International Logistics Specialist (Hybrid, Oakbrook Terrace, IL)

The International Move Management Consultant (IMC) acts as the primary point of coordination providing service delivery to our clients and their assignees whilst maintaining the highest level of customer service. The IMC will be the first point of contact for the moving aspects of an employee's relocation. They will support and organize the movement of household goods and personal items for our client's assignees. They will be responsible for guiding the employee through the process ensuring that you provide an excellent level of customer service. The IMC will have strong organization skills, problem-solving abilities, cultural awareness and time management abilities. To be successful the IMC will communicate with agents, vendors and customers, manage the profitability of the shipments, educate customers as needed and agents regarding process and procedures for international shipping and resolve transportation issues. Additional responsibilities include invoice dispute resolution, providing coverage for absent colleagues, vendor management and selection.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

% of time

(must total to 100%)

Description of Duty

30%

Communicate Proactively, Build Relationships & Ensure Customer Quality

Customer

• Set move expectations and proactively anticipate the customer's needs. Handle customer inquiries with a sense of urgency and empathy.
• Phone and e-mail transferee and/or accounts wherever they might be globally, involves occasionally working outside of standard business hours.
• Manage and monitor customer expectations, requests and issues timely and effectively.
• Maintain minimum quality service score as defined by our IMC Scorecard.
• Full accountability for the success of each assigned move.

Supply Chain

• Coordinate and communicate the logistics, pricing, move details and troubleshoot/resolve any process glitches.
• Phone and e-mail agent contact with overseas household goods moving agents.
• Phone and e-mail contact with our supply chain in the US/Canada/Overseas (steamship lines, port brokers, truckers).

Account Support

• Communicate and report back to accounts/bookers as required
• Identify areas for enhancement or improvement; work with management to systematically resolve.
• Coordinate with various departments such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, claims network management and account management to ensure proper completion of all aspects of a move.

15%

Logistics Management

• Follow pre-defined move management process and our proprietary workflow system tasks as defined by the book of business and shipment workflow.
• Anticipate, plan and ensure the most efficient and cost-effective shipment routing based on customer requirements.
• Select and coordinate with the best household goods movers at origin and destination, truckers and freight lines (ocean/air/road) to best forward the shipment according to account requirements.
• Partner with customs and other governmental agencies as required.
• Mitigate adverse financial impact of problematic situations through use of technical knowledge, established business contacts and persistence.

25%

Financial

• Generate rate quotes by obtaining and building Door-to-Door, Port-to-Door or Door-to-Port pricing for all aspects of the international move, inclusive of origin, trucking, freight, customs clearance and destination services through the use of internal systems and external resources (3rd party vendors, agents, steamship lines, network offices, US Customs)
• Accountability for margin, vendor selection, transportation expense and final routing of the shipment
• Margin management: evaluate all aspects of a move to ensure the most profitable route is taken by using tools such as ProQuote /MoveRight, tariff documents and vendor negotiations where tariffs don't exist
• Accountable for ensuring agents and vendor rate proposals are within fair market value. Ability to negotiate when needed.
• Settle invoice exceptions via cost research, comparing quoted rates to invoice and tariff rates
• Negotiate with vendors, agent partners and network offices to settle discrepancies
• Document root causes to aid in reducing future occurrences
• Abide by formal dispute process when resolving inter-company exceptions

15%

Move Administration

• Data integrity: Document within the Globalcom/PROMOVE/Navision systems all customer, agent and move information including revenue, expense and correspondence/action taken.
• Paperwork and file management: responsible for all shipping documentation and timely forwarding to destination agent, port agent, inland carrier etc. while minimizing paper files by utilizing system notes and scanning capabilities.
• Enable billing: Ensure all updated revenue information is complete and all relevant paperwork to support accurate and timely billing is delivered while partnering with billing staff.
• Work disputes/exceptions: Prioritize the prompt investigation and resolution of all revenue disputes and expense exceptions
• Claims initiation: Ensure that the proper documents are prepared and passed to the claims group. Ensure the customer understands the requirements of filing a claim and support the follow-through.

15%

Customer Satisfaction & Exception Resolution

• Manage and monitor the customer/vendor expectations, requests and issues timely and effectively
• Negotiate with vendors, agent partners and network offices to settle discrepancies.
• Adhere to set goals to ensure the KPI's are met

Qualifications and preferred skills (Qualifications, Skills, Education or Certification Requirements, etc.)

Education/Certification Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent work experience

Qualifications and Experience Requirements

• Minimum 2 years of industry/freight forwarding experience OR 3 years of related customer service experience
• Basic world geography
• Strong analytical skills: understanding of rev, expense margin, basic math (calculate weight, density, CWT, rates, etc), data-based problem solving
• Ability to identify potential problems and develop creative solutions without immediate direction or supervision
• Strong communication skills: both oral and written with proper business etiquette
• Strong organizational skills; the ability to function as part of a team while acting as a self-starter
• Ability to manage deadlines, multi-task and operate in a fast-paced environment
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications (Excel, Word, Outlook)
• Teamwork and ability to work with different cultures
• Results-oriented
• Strong preference for secondary language skills