Location
Location: Harford County, MD | Fully onsite Employment Type: Direct Hire Base Salary: $80,000-$100,000, with flexibility based on experience Schedule: Monday-Friday, approximately 40-45+ hours per week, with rotating Sunday coverage for a few hours.
Position Overview
Ultimate Staffing is partnering with an established international distribution company to hire an International Accounts Manager with a focus on managing existing accounts, excuting orders, and resolving challenges throughout the delivery process. This hands-on leadership role manages existing international client relationships and oversees export orders from placement through delivery. The manager leads a small documentation and support team, coordinates export shipments, and works across departments to keep orders moving accurately and efficiently. Success in this position requires strong customer communication, practical international logistics knowledge, and the ability to take ownership of competing priorities. International shipping or export experience is required.
Key Responsibilities
Account Management and Order Management
- Serve as the primary client contact after orders are placed, maintaining clear and proactive communication through delivery.
- Oversee a high volume of concurrent international orders, tracking milestones, deadlines, outstanding requirements, and next steps.
- Communicate order progress, loading dates, shipping schedules, estimated arrival times, and changes affecting delivery.
- Set realistic expectations, address concerns, and coordinate solutions when issues arise.
- Review order confirmations and supporting information for accuracy and completeness.
- Work closely with sales, operations, warehouse, production, labeling, and quality assurance teams to move orders forward.
- Supervise a small documentation and support team, assigning responsibilities and establishing daily priorities.
- Monitor work quality, deadlines, and follow-through.
- Provide training, coaching, and feedback to strengthen performance and consistency.
- Serve as an escalation point for complex orders, urgent requests, and competing deadlines.
- Establish clear workflows and accountability while maintaining a collaborative team environment.
International Shipment Coordination
- Coordinate ocean and air freight bookings with carriers and freight partners.
- Review routing, schedules, capacity, and costs to support order requirements.
- Manage carrier contract details, shipment allocations, and free-time negotiations.
- Maintain accurate freight rate information for internal teams.
- Coordinate requirements for temperature-controlled and dry shipments.
- Resolve booking changes, transit disruptions, and other shipment challenges while keeping clients informed.
Export Documentation and Issue Resolution
- Oversee the accurate and timely completion of invoices, packing lists, product-specific certificates, and other required export documents.
- Ensure documentation reaches clients and banks within required timelines.
- Partner with quality assurance and compliance staff to address export and destination requirements.
- Investigate order discrepancies, damaged shipments, delivery delays, and other service concerns.
- Oversee freight claims, maintain tracking records, and communicate progress through resolution.
Process Improvement
- Identify bottlenecks and improve internal handoffs, order visibility, and follow-through.
- Monitor order milestones, documentation accuracy, claims, and recurring service issues.
- Recommend practical improvements to reduce avoidable delays and improve order turnaround times.
- Collaborate with leadership and department managers to strengthen the overall client experience and order process.
Required Qualifications
- Experience in international logistics, export operations, freight forwarding, or international order management, with direct responsibility for client communication.
- Practical knowledge of ocean freight, export documentation, and international shipment coordination.
- Experience managing orders or shipments from initiation through delivery.
- Ability to manage multiple active orders with competing deadlines and changing priorities.
- Demonstrated leadership experience through employee supervision, team leadership, training, or workflow coordination.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to manage expectations and handle difficult client conversations professionally.
- Strong organization, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and follow-through.
- Ability to coordinate across departments and take ownership of issues through resolution.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365, particularly Excel, and experience using ERP, order management, or logistics systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with food distribution, perishable products, or refrigerated and frozen shipments.
- Familiarity with air freight, carrier contracts, freight negotiations, and claims management.
- Experience improving order turnaround times, documentation accuracy, or departmental workflows.
- Bachelor's degree in business, logistics, supply chain, or a related field preferred; relevant professional experience will also be considered.
Work Environment and Schedule
- This position works fully onsite in Harford County, Maryland, in a business casual environment. The role requires close collaboration with a small team and the ability to adjust priorities as client and shipment needs change.
- Rotating Sunday coverage for a few hours is required to support international client communication. Additional hours may occasionally be necessary to address urgent shipment or service issues.
Why Consider This Opportunity?
- Own international client relationships and the full order lifecycle.
- Lead a small team and contribute meaningful improvements to how work gets done.
- Collaborate directly with leadership and departments across the business.
- Build relationships with clients and freight partners across global markets.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.