Schedule: Full-time, Monday–Friday with weekly nationwide travel
About Grafe Auction
Grafe Auction helps businesses sell commercial and industrial assets nationwide. Our projects include grocery stores, distribution centers, warehouses, commercial food service and refrigeration equipment, corporate offices, and a wide variety of other business environments.
We’re looking for someone who enjoys practical work, can organize an unfamiliar space, and pays attention to details. You’ll join our traveling auction setup team, preparing equipment and inventory for online auctions.
About the role
A typical project starts with walking through a facility and developing a setup plan with your teammates. You’ll organize items into auction lots, apply identifying tags, record descriptions, and take photographs that help buyers understand what they’re bidding on. You’ll also capture photos and short video footage for our marketing team.
Projects vary in size and complexity. You’ll generally work alongside experienced team members, with opportunities to complete smaller sites independently once trained and ready. You’ll exercise judgment while following company standards and project-specific guidance.
You don’t need to arrive as an equipment expert. We provide training in equipment identification, cataloging, photography, and our setup process.
What you’ll do
- Assess auction sites and develop practical plans for organizing the space and completing setup.
- Work with teammates using project outlines and guidance from sales representatives.
- Group equipment and inventory into logical auction lots and establish an orderly catalog sequence.
- Tag items and use mobile devices to record identifying details, available specifications, and visible condition.
- Take clear equipment photographs and capture marketing photos and short videos following company guidance.
- Perform basic startup checks on select items, such as vehicles, when appropriate and directed.
- Use pallet jacks and other material-handling equipment to position items safely.
- Communicate questions, progress, and problems promptly, and complete accurate work within project deadlines.
What helps you succeed
You can break a large project into manageable steps, keep accurate records, and ask questions when something is unfamiliar. You’re comfortable using mobile devices, learning new applications, and working with different teammates and equipment from week to week.
No specific degree or prior auction experience is required. Experience with inventory, warehouse operations, merchandising, commercial food service equipment, refrigeration, or other equipment categories is helpful. We welcome applicants from different backgrounds who bring practical skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn.
Travel and work environment
- Travel nationwide by air and car each week, generally spending four nights away from home.
- Expect early Monday departures. Employees are generally home by 5 p.m. Friday. Later Friday returns occur only a few times per year and are arranged with the employee’s agreement in advance.
- Candidates nationwide are welcome; convenient access to an airport with suitable flight options is preferred.
- A valid driver’s license and the ability to travel independently are required.
- Work involves prolonged standing and walking, bending, and moving items. Sites may be indoors or outdoors, dusty, or have limited climate control.
- Work includes lifting and moving items weighing up to 50 pounds. Use teammate assistance or material-handling equipment for awkward or heavier items. Essential duties may be performed with reasonable accommodation.
Pay and benefits
- Starting salary of $65,000 annually, with higher starting pay considered for relevant experience.
- Supplemental pay for authorized full-day assignments outside the normal Monday–Friday schedule under company policy. At the starting salary, the supplemental payment is $375 per qualifying day.
- Company-paid employee health insurance premiums. Coverage begins the first of the month following 30 consecutive days of employment. Dependent coverage is available through payroll deduction.
- Company-paid vision coverage.
- SIMPLE IRA employer match up to 3%.
- Ten days of paid time off after 90 days, with additional PTO based on length of employment.
- Seven paid holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Company-paid travel
Grafe books and pays for business flights, rental cars, and a private hotel room. Employees do not share rooms. We issue corporate cards for authorized hotel and incidental expenses and provide a $50 daily meal and incidental allowance on qualifying days, adjusted when meals are provided.
Employees may participate in personal airline, hotel, and rental-car loyalty programs. Grafe links those memberships to eligible company bookings so employees can accumulate points and miles for personal use, subject to program rules.
How to apply
Email careers@grafeauction.com with the subject line Auction Setup & Cataloging Application. Please include:
- Your resume or a brief summary of your work history.
- Your city and state, preferred departure airport, and phone number.
- A few sentences about why the role interests you and any relevant experience organizing inventory, working with equipment, taking product photos, or using mobile tools.
- Confirmation that you’re comfortable with weekly nationwide travel, generally spending four nights away from home.
No formal cover letter is required.