Assistant Manager - Sea Freight Import Operations | PKR Salary | Onsite | Karachi

Assistant Manager – Operations

About the Client

Our client is a growing international freight forwarding and logistics company specializing in sea freight, cross-border transportation, customs coordination, and multimodal cargo movement across Pakistan and Central Asia.

About the Role

The Assistant Manager - Sea Freight Import Operations will own confirmed shipments from pre-alert and document review through arrival, clearance coordination, delivery, container return, billing support, and file closure. Serving as the central link between customers, overseas agents, shipping lines, port and terminal stakeholders, clearance partners, and transporters, the role requires strong Karachi sea-import execution, documentation control, cost management, and customer communication.

Key Responsibilities

1. End-to-End Import Shipment Execution

· Receive complete booking handovers and validate the agreed scope, routing, rates, incoterms, cargo details, free time, and customer instructions before execution.

· Manage FCL and LCL sea import shipments from origin pre-alert through vessel arrival, delivery, empty-container return, and operational closure.

· Coordinate origin follow-up with overseas agents and monitor booking confirmation, vessel schedule, transshipment, estimated arrival, and document readiness.

· Track shipment milestones daily and maintain complete, accurate status records in the relevant operational system or tracker.

· Plan delivery requirements in advance, including customs readiness, transport availability, port or terminal release, and customer receiving arrangements.

· Ensure shipments are closed only after all operational actions, documents, costs, and customer updates have been completed.

2. Import Documentation and Clearance Coordination

· Review Bills of Lading, commercial documents, pre-alerts, arrival notices, manifests, delivery orders, and other import documentation for accuracy and completeness.

· Coordinate amendments or corrections with overseas agents, shipping lines, NVOCCs, customers, and relevant service providers before they create clearance or delivery delays.

· Maintain working knowledge of FCL and LCL documentation flows, free days, demurrage, detention, port storage, line charges, and container-release requirements.

· Coordinate with customs-clearance partners and customers to ensure documents, approvals, duties or taxes, and supporting information are available on time.

· Maintain complete electronic and physical shipment files in accordance with company controls and audit requirements.

3. Shipping Line, Agent, Port, and Vendor Coordination

· Coordinate directly with shipping lines, local agents, NVOCCs, overseas freight forwarders, terminals, port-handling vendors, transporters, and customs agents.

· Obtain arrival updates, delivery-order requirements, release status, free-time confirmation, line charges, and operational instructions from the relevant service providers.

· Arrange inland transportation and monitor truck placement, cargo pickup, delivery, proof of delivery, and empty-container return where applicable.

· Maintain professional vendor relationships while ensuring responsiveness, service quality, and compliance with agreed operational terms.

· Escalate service failures, capacity constraints, documentation issues, or unreasonable charges promptly and drive practical resolution.

4. Customer Communication and Exception Management

· Provide accurate, timely, and proactive shipment updates to customers at each critical milestone.

· Explain documentation, clearance, delivery, free-time, and cost implications clearly and professionally.

· Anticipate risks such as rollovers, delays, holds, missing documents, customs issues, demurrage exposure, or transport constraints and communicate mitigation actions early.

· Own customer and internal escalations until closure, coordinating all relevant parties rather than passing issues between stakeholders.

· Support customer retention through reliable execution, responsiveness, and solution-oriented service.

5. Cost Control, Vendor Verification, and Billing Support

· Review vendor invoices against approved quotations, agreed rates, supporting documents, and services actually performed.

· Verify line, terminal, transport, customs-handling, documentation, storage, demurrage, detention, and other shipment-level charges before approval.

· Identify discrepancies, unapproved extras, duplicate charges, or missing support and resolve them with vendors before submission to Finance.

· Provide complete and accurate billing instructions and supporting documents for customer invoicing at the relevant milestone.

· Ensure all approved additional costs are communicated and documented before customer billing and shipment closure.

· Support shipment-level reconciliation and respond promptly to Finance or customer billing clarifications.

6. Operational Control and Team Coordination

· Maintain disciplined daily follow-up across active files, prioritizing time-sensitive documents, arrivals, free-time exposure, and deliveries.

· Coordinate closely with Pricing, Sales, Finance, and regional operations teams to ensure seamless handovers and consistent customer commitments.

· Report shipment risks, service gaps, recurring vendor issues, and operational performance trends to management.

· Support process improvement, standard operating procedures, service-quality controls, and training of junior team members when required.

Required Qualifications and Experience

· Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Commerce, or a related discipline.

· Three to five years of relevant freight-forwarding experience, with substantial hands-on responsibility for sea freight imports in Karachi.

· Current or recent employment with a freight-forwarding company is mandatory.

· Strong practical knowledge of FCL and LCL shipments, Bills of Lading, pre-alerts, import documentation, delivery orders, free time, demurrage and detention, port or terminal handling, and container return processes.

· Demonstrated ability to manage multiple active import shipments independently from pre-alert to delivery and file closure.

· Experience coordinating directly with shipping lines, NVOCCs, overseas agents, customs agents, transporters, customers, and port stakeholders.

· Practical understanding of shipment costing, vendor billing verification, customer billing instructions, and operational reconciliation.

· Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Urdu.

· Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and Outlook; familiarity with freight-management or ERP systems is preferred.

Location: Karachi

Job Type: Full-Time | Onsite
Experience: 3–5 Years
Working Days: Monday – Saturday
Timings: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

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