Shipping Manager - Reebok

The Retail Partnership Ltd; Watford; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

TRP Recruitment Limited in Watford is seeking an experienced Shipping Manager to own our international import operations. You will run day-to-day shipping, manage a dedicated team and coordinate with suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, warehouses and finance to ensure on-time deliveries and compliance.

The role requires hands-on leadership, problem solving, and the ability to report risks and performance via clear KPI updates.

Qualifications

• Experience in international shipping and import operations.
• Ability to manage shipping documents, HS codes and Incoterms.
• Strong communication and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day shipping operation for FCL, LCL and Air shipments.
• Lead the Shipping team with workload and holidays, coaching staff.
• Monitor outstanding actions, risks, and shipment exceptions.
• Ensure accuracy of documents and compliance with customs requirements.
• Collaborate with suppliers, freight forwarders, and warehouses; provide updates and KPI reports.
• Review freight quotations and charges; manage invoices.
• Prepare daily/weekly updates and monthly KPI reports; drive improvements.

Skills

International shipping

Team leadership

KPI reporting

Problem solving

Tools

Excel

ERP system

Power Query

Job description

Are you an experienced shipping professional ready to take ownership of a busy international import operation? We are looking for a hands-on Shipping Manager to run our day-to-day shipping function and lead a dedicated Shipping team. You will keep shipments under control from supplier readiness and booking through to customs clearance, ASN, delivery and GRN. You will be trusted to prioritise, solve problems and make operational decisions independently, while reporting significant risks, issues or decisions to the Group Shipping Manager with a clear update and recommendation. You will work closely with suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, warehouses/3PLs and colleagues across Operations, Customer Service and Finance. You will also have the chance to coach your team, improve our processes, systems and reporting, and make a visible difference to service, cost and compliance.

Main responsibilities will include:

• Managing the day-to-day shipping operation covering FCL, LCL and Air shipments, and making sure bookings, ETD/ETA, shipping documents, ASN, customs clearance, deliveries and GRNs are properly controlled
• Managing the Shipping team, including workload, priorities, deadlines and holiday/absence cover, and coaching and supporting team members to improve their knowledge, ownership and independence
• Monitoring outstanding actions, overdue shipments and upcoming risks, and managing shipment exceptions including delays, documentation issues, customs problems, shortages, damages, delivery issues and GRN differences, as well as urgent and customer-critical shipping requirements
• Making sure shipping documents and ASN information are accurate and correctly matched against PO, invoice, packing list and ERP information, and supporting customs requirements including HS codes, country of origin and required documentation
• Working closely with suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and warehouses/3PLs, and monitoring and challenging service providers where service, cost or agreed timelines are not being met
• Reviewing freight quotations, additional charges, premium freight requirements and freight invoice differences
• Working closely with Operations, Customer Service, Finance and other internal departments; preparing clear daily/weekly operational updates and monthly KPI reports; and monitoring shipping KPIs to identify repeated issues, review the causes of recurring problems and put practical corrective actions in place
• Supporting improvements to shipping processes, systems and reporting, and escalating significant customer, customs/compliance, financial or operational risks to the Group Shipping Manager

Person specification:

• Good experience in international shipping/import operations, with strong knowledge of FCL, LCL and Air Freight and a good understanding of commercial invoices, packing lists, Bills of Lading, Air Waybills and other shipping documents
• Experience working with suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and warehouses/3PLs in the UK and Europe, with a good understanding of customs processes, HS codes, country of origin and Incoterms
• Previous experience supervising, coaching or managing a team, with the confidence to work with internal departments and external service providers and to make day-to-day operational decisions independently
• Experience using an ERP system, and comfortable working with shipment trackers and larger amounts of operational data
• Strong practical Microsoft Excel skills for shipment reconciliation, identifying differences, monitoring overdue activities, freight analysis and reporting, including good working knowledge of XLOOKUP or VLOOKUP, IF and IFERROR, SUMIF/SUMIFS, COUNTIF/COUNTIFS, date calculations, filters and sorting, conditional formatting, Excel Tables, PivotTables, charts and dashboards (Power Query or similar data/BI reporting experience would be useful but is not essential)
• Good organisation, prioritisation and time-management skills, able to manage multiple shipments and issues at the same time, with good written and verbal communication skills and the ability to produce clear operational updates and KPI reports