Freight Handler – Leading Hand

CouriersPlease; Newcastle City Council; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

CouriersPlease is seeking a safety-focused Freight Handler – Leading Hand at our Newcastle depot. You will lead depot staff, coordinate freight movement, and ensure efficient, compliant operations in a fast-paced environment.

Join a team that values safety, integrity and teamwork. This role requires leadership, manual handling, and a strong safety mindset with full-time hours from Monday to Friday in the Newcastle area.

Qualifications

• LF Forklift Licence (essential).
• Australian work rights.
• Comfortable with repetitive manual handling and physically demanding work.
• Experience in a leading hand role is advantageous.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to depot staff to support safe, efficient operations.
• Coordinate workflow and tasks to ensure freight is handled, sorted, and dispatched efficiently.
• Act as a contact between depot staff and management, escalating issues as required.
• Support compliance with safety, quality, and operational procedures.
• Assist with problem solving and continuous improvement activities within the depot.
• Sort and move freight into designated bays and cages.
• Perform repetitive manual handling of items up to 25kg (team lifts encouraged).
• Read labels and correctly sort freight into appropriate areas.
• Scan freight and support movements through the sortation machine.
• Palletise and shrink-wrap freight as required.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and organised work area.

Skills

Leadership

Attention to detail

Safety mindset

Teamwork

Independent work

Tools

LF Forklift Licence

Job description

CouriersPlease is a leading parcel delivery service in Australia, with over 40 years of experience and a strong focus on innovation, customer service, and sustainability. Join a team that values safety, integrity, and teamwork.

We're currently seeking a motivated, safety-focused Freight Handler – Leading Hand to support our operations team on a full-time basis based at our Newcastle branch.

Hours: Monday to Friday – 6:00PM to 2:06AM

About the Role:

As a Freight Handler – Leading Hand, you'll play a vital role in the efficient and secure movement of freight through our depot along with providing some leadership and direction to depot staff.

Our freight profile primarily consists of small to medium parcels, typically under 10kg, however, occasionally, you may be required to handle items weighing up to 25kg (team lifts encouraged for items over 20kg).

This role requires a high level of attention to detail, physical fitness, and a strong safety mindset.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to depot staff to support safe, efficient operations.
• Coordinate workflow and tasks to ensure freight is handled, sorted, and dispatched efficiently.
• Act as a point of contact between depot staff and management, escalating issues as required.
• Support compliance with safety, quality, and operational procedures.
• Assist with problem solving and continuous improvement activities within the depot.
• Sort and move freight into designated bays and cages.
• Perform repetitive manual handling of items up to 25kg (team lifts encouraged for items over 20kg).
• Read labels and correctly sort freight into appropriate areas.
• Scan freight and support movements through the sortation machine.
• Palletise and shrink-wrap freight as required.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and organised work area.

What We're Looking For:

• LF Forklift Licence (essential).
• Previous experience in a leading hand role within warehousing or similar is advantageous.
• Comfortable with repetitive manual handling and physically demanding work.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to follow instructions and work independently or as part of a team.
• Good attention to detail and strong work ethic.
• Willingness to learn and follow safety protocols.
• Must have Australian work rights.

Important to Know:

• You’ll be required to wear steel cap boots and high-vis gear at all times on site.
• Safety is our number one priority – full induction and training will be provided on:
• Safe lifting techniques.
• Depot traffic management.
• As we transport valuable goods and uphold strict customer obligations, all candidates must successfully complete a criminal history check.

(CouriersPlease will never ask for your personal details including, bank details or tax file number via email.)

Be careful - Don’t provide your bank or credit card details when applying for jobs. Don't transfer any money or complete suspicious online surveys. If you see something suspicious, report this job ad .