Ocean Operations Agent I

About the Role

The Ocean Operations Agent I is responsible for coordinating the day-to-day ocean import and export of international freight forwarding shipments out of the USA, based upon customer requests.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with customers to qualify their shipping requirements and obtain all details necessary for shipment quotation and operating.
• Prepare profitable quotations accurately.
• Complete shipment process in Cargowise, including data entry, pickup/delivery scheduling, AES entry, bookings, routing, and operational milestone updates.
• Coordinate the day-to-day ocean import and export of products, including reviewing orders and documents.
• Track and communicate all delays, damages, problems, and work to resolve customer issues.
• Manage all aspects of tracking shipments to ensure they are moving as scheduled and update the system immediately upon verification.
• Identify and rectify if a shipment has deviated from its schedule.
• Coordinate recovery/delivery schedules with various cartage agents and international partners.
• Partner with local sales teams to communicate problems to customers, international partners, and other stations, as needed.
• Ensure all customers’ SOP instructions are adhered to and AIT KPIs and guidelines are followed and met.
• Ensure all shipments are properly billed within company guidelines and timelines.
• Other duties and responsibilities will be assigned as business demands deem necessary.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Cargowise (basic knowledge or ability to learn preferred)
• AES entry
• SOP instructions
• AIT KPIs and guidelines

Qualifications

• A team player who works well with others.
• A strong work ethic with an appreciation for ownership, independence, accountability, and autonomy.
• Growth mindset – passionate about your craft, always looking for ways to improve yourself and the company, open to change.
• Customer service focus – building relationships is a part of the culture.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• 0-2 Years Freight Forwarding experience preferred.
• Basic math & geography skills.
• Ability to analyze numerical data and understand components, relationships, find patterns and draw conclusions.
• Basic knowledge or ability to learn freight movement, ocean vendors, ocean space configurations, container loads, special loading constraints, regulatory requirements, pricing, service routings, AIT product offerings, equipment types, incoterms, and shipment profitability.
• Basic knowledge or ability to learn country regulations and AIT policies & procedures that minimize risks to the customer and company.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide using units of currency, weight, volume, and distance measurements.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret verbal and written requests/directions.
• Ability to communicate and interact effectively with a variety of people; can effectively present information in one-on-one settings.
• Time management is extremely important to meet customer deadlines in a fast-paced, high-volume work environment.