[Hiring] Import Operations Coordinator @Somewhere

Role Description

This role exists so that our owner can stay focused on what only he can do — the client relationships — while an experienced operations team runs the day-to-day movement of freight in the U.S.

You will own the execution:

• Tracking inbound air and ocean shipments
• Coordinating drayage from port and rail ramp to final delivery
• Keeping documentation clean
• Getting ahead of delays, demurrage, and appointment problems that cost time and money

Because we run around the clock across U.S. time zones, we need coordinators who can work shipments to resolution without waiting to be told what to do. This is not a role for someone who needs a playbook for every situation.

Key Responsibilities

• Import Shipment Coordination (Air & Ocean)
  • Monitor and manage inbound air and ocean shipments into U.S. ports and gateways, including Chicago (air) and New York, Seattle, and Long Beach (ocean)
  • Track vessel and flight ETAs, container availability, and last free day; flag risks before they become problems
  • Keep shipment milestones and internal tracking current and accurate at all times
• Drayage & Trucking Coordination
  • Arrange and monitor drayage from port and rail ramp to destination in coordination with our trucking brokers and carriers
  • Manage delivery appointments, chassis and equipment availability, and pickup/return timing to avoid delays
  • Actively manage demurrage and detention exposure — chase container availability and returns to protect against avoidable charges
• Documentation & Customs Support
  • Prepare, review, and route import documentation — bills of lading, arrival notices, ISF details, delivery orders, and related paperwork
  • Support the customs entry process alongside the principal broker and ensure documentation is accurate and audit-ready
  • Coordinate paperwork and requirements between carriers, terminals, and clients
• Carrier, Partner & Exception Management
  • Communicate proactively with steamship lines, airlines, terminals, and trucking brokers to keep shipments on schedule
  • Identify and resolve exceptions — delays, missed appointments, documentation discrepancies, holds — and escalate only what genuinely needs the owner
  • Provide clear, concise status updates so the owner can confidently represent every shipment to clients

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on import operations experience with a freight forwarder, NVOCC, customs broker, or 3PL
• Direct experience coordinating U.S. inbound air and ocean shipments
• Working knowledge of drayage and intermodal coordination, including demurrage and detention management
• Familiarity with U.S. import documentation — BOL, ISF, arrival notice, delivery order — and the basics of the customs entry process
• Excellent written and spoken English; a confident, professional communicator with carriers and partners
• Able to work U.S. business hours and open to a staggered schedule that provides coast-to-coast coverage
• Self-directed and comfortable operating in a fast-moving, founder-led environment with limited SOPs
• Reliable high-speed home internet and a quiet, dedicated workspace

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CargoWise (or Descartes / Magaya) or a comparable freight/customs system
• Prior experience supporting U.S.-based clients or working within U.S. customs brokerage operations
• Exposure to China-origin export shipments moving into the U.S.
• Rail / intermodal coordination experience
• Air shipment experience is a must especially charter service
• Working understanding of U.S. Customs (CBP) requirements and compliance

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Deeply experienced — you can hit the ground running and handle the scenarios this industry throws at you without step-by-step instruction
• Calm and decisive under pressure, especially when a shipment is at risk of demurrage or a missed delivery
• Proactive by default — you chase the answer before anyone has to ask you for it
• Highly organized, detail-obsessed, and reliable with follow-through across dozens of moving shipments
• Comfortable with ambiguity and a lean environment — you would rather jump in and swim than wait to be rescued
• Fast and accurate on the keyboard, and responsive in real time during your shift

Benefits

• Full-time, stable, long-term work with USD income
• Direct line to the business owner — real visibility, real ownership, and the chance to genuinely run operations rather than sit on the sidelines
• A lean, high-trust team where your experience is valued and your judgment is put to use from day one