Brokerage Operations Specialist

Forward Air Corporation; Des Plaines (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Forward Air Corporation in Des Plaines, IL is seeking a Brokerage Operations Specialist to serve as the link between customers, carrier partners, and internal sales teams, ensuring smooth execution of freight shipments from pickup to delivery.

The role emphasizes strong communication, attention to detail, and a sense of urgency to meet customer expectations while boosting operational efficiency; training is provided to master transportation brokerage operations and related systems.

Qualifications

• Education: HS diploma or GED; 4-year degree preferred.
• Experience in logistics, transportation, freight brokerage, or customer service preferred.
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication across organizational levels.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy and speed.
• Problem-solving and independent decision-making abilities.

Responsibilities

• Support successful execution of customer freight shipments with cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate truckload shipments from tender to delivery, ensuring service commitments.
• Schedule pickups and deliveries and communicate shipment statuses to customers and internal teams.
• Maintain ownership of customer accounts and daily load activity for high service levels.
• Build relationships with customers and shipping facilities to support account growth.

Skills

Customer service

Written and verbal communication

Multitasking

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Discretion/confidentiality

MS Office proficiency

Education

High School diploma or GED

Undergraduate degree preferred

Tools

Windows OS

Microsoft Office 365

Video conferencing (Teams/Zoom/Webex)

Job description

Compensation

$50,000 - 55,000 Annually

Job Description

Brokerage Operations Specialist

The Brokerage Operations Specialist serves as a critical link between customers, carrier partners, and internal sales teams, ensuring the seamless execution of freight shipments from pickup through delivery. They coordinate transportation activities, support customer accounts, and drive operational excellence across assigned business. They develop strong relationships with customers and internal partners to deliver exceptional service, resolve issues, and identify opportunities for account growth. Through effective communication, attention to detail, and a sense of urgency, this individual helps ensure customer expectations are consistently met while maximizing operational efficiency.

This position offers significant opportunities for professional growth within a fast-paced and dynamic logistics environment. As part of the onboarding experience, the selected candidate will receive comprehensive training on transportation brokerage operations, industry best practices, transportation management systems, and customer support processes.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Customer Sales, Carrier Sales, and Account Management teams to support the successful execution of customer freight shipments.
• Coordinate and monitor truckload shipments from tender acceptance through final delivery, ensuring service commitments are achieved.
• Schedule pickup and delivery appointments while communicating shipment statuses and updates to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain ownership of assigned customer accounts and daily load activity to ensure exceptional service levels are consistently delivered.
• Develop strong relationships with customer contacts and shipping facilities to understand operational needs and support account growth opportunities.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for shipment-related inquiries, proactively identifying and resolving service issues.
• Collaborate with carrier sales teams to secure transportation capacity that aligns with customer requirements, service expectations, and business objectives.
• Monitor shipment performance, track key milestones, and elevate exceptions to ensure timely resolution.
• Maintain accurate shipment documentation, customer records, and operational data within transportation management systems and company platforms.
• Support customer onboarding activities, account implementation efforts, and process improvement initiatives.
• Analyze operational challenges and recommend solutions that improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall account performance.
• Assist leadership and account management teams with reporting, administrative support, and special projects as needed.
• Demonstrate professionalism, urgency, and accountability while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced transportation environment.
• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or GED equivalent required; Undergraduate degree in a related field preferred.
• Experience: Prior experience in logistics, transportation, freight brokerage, customer service, sales support, operations, or a related business environment preferred.
• Outstanding customer service skills with the ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively across all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities with the confidence to resolve operational issues independently.
• Self-motivated with a strong work ethic, growth mindset, and desire to build a career within the transportation and logistics industry.
• Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
• Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)
• Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings events.