Senior Customer Relations & Logistics Specialist

Forward Air Corp.; Des Plaines (IL); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive Eligible

Job summary

Forward Air Corp. in Des Plaines, IL, is seeking a Customer Relations Specialist/Operations Agent to provide advanced customer service, coordinate multimodal shipments, and support billing and documentation processes.

This role serves as a senior point of contact for customers, carriers, and internal teams, driving timely resolutions and operational excellence. The position emphasizes on-site work, cross-functional collaboration, and mentorship of coordinators, with a base pay of $65,000–$75,000

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; degree preferred.
• Progressive experience in customer relations or logistics.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and problem-solving.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; collaboration across teams.
• On-site work with travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior point of contact for customers, carriers, drivers, and internal teams, managing complex or escalated service inquiries.
• Oversee and coordinate shipment activity from order entry through delivery, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with established procedures.
• Exercise independent judgment to resolve shipment exceptions, service delays, and documentation issues; determine appropriate corrective actions.
• Lead advanced tracking and tracing activities, proactively identifying potential disruptions and communicating mitigation plans to stakeholders.
• Coordinate and optimize scheduling for pickups, deliveries, appointments, and operational workflows across multiple parties.
• Review, validate, and approve shipping documentation including air waybills (AWBs), bills of lading, labels, and proof of delivery (POD).
• Provide guidance and informal mentorship to Customer Relations Coordinators and support staff on procedures, systems, and customer interactions.
• Oversee billing accuracy and financial documentation; analyze discrepancies and work cross-functionally to resolve AR/AP issues.
• Maintain oversight of organized, compliant electronic and physical files for shipment, financial, and administrative records.
• Collaborate with operations, dispatch, and leadership teams to improve communication, service reliability, and process efficiency.
• Identify recurring service issues or process gaps and recommend improvements aligned with operational goals.
• Support terminal or site activities as needed, including freight acceptance and coordination of specialized shipment requirements.
• Participate in cross-functional meetings, training initiatives, and operational improvement projects.
• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Skills

Customer service

Logistics coordination

Problem solving

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Windows

Teams/Zoom/Webex

Job description

Forward Air Corp. in Des Plaines, IL, is seeking a Customer Relations Specialist/Operations Agent to provide advanced customer service, coordinate multimodal shipments, and support billing and documentation processes.

This role serves as a senior point of contact for customers, carriers, and internal teams, driving timely resolutions and operational excellence. The position emphasizes on-site work, cross-functional collaboration, and mentorship of coordinators, with a base pay of $65,000–$75,000