Freight Forwarder (Projects Air & Ocean)

We are seeking a detail-oriented and resourceful Freight Forwarder to join our logistics and freight forwarding business. The ideal candidate will be a proactive problem-solver with strong communication skills, critical thinking abilities, and the capacity to manage complex freight activities in a fast-paced environment. 

This position will be responsible for coordinating shipments across air, ocean, and road, liaising with clients, vendors, and customs officials to ensure on-time delivery and compliance with regulations. Responsibilities include preparing and verifying documentation, supporting rate negotiations and invoicing, maintaining accurate shipment records, and providing solutions for urgent or project-based freight needs. Additionally, this role will collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure smooth operations and exceptional customer service. 

Key responsibilities and tasks 

• Liaise and coordinate with ALL various stakeholders and customs officials, for all shipments, to ensure that goods arrive safely at their destinations (Air, Ocean & Road). 
• Arranging transportation and tracking shipments to ensure they reach their destination. 
• Support with contract negotiation, RFQ’s, tenders for transportation costs, and insurance matters. 
• Preparing, checking and verifying documentation, such as bills of lading, invoices, and packing lists, to ensure accuracy. 
• Advising clients on the best shipping methods and routes based on the nature of their goods considering shipment status if critical or urgent. 
• Coordinating with customs agents to facilitate the smooth logistics of goods through customs checks. 
• Handling customer inquiries and resolving any issues or delays that may arise during shipment. 
• Maintaining knowledge of relevant laws, freight compliance, terms and regulations for safe transport of cargo including those related to customs, duties and taxes. 
• Keeping accurate records of all transactions, including costs, delivery times, and transport arrangements. 
• Seek compliant suppliers, request and prepare quotations, rate validation, bids, contracts rate and support freight negotiations with various carriers as required. 
• To support the billing process for various contracts and follow up on AR and AP related activities on the projects. 
• Maintain all files, records for office accounts as per company’s guidelines (TMS) for billing purposes, cost reservations associated with each line item of the billing entry. 
• Record receipts and payments, assure accuracy of computation and completeness of documents. 
• Prepare and issue all relevant documentation, shipment instructions & pre-alerts where applicable. 
• Process ALL vendor charges payments for Shipment releases and pass onto relevant Team members processing where applicable. 
• Create and issue Purchase Orders for approved orders from clients. 
• Attain client approval in writing for ad hoc requests outside of the contract scope and filed to be used as backup upon billing. 
• Liaise with all stakeholders to ensure billing data is accurately captured and accounted for at the end of each period. 
• Immediately identify and notify Management or Team Lead and the client of any potential risk that can impact shipments i.e. strikes, lack of resources, scope creep etc. that can lead to cost overruns, delays and damages. 

Qualifications and competencies 

• Minimum 5 years proven work experience handling Shipping, Freight Forwarding or Projects. 
• Knowledge of freight forwarding terms and standards – must provide any certification in training. 
• Understanding of principles of accounting and financial processes. 
• Effective negotiation and communication skills. 
• Proficient in freight software or system. 
• Strong problem-solving skills, ability to handle unforeseen issues. 
• High level of organizational and logistics skills. 
• High school diploma; degree in logistics or relevant field is a plus. 

Safety performance 

• Always ensure safe-working practices. 
• Empowered to “stop the job” if an action is considered unsafe and report to line supervisor. 
• Ensure you follow HSSEQ procedures and processes. 
• Ensure you understand company reporting tool Mellora and input observations when necessary. 

Work instructions and procedures 

• Comply with all and any relevant company work as instructed. 
• Comply with all company policies and procedures. 
• Suggest any improvements to improve service delivery and amend work instructions. 

Performance measures 

• Adherence to project timelines and milestones 
• Adherence to policies and procedures 
• Adherence to roles and responsibilities 
• Completion of trackers in a timely manner 

Communication 

• You communicate professionally, positively and with respect to the clients and your colleagues. 
• Ensure communication is transparent at all times and aligned with various communication matrices 

Innovation 

• You are open for feedback in all matters and focus on continuous improvements, to achieve better results and more efficient working procedures. 
• You must participate in the ongoing optimization of Blue Water's systems. 

Culture and strategy 

• You implement Blue Water’s culture and strategy. 
• You are loyal to the culture and the strategy. 
• You are active in strengthening the culture, the strategy, and the objective. 
• You always follow the set goals and tactical plans from the board of directors. 

Economy 

• You have focus on and respect the economy in the department and seek to minimize costs and resources used. 
• You are aware of the economy of the department.

An exciting opportunity

We offer you an exciting opportunity to work in a team of motivated and qualified specialists, in a company with a high focus on employees and a unique culture. 

What we offer

100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees.  Additional benefits include a robust 401K, generous paid time off and values-driven, international culture.

Ready to take the next step in your career? Apply now.

As we review applications, we plan to invite qualified candidates for interviews while the posting may still be active.
So if the position has piqued your interest, we recommend that you don't hesitate to send in your application.

For this role, visa sponsorship is not available. Applicants must have work authorization in the United States.

What we do – Together we create solutions

Blue Water is a global provider of all logistics services in modern supply chain management. The company was founded in 1972 in Denmark, and today, Blue Water has over 2,700 employees at 80 offices worldwide. Every Blue Water office combines a strong global network with local expertise, and the company operates in various dedicated business segments.