Logistics Specialist – Rail

Sunrise Foods International; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunrise Foods International seeks a Logistics Specialist – Rail to coordinate rail shipments, work with rail carriers and transload facilities, and manage transportation data and freight invoices.

The role emphasizes proactive issue resolution, fast-paced operations, and strong organization skills in bulk commodities logistics such as grain and agriculture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Transportation, or related field.
• Minimum 2+ years in logistics or transportation.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate planning and execution of rail shipments with planning and commercial teams.
• Release railcars to carriers and ensure on-time shipments.
• Resolve shipment, service, and billing issues with rail carriers.
• Maintain rail bookings and shipment data in the ERP system.
• Monitor costs and verify rail freight charges.

Skills

Rail transportation

Carrier management

Multimodal logistics

Billing & invoicing

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain / Logistics

Job description

Sunrise Foods International is seeking a Logistics Specialist – Rail to support the execution of our rail transportation activities. This role is responsible for coordinating rail shipments, working directly with rail carriers and transload facilities, maintaining accurate transportation data, and ensuring freight costs and invoices are properly managed. The ideal candidate is highly organized, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and able to proactively resolve transportation issues. Experience with rail transportation, grain, agriculture, or bulk commodity logistics is strongly preferred.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinate the planning and execution of rail shipments in partnership with internal planning and commercial teams.
• Release railcars to carriers and ensure shipments are executed accurately and on time.
• Serve as a key point of contact with rail carriers and proactively resolve shipment, service, and billing issues.
• Create and maintain rail bookings and shipment information within the ERP system.
• Monitor rail movements and communicate shipment information to internal teams and customers.
• Record expected transportation costs and verify freight charges against contracted rates.
• Review and process rail-related invoices, including identifying and resolving billing discrepancies.
• Monitor and manage demurrage-related activity and associated costs.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure rail accounts remain accurate and current.
• Serve as the primary Sunrise Foods contact for rail transload facilities.
• Support the identification and evaluation of new transload locations.
• Provide responsive, high-quality service to internal and external customers.
• Support training and knowledge sharing within the rail transportation team.
• Provide occasional after-hours or weekend support when required to resolve time-sensitive rail issues.

These responsibilities reflect the operational, customer-service, transload, and training requirements in the existing job description.

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Proven ability to lead, develop, and manage high-performing logistics teams across multiple geographies.
• Strong expertise in rail transportation, including carrier management, network optimization, and rail operations.
• Strong expertise in bulk vessel and ocean freight logistics, including contract negotiation and carrier relationship management.
• Comprehensive knowledge of truck, barge, container, and multimodal transportation operations.
• Demonstrated success negotiating transportation contracts and managing strategic logistics partnerships.
• Strong analytical, financial, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced global environment and manage competing priorities.
• Experience working across international markets and cultures.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Transportation, or a related field.
• 2+ years of logistics or transportation experience.