracking records.
• Coordinate parcel, freight, and other carrier pickups; keep shipment status and documentation accurate; and surface delays or constraints early.
• Plan for oversized or unusual shipments, missing destination information, special handling, and installation or delivery requirements shown in the shipping workflow.
• Train, coach, and set clear daily expectations for helpers and future Shipping team members.
• Keep shipping, staging, crate‑material, and loading areas safe, organized, clean, and ready for work.
• Investigate damage, packing failures, missed handoffs, or recurring delays and turn what was learned into better standards and training.
• Help develop practical processes, checklists, documentation, tools, material plans, and staffing capacity as the department grows.
• Stay hands‑on and step into the highest‑priority work when a customer date, product quality, or safe shipment is at risk.

• Professional experience in shipping, receiving, crating, packaging, warehousing, manufacturing final assembly, logistics operations, or a closely related hands‑on environment.
• Credible experience leading, training, mentoring, coordinating, or directing the work of others. Formal management experience is not required.
• Evidence of growing responsibility and being trusted to own work through completion.
• Strong follow‑through, initiative, accountability, and practical problem‑solving.
• Ability to coordinate priorities, schedules, handoffs, and documentation while remaining productive in the physical work.
• Careful attention to product condition, component accuracy, labels, photos, records, and shipment details.
• Clear communication, including the judgment to raise risks early and propose next steps.
• Safe, confident use of common hand and power tools and material‑handling equipment appropriate to the work.
• Ability to work full‑time on‑site in Fargo, North Dakota.
• Preferred:
  Experience protecting, packing, crating, or shipping custom furniture, cabinetry, fixtures, architectural products, or other large appearance‑critical goods.
• Preferred:
  Experience with parcel and LTL freight carriers, pickup scheduling, bills of lading, shipping labels, tracking, claims documentation, or shipping software.
• Preferred:
  Rough‑carpentry or crate‑building experience, including measuring, cut lists, and an…