Expeditor jobs
“Supply chain” sounds like a nice, simple line of interconnected actions, but anyone working in the field for more than, say, ten minutes knows it can be a highly complex and time-sensitive tangle. This is particularly true in manufacturing, when several raw materials might combine to make a product or several products, which in turn need to be forwarded to retailers, wholesalers or other manufacturers. Lateness or errors in orders, in such cases, is not an option.
The job of the expeditor will be to oversee entire supply chain lines and ensure that items or processes are exactly where they should be at a given time. She or he will be able to do this through digital monitoring, liaising with the personnel involved in the process and physically checking consignments in warehouses, etc. This could involve a good deal of travel, particularly with international consignments.
As well as reacting to events as they are happening, and alerting the appropriate people of problems, the expeditor will also need to look into what might be wrong with a system that has caused the issue, determine whether it was a one-off or freak occurrence, and initiate remedial actions to make sure they are not repeated.
The skills required
The task is, as the name suggests, all centred around time and organisation. It’s not enough to know where something is in a process without knowing how it interacts with other parts, so a thorough, systematic mindset and an ability to think complex processes through will be essential. This will naturally involve mathematics, so a strong aptitude in this subject will be desirable.
Making sure people understand how to keep processes moving and passing on time information will be as important as taking instructions and listening to subordinates’ explanations. Therefore superb communication skills will be required, mainly in an ability to absorb and issue information to and from different levels of the company’s hierarchy.
Expeditor Jobs in Cannock
Cannock is one the constituent parts of Cannock chase in southern Staffordshire, a district with a population of around 100,000. The town is more strongly connected with the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton to the south and south west respectively, however, although Stafford is just 9 miles (14 km) to the north. Cannock is connected to the rest of the country via the M6 (and the M6 Toll, which passes directly to its south) and the M54 can be joined just to the south west as it heads westwards towards Shrewsbury.
Like much of the Black Country, Cannock went through a period of massive growth during the Industrial Revolution, with the area being best known for its coal mines which helped fuel the industry going on to the south. However the decline followed the same pattern, and unusually, Cannock’s de-industrialisation was accompanied by a falling population rather than an effort to diversify. The town is now an averagely built-up town with several areas of woodland, parks and golf courses dotted around. There is light industry to the south, but generally speaking Cannock is a commuter town.
Though Cannock is not large in itself, it is located close to three large concentrations of population, and this means that anyone looking for Expeditor work might do well to cast their net a little further afield, perhaps to Birmingham, Wolverhampton or Stafford, or perhaps even Stoke or Derby. That said, all towns have logistics and supply chain needs, so there’s no reason why something local might come up.
Popular locations
Cast UK’s supply chain opportunities
Cast UK’s founder members and consultants all come from the logistics, procurement and supply chain sectors, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for in their staff and careers respectively. Cast UK is growing in this part of the UK recruitment industry, mainly because these are the only sectors we deal with, which means that many employers come to us first to create a candidate shortlist because they know we’re tightly focused on delivering the best people to them.
Applicants approach Cast UK for many reasons, whether seeking more job fulfilment or simply relocating for personal reasons, so it’s good to know that we always have the complete range of positions available nationwide. Please see what’s available in your region and if you’ve seen something you’re interested in, do get in touch – whether it’s today or tomorrow, we might have the ideal position for you.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit an Expeditor for your business or find you a job as an Expeditor then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
Contact us