Hartley & Noble Ltd — Wellingborough
Pay: £12.71 per hour
Location: Leyland Trading Estate, Wellingborough
Hours: Flexible part-time hours, agreed weekly by rota
Minimum guaranteed hours: 8 hours per week
About Us
Hartley & Noble is a small, friendly UK business based in Wellingborough. We design, make, pack and ship specialist pottery equipment used by potters, studios, teachers and retailers across the UK and beyond.
We are a small team, so every person matters. Our products are made, checked, packed and shipped from our workshop, and our customers rely on us to get the right items to them safely and accurately.
We are now looking for a reliable, organised and careful Workshop Order Picker Packer to join our team.
This is a small-batch, detail-focused fulfilment role in a specialist workshop. It is not a standard warehouse picker role. You’ll be picking, checking, packing and shipping niche pottery equipment where sizes, measurements, quality and order accuracy all matter.
If you like practical work, are good at spotting details, and understand that sending the wrong item to a customer causes real problems, this could be a great fit.
Why Work With Us?
Here are a few reasons why this is a good place to work:
- We only work Monday to Thursday, so there is no Friday or weekend working.
- We are a small, friendly team — you won’t be just a number.
- Full training will be given.
- You’ll be doing practical, useful work where accuracy matters.
- Paid 15-minute breaks are included.
- The boss buys everyone lunch on their birthday.
- You’ll be helping send products to real customers who rely on them in their pottery studios.
What The Role Is Really About
As a Workshop Order Picker Packer, you’ll work with the Workshop Supervisor and wider team to help pick, check, pack and ship customer orders and stock items.
This role is not just “putting things in boxes”. Accuracy matters.
You’ll need to check products as you pick them, make sure the right items are going to the right customer, pack orders carefully, and help make sure shipping details are correct.
A flexible, can-do attitude is important because the work can change depending on the day’s orders and workshop priorities.
This role would suit someone who is:
- Organised and practical.
- Careful with details.
- Good at following instructions.
- Comfortable counting stock accurately.
- Happy working in a workshop environment.
- Able to switch between different tasks.
- Reliable and able to turn up on time.
- Willing to learn new equipment and systems.
- Not afraid of packing tape, cardboard, stock shelves or a busy order board.
This Is Not A Typical Warehouse Picking Job
Although this role involves picking, packing and shipping orders, it is very different from a high-volume warehouse role.
We are a small specialist workshop, not a large warehouse. Our products are niche, often similar-looking, measured in different sizes, and sent to customers who rely on us getting the details right.
This means accuracy matters more than speed.
You will not be picking hundreds of anonymous items from barcode locations where mistakes disappear into a large system. You’ll be working in a small team where every order matters, every product needs checking, and errors are noticed quickly.
This role will suit someone who enjoys careful, accurate, practical work.
It probably will not suit someone who wants a fast-paced warehouse job where the focus is mainly on speed, volume and hitting pick rates.
Accuracy Matters — But So Does Pace
This is a detail-focused picking and packing role where both accuracy and productivity matter.
We do not expect you to arrive knowing exactly how quickly each task should be done. Full training will be given, and we will show you what a good working pace looks like for picking, checking, packing and shipping orders.
However, once trained, you will be expected to work at a steady and productive pace. That means completing a reasonable number of picked orders, packed boxes or stock tasks during your shift, while still maintaining accuracy.
We are a small team, so everyone’s output matters. If orders are picked or packed too slowly, it affects dispatch times, customers and the rest of the workshop.
We will give clear guidance, feedback and support, but this role will suit someone who can stay focused, keep moving, and take pride in getting a good amount of work done properly.
What You’ll Be Doing
Your duties may include:
- Picking customer orders and stock items.
- Checking products for quality as they are picked.
- Packing customer orders carefully and accurately.
- Using and maintaining packing equipment, including tape and airwave machines.
- Using a vacuum pack machine.
- Helping with product stock takes.
- Counting stock accurately.
- Entering order details into shipping software.
- Checking customer and customs details are correct.
- Producing shipping manifests.
- Liaising with couriers when orders are collected.
- Liaising with customer support to resolve order queries.
- Helping use the laser machine to cut or engrave products, once trained.
- Keeping packing and work areas clean, tidy and organised.
This list is not exhaustive. In a small business, everyone needs to be willing to help where needed.
Full training will be provided.
What Your Typical Morning Might Look Like
8:45am — Negotiate the speed bumps onto Leyland Trading Estate.
8:50am — Clock in, make a cuppa and have a quick catch-up.
8:55am — Safety boots on, ready for a 9am start.
9:00am — Quick run-through with the Workshop Supervisor to go through the day’s schedule.
9:02am — Headphones on, audiobook selected, and start checking stock.
9:20am — Start picking today’s orders.
10:25am — Bathroom break. You can do this whenever you need to — this is just an example.
11:00am — 15-minute paid break for a phone scroll, a walk around the estate, or a quick chat.
11:15am — Packing and preparing orders for shipping.
12:15pm — Make a cuppa and drink it while working.
12:50pm — Tidy your workstation and make sure the packing area is left organised.
12:55pm — Feedback to the Workshop Supervisor on the morning’s work.
1:00pm — Finish for the day.
Every day may vary slightly depending on order levels, stock levels and what the workshop needs.
What A Full Day Might Look Like
If you are working a full day, the morning would follow the pattern above.
1:00pm — Unpaid lunch break. There is no food available on site, so remember to bring something with you.
1:30pm — Quick check-in with the Workshop Supervisor to confirm the afternoon priorities.
1:32pm — Headphones on, podcast selected, and back to packing and shipping orders.
2:30pm — Make a cuppa and drink it while working.
2:50pm — Balance and manifest the day’s orders.
3:00pm — 15-minute paid break.
3:15pm — Use the laser machine to engrave stock, once trained.
4:50pm — Tidy workstations and make sure all machines are turned off and closed down.
4:55pm — Feedback to the Workshop Supervisor on the day’s work.
5:00pm — Boots off, shoes on, and back to those speed bumps.
Hours And Working Pattern
This is a flexible part-time role because our order volumes can vary from week to week.
We will schedule your hours through our rota system and confirm your hours for the following week in advance.
As a guide:
- Minimum guaranteed hours: 8 hours per week.
- Typical expected hours: around 8–10 hours per week.
- During busier periods, hours may increase.
- The maximum would usually be up to 4 full days per week, working 7.5 hours per day.
- We work Monday to Thursday only.
This role will suit someone who wants flexible part-time work and is happy for their weekly hours to vary depending on order levels and workshop workload.
The Right Person Will Be
You do not need previous experience in this exact role, because full training will be given.
However, you do need to be the right kind of person.
You will need to be:
- Reliable.
- Organised.
- Careful.
- Good at checking details.
- Comfortable counting stock.
- Able to follow instructions.
- Happy doing practical, hands-on work.
- Comfortable using basic computer systems once trained.
- Willing to learn packing and shipping processes.
- Able to switch between different tasks when needed.
- Comfortable working in a workshop environment.
- Physically able to lift, move and handle products and parcels.
- Flexible with weekly working hours.
- Able to work at a steady, productive pace once trained.
- A good team member who helps where they can.
We are not looking for someone who rushes and makes mistakes, but we are also not looking for someone who drifts through the day slowly.
This role probably is not for you if you are looking for a typical warehouse picking job focused mainly on speed, volume and pick rates.
This role is better suited to someone who is careful, methodical and willing to check their own work. We would rather someone work steadily and accurately than rush through orders and make avoidable mistakes.
But if you are practical, careful, reliable and like the satisfaction of getting orders out correctly, we’d like to hear from you.
The Practical Bits
The role is based at our workshop on Leyland Trading Estate in Wellingborough.
Please note:
- The workshop can be cold in winter and warm in summer.
- The role involves standing, moving, lifting and handling products.
- The location is not ideal for public transport, so you’ll need a reliable way to get here.
- Safety boots will be required.
- You’ll be expected to keep your work area clean and tidy.
- Weekly hours may vary depending on order levels and workshop workload.
How To Apply
If this sounds like the right role for you, please apply through Indeed and answer the short question included with the application.
If your initial application looks like a possible fit, we’ll send you a short Stage Two application form to complete before deciding who to invite to interview.
We do read the answers, so please answer properly and honestly. — Part-Time / Flexible Hours
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: Up to £12.71 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Application question(s):
- Before we move applicants to the next stage, please briefly tell us why this role interests you and why you think you would be a good fit for a small, detail-focused workshop team.
Work Location: In person
