We are delighted to be working with one of our key clients, a longstanding and established Logistics business, assisting with their growth & development. With over 40 years of successful business, our client continues to expand its operations. As such, they are increasing their Freight division team and wish to recruit a Freight Forwarder to join their existing team.  With staged growth targets and plans in place, this is a fantastic opportunity to further develop your career within the logistics sector.

JOB TITLE – FREIGHT FORWARDER

PURPOSE

To provide a responsive, high quality 360 freight forwarding service to existing & new clients covering all aspects of operations, associated administration, and customer service. This includes all parts of the process, quoting from initial enquiry, right the way through to invoicing.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Taking freight bookings from clients and processing orders utilising Descartes system.
• Conversant in Import, Export & Customs formalities both UK & abroad. Note this can be trained if required.
• Develop a good understanding of the various shipping lines serving the Iberian, Italian, Benelux and Chinese markets.
• Preparing and handling cargo related documentation including packing lists, manifests, bills of lading and customs documentation.
• Arranging haulage collections and deliveries.
• Liaising with customers and haulage operators, addressing and resolving issues as they occur.
• Responding to telephone and e-mail enquires in a timely manner.
• Promote the business and services to existing and potential clients.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least GCSE (‘O’ level) standard including minimum grade C in Mathematics and English Language.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Strong and concise communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Be an effective negotiator for the various parts of the logistics chain, especially towards rate negotiations with shipping lines and hauliers.
• Strong grammatical and numerical skills.
• Ability to understand, interpret and apply customer contracts.
• Fully competent with IT including Microsoft Office applications (Word / Excel / Power point / Outlook).

EXPERIENCE

• Candidates will ideally have experience of freight forwarding working within a shipping, transport or freight environment. A strong administrator would also be considered on the understanding they would be trained up to understand the sector and specific elements of the role
• Experience of using Descartes would be advantageous.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Organised and accurate with good attention to details.
• Confident, driven and being a positive character are a must have traits.
• A pro-active problem solver – providing solutions.
• Effective personal time management skills and the ability to prioritise tasks.
• Good interpersonal skills and a genuine team player - comfortable of working in a small team.