Ocean Freight Operations Coordinator – Import & Export ( NVOCC)

Beeontrade; New York (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Beeontrade seeks a hands-on Ocean Freight Operations Coordinator to manage U.S. Ocean Import and Export shipments and support growing freight-forwarding operations in Manhattan, NY.

You will own shipments from booking to closeout, coordinate with overseas agents and service providers, and maintain proactive customer communication. This role emphasizes problem-solving, accountability, and operational ownership to protect service quality and profitability across FCL/LCL, ISF/AES, and related

Qualifications

• 2+ years of hands-on Ocean Freight Import and/or Export operations experience in a U.S.-based freight forwarder or NVOCC.
• Experience coordinating FCL and LCL shipments, bookings, documentation, and final delivery.
• Strong English written and spoken communication; customer-facing role.

Responsibilities

• Execute assigned U.S. Ocean Import and Export shipments end-to-end.
• Coordinate FCL/LCL movements, carrier coordination, documentation, and delivery execution.
• Maintain accurate customer communication and shipment milestones.
• Monitor schedules, cut-offs, and milestones; manage ISF/AES/EEI tasks as needed.
• Ensure CargoWise documentation and records are complete and accurate.

Skills

Ocean freight operations

Customer communication

Problem solving

Documentation

Coordination & planning

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

CargoWise

Job description

Ocean Freight Operations Coordinator – Import & Export

Location: Manhattan, New York

Workplace: On-site

Employment: Full-time

The Opportunity

Beeontrade is seeking a hands-on Ocean Freight Operations Coordinator to manage U.S. Ocean Import and Export shipments and support our growing U.S. freight forwarding operations.

This is not simply a documentation or administrative role. We are looking for an operator who takes responsibility for assigned shipments, communicates proactively, solves problems, and follows through until each job is completed.

You will coordinate FCL and LCL shipments, manage import and export documentation, work directly with customers and service providers, monitor critical deadlines, and ensure smooth execution from booking or pre-alert through final delivery, billing, and file closeout.

Our core U.S. business is concentrated around Ocean Imports and Exports, strategic BCO accounts, international forwarding, NVOCC services, inland transportation, warehousing, project cargo, and selected Air Freight solutions.

You will work closely with our Ocean Operations Lead and international teams while taking ownership of daily shipment execution and customer communication.

The goal is simple:

Every shipment should have a reliable operational owner who understands how the freight moves, anticipates problems, and protects both customer service and shipment profitability.

You Will

• Take direct operational responsibility for assigned U.S. Ocean Import and Export shipments.
• Manage FCL and LCL shipments from booking or pre-alert through final delivery, billing, and file closeout.
• Coordinate daily activities with overseas agents, customers, ocean carriers, customs brokers, terminals, CFS facilities, truckers, and warehouses.
• Manage Ocean Import operations, including vessel arrivals, customs releases, container availability, drayage, deliveries, and empty returns.
• Coordinate Ocean Export bookings, equipment availability, container pickups, loading schedules, and port or CFS deliveries.
• Monitor vessel schedules, documentation cut-offs, VGM deadlines, cargo receiving cut-offs, and sailing confirmations.
• Prepare, review, and coordinate HBL/MBL, shipping instructions, draft Bills of Lading, arrival notices, delivery orders, and other shipping documents.
• Support NVOCC documentation processes, including House Bill of Lading issuance, Master Bill coordination, and FCL/LCL consolidation requirements.
• Coordinate ISF, customs clearance, AES/EEI filing requirements, examinations, and cargo releases with appropriate parties.
• Monitor free time, Last Free Days (LFD), delivery appointments, container availability, and empty return deadlines.
• Coordinate inland transportation, including drayage, chassis, pre-pulls, transloading, warehousing, and final deliveries.
• Identify and address operational exceptions involving customs holds, demurrage, detention, rolled bookings, missing documents, missed cut-offs, or delivery delays.
• Provide customers with accurate, timely, and proactive shipment updates.
• Build strong working relationships with customers, carriers, overseas agents, truckers, warehouses, and other service providers.
• Follow customer-specific SOPs and service requirements.
• Maintain accurate shipment milestones, documents, and operational records in CargoWise.
• Ensure all shipment files are complete, organized, and properly documented.
• Understand quoted buy rates, sell rates, and expected shipment profitability.
• Monitor vendor costs and unexpected accessorial charges throughout shipment execution.
• Help prevent unnecessary demurrage, detention, storage, chassis, and transportation-related losses.
• Obtain required approvals for additional charges.
• Ensure vendor costs and accruals are recorded accurately before billing.
• Work closely with billing and accounting teams to ensure timely invoicing and file closeout.
• Coordinate with overseas documentation and shared-services teams to maintain shipment quality and accuracy.
• Escalate critical issues to the Ocean Operations Lead with clear information and recommended solutions.
• Support selected Air Freight, project cargo, OOG, and complex inland transportation requirements when needed.
• Contribute to operational improvements and maintain consistent service standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute assigned Ocean Import and Export shipments end-to-end.
• Coordinate FCL and LCL movements within a Freight Forwarder and NVOCC environment.
• Manage ocean bookings, carrier coordination, shipment documentation, and delivery execution.
• Maintain accurate and timely customer communication.
• Monitor vessel schedules, cut-offs, free time, and operational milestones.
• Coordinate customs, terminals, drayage, warehousing, and inland transportation.
• Identify shipment exceptions early and follow through until resolution.
• Prevent avoidable demurrage, detention, storage, and accessorial costs.
• Maintain accurate CargoWise records, shipment documentation, and milestones.
• Verify vendor costs, accruals, and billing requirements.
• Ensure timely billing and completed-file closeout.
• Follow established customer SOPs and operational procedures.
• Work closely with the Ocean Operations Lead to improve service quality and efficiency.

What Success Looks Like

You will be accountable for measurable improvement in:

• Customer response time
• Customer satisfaction and service reliability
• On-time shipment milestones
• Booking and documentation accuracy
• Compliance with vessel and documentation cut-offs
• Demurrage and detention exposure
• Operational exception rates
• CargoWise and shipment file accuracy
• Vendor cost and accrual accuracy
• Completed-file closeout
• Customer SOP compliance

For our customers, success means:

They trust that their shipments are being handled professionally, receive proactive updates, and do not need to chase us for information or follow-up.

What You'll Need

• 2+ years of hands-on Ocean Freight Import and/or Export operations experience within a U.S.-based Freight Forwarder or NVOCC environment.
• Experience coordinating FCL and LCL shipments, including carrier bookings, documentation, inland transportation, and final delivery.
• NVOCC operational experience strongly preferred, including HBL issuance, MBL coordination, FCL/LCL consolidations, and overseas agent coordination.
• Working knowledge of U.S. Ocean Import procedures, including vessel arrivals, ISF coordination, customs clearance, terminal releases, and final delivery.
• Familiarity with Ocean Export procedures, including bookings, shipping instructions, VGM, AES/EEI coordination, documentation cut-offs, and Bills of Lading.
• Strong understanding of import and export documentation, including HBL/MBL, arrival notices, delivery orders, commercial invoices, packing lists, and shipping instructions.
• Knowledge of U.S. port and terminal operations, free time, demurrage, detention, chassis, storage, and empty return procedures.
• Experience coordinating drayage, container pickups, delivery appointments, and warehouse operations.
• Ability to communicate directly with customers, ocean carriers, overseas agents, customs brokers, truckers, and terminals.
• Ability to independently manage multiple shipments, monitor deadlines, and resolve daily operational issues.
• Experience with CargoWise strongly preferred; experience with other freight forwarding TMS platforms is also valuable.
• Basic understanding of buy and sell rates, vendor costs, accessorial charges, accruals, billing, and shipment profitability.
• Strong customer communication, organizational skills, attention to detail, and proactive problem-solving abilities.
• Strong written and spoken English.
• Experience with BCO accounts, project cargo, OOG, warehousing, or complex inland transportation is an advantage.
• Air Freight operations experience is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Ability to work full-time on-site in Manhattan, New York.

Formal management experience is not required.

We care more about practical freight forwarding knowledge, operational responsibility, customer service, and the ability to manage shipments accurately and efficiently.

You Operate Like an Owner If

• You monitor shipment progress without waiting for reminders.
• You notice problems before the customer does.
• You understand the financial impact of missed cut-offs, delays, and unnecessary charges.
• You don't consider sending an email the same thing as solving a problem.
• You follow issues through until they are actually resolved.
• You communicate proactively and keep customers informed.
• You maintain accurate CargoWise records and shipment documentation.
• You communicate problems together with options and recommended solutions.
• You ask for support when needed but take responsibility for your assigned work.
• You learn from operational mistakes and help prevent them from happening again.
• You take pride in owning the outcome, not simply completing assigned tasks.

About Beeontrade

Beeontrade is a U.S.-based international freight forwarder and NVOCC founded in 2021, with operations and support capabilities across the United States, Turkey, India, and the UAE.

Our services include Ocean and Air Freight, inland transportation, project logistics, warehousing, and value-added logistics, with particular strength in U.S. Ocean Imports, strategic BCO accounts, international forwarding, and complex transportation solutions.

During our first five years, Beeontrade built the licenses, systems, international network, carrier relationships, customer portfolio, and operating experience required to compete across global logistics.

We are now entering our next stage.

Beeontrade is rebuilding around a smaller group of highly accountable operators, stronger technology, disciplined execution, and clear ownership of customers, shipments, and financial outcomes.