The Careers Clusters in a postal processing centre

Postal Processing Centre
Ever wondered how your mail gets from A to B? Learn more about working in a postal processing centre in this Workplace Spotlight.

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Postal processing centres are large hubs where huge quantities of mail arrive to be sorted, inspected, and sent on to their final destination. There are lots of different people responsible for making sure your mail is delivered on time, including mail sorters, delivery drivers, logistics managers, customer support workers, engineers, and more.

Here are some things you can expect when working at a postal processing centre:

  1. Lots of teamwork – in most roles you’ll be working closely with other people.
  2. An organised environment – organisation and efficiency are two key skills that any worker in a postal processing centre should have.
  3. They can be very busy – millions of letters and parcels are sent around the world every day, so there’s always work to do.

Key Outcome – sort and send mail to its destination

The main focus of postal processing centres is to sort and process incoming mail so that it gets to its destination safely and on time.

Key Tasks –

  • Inspect and sort incoming mail
  • Maintain efficient and safe processes
  • Keep machinery up and running
  • Answer queries and investigate complaints

Industry – you can find postal processing centres in the logistics and transport industry

Postal processing centres are found in the logistics and transport industry. Some of them are run by government (such as Australia Post), while others are privately owned postal and logistics companies.

Work Environment

You can expect shift work and on-site work

Shift work  |  Work on-site  |  Jobs in all locations, including metro, regional, and rural  |  Moderate job growth

Because postal processing centres are generally open all the time, they need people to cover shifts from early mornings to late nights. Many workers might find that their schedules are different each week, depending on demand. Particularly when the postal service is very busy, such as around Christmas time, you might need to work extra hours.

For most people in postal processing centres, work either must be done on-site, or is easier to do on-site. Opportunities for remote work are limited, but certainly possible in some roles.

There are postal processing centres all across the country, but the biggest and busiest are in capital cities and large regional hubs, so it can be easier to find work in these locations.

The Career Clusters you’ll find in a postal processing centre

People from all Clusters are needed for a postal processing centre to run effectively, but the most common Clusters you’ll find are Makers and Coordinators.

Makers

The Makers in a postal processing centre include the people who physically sort and process packages and envelopes, as well as inspect them for anything suspicious or dangerous. There are also the people who load, unload and drive trucks and vans, and those who are responsible for building and maintaining conveyor belts and other machinery.

  • Mail Sorters
  • Truck and Van Drivers
  • Maintenance Mechanics
Linkers

The Linkers in postal processing centres are responsible for handling customer queries and complaints, such as tracking down late or missing parcels. If the postal processing centre also has a retail store attached, they also need people to serve customers and sell goods (such as stamps and packaging). They might also broker deals and discounts on large volumes of parcels with other businesses.

  • Customer Support Officer
  • Retail Assistant
  • Salespeople
Coordinators

Coordinators are the people who supervise and manage other workers in a postal processing facility, delegating tasks and ensuring things are running smoothly. They may also look at budget and performance metrics, and develop new strategies to increase efficiency.

  • Warehouse Managers
  • Logistics Managers
  • Business Development Managers
Informers

There aren’t a lot of roles where Informers work directly in postal processing centres, but they often visit. This can include the people who train new workers on how to do their job, people who collect and track information about processes and outcomes, and people who provide financial and business advice.

  • Trainers
  • Data Analysts
  • Financial Advisors
Innovators

The Innovators in postal processing centres are coming up with new technologies and processes to increase safety and efficiency. Some Innovators might work externally from a head office. Innovators might create new machinery, design clear and simple ways to let customers track the location of their parcel, and find safe ways to store sensitive data (like customer addresses and names).

  • Mechanical & Software Engineers
  • UX Designers
  • Database Developers
Guardians

Guardians in postal processing centres are responsible for the safety of all workers, ensuring proper procedures are followed and that staff are kept up to date on safety guidelines. They may also perform surprise inspections of warehouses and sites to check that things are running safely and smoothly. Large businesses with many employees also commonly employ wellbeing officers, checking in with workers and monitoring their physical and mental health.

  • Workplace Health & Safety Officers
  • Site Inspectors
  • Wellbeing Officers

How do we expect working in a postal processing centre to change in the future?

Advances in technology have created lots of opportunity and disruption in the postal industry. Lots of the physical processes are becoming more automated, with machines helping to sort and move parcels. In the future, we might expect to see things like drones and driverless vehicles delivering parcels directly to people’s doors.

Although machines are becoming more integrated in the workplace, we will still need people to create, operate, and repair them, as well as to be there when things go wrong. And roles that involve lots of face-to-face communication and complex problem solving will likely always be done by people.