Key Account Co-Ordinator - Seafreight Import

Alma Personnel; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Alma Personnel is seeking a hands-on Key Account Coordinator to manage UK import shipments and regulatory tasks for a major retail account. You will coordinate with customers, suppliers, shipping lines, and internal teams to ensure accurate documentation, scheduling, and billing.

You will also handle customs declarations, monitor shipments, produce reports, and provide back-office support and occasional supervision in absence periods. Prior experience with CargoWise and SharePoint is a plus.

Qualifications

• Must have Customs & Regulatory Compliance experience.
• Deep-sea import freight forwarding knowledge required.
• High accuracy and meticulous attention to detail essential.
• Clear, professional communication with customers expected.
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
• Strong spreadsheet and reporting skills.
• Food import experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of IPAFFS, CHEDs and Port Health beneficial.
• Experience with document management tools (SharePoint) preferred.
• Experience supporting a major key account desirable.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain freight jobs using invoices, PO info, and supplier docs.
• Chase suppliers/shippers for bookings, docs and status.
• Maintain shipment trackers, schedules and visibility reports.
• Handle UK import customs declarations and related docs.
• Review declarations and manage duties and deferment requirements.
• Support audits with accurate document collation and retention.
• Support European movements and related regulatory requirements.
• Prepare weekly shipment schedules and customer status reports.
• Produce monthly management reports on delivery activity and related costs.
• Prepare dummy costings and landed cost estimates from shipment data.
• Provide cover for Account Supervisor during absence.
• Monitor vessel schedules and ETA changes, updating the customer and teams.
• Coordinate hauliers, deliveries, warehouses, and delivery previews.
• Use CargoWise to maintain operational, customs, costing and billing records.
• Maintain document control and visibility via SharePoint/Web Tracker.
• Provide account-specific presentations, process support and ad hoc reporting as needed.

Skills

Customs & Regulatory Compliance

Deep-sea import freight forwarding

Attention to detail

Customer communication

Multitasking

Spreadsheet & reporting

Food import experience

IPAFFS/CHEDs Port Health knowledge

SharePoint proficiency

Key account support

Tools

CargoWise

SharePoint

Web Tracker

Excel

Job description

The Key Account Coordinator / Key Account Specialist is a hands on, detail-focused role that requires close co-ordination with customers, suppliers, shipping lines, hauliers, warehouses, internal teams and regulatory authorities, providing back-office support for a major retail import account including customs, compliance, reporting, billing.

The role also offers supervisory responsibility during absence periods and other business requirements.

Duties Include:

• Create and maintain freight jobs using pro-forma invoices, purchase order information and supplier documentation
• Chase suppliers and shippers for booking confirmations, shipping instructions, documentation and outstanding information
• Maintain shipment trackers, schedules and customer visibility reports, ensuring milestones and outstanding actions remain current
• Complete and control UK import customs declarations, including the review of commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, commodity information, origin data and customs valuation information
• Check declaration accuracy, manage duty and deferment requirements and *escalate* discrepancies before submission
• Support HMRC or customer audits through accurate document collation and record retention.
• Support European movements and the associated customs or regulatory requirements where required.
• Prepare weekly shipment schedules and operational status reports for the customer
• Produce monthly management reports covering delivery activity, insurance, quay rent, container or shipping line information and related account measures
• Prepare dummy costings and estimated landed cost information using complete commercial and shipment data
• Provide operational cover for the Account Supervisor during annual leave or other absence
• Monitor vessel schedules, shipment progress and ETA changes, providing timely updates to the customer and internal teams
• Liaise with shipping lines regarding releases, bills of lading, charges and operational exceptions
• Coordinate hauliers, delivery bookings, warehouses, cold stores and delivery previews
• Use CargoWise to maintain accurate operational, customs, costing and billing records
• Use SharePoint, Web Tracker or equivalent platforms to maintain document control and customer visibility
• Provide account-specific presentations, process support and ad hoc reporting when required.

Experience and Skills Required:

• Customs and Regulatory Compliance - Essential
• Deep-sea import freight forwarding - Essential
• A high level of accuracy and attention to detail - Essential
• Confident and professional customer communication - Essential
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines - Essential
• Competent spreadsheet and reporting skills - Essential
• CargoWise experience - Desirable
• Food import experience - Desirable
• Experience of IPAFFS, CHEDs and Port Health requirements - Desirable
• Experience of SharePoint, Web Tracker or comparable document management and customer visibility systems - Desirable
• Previous experience supporting a major key account - Desirable