Import Coordinator
Thousands of manufacturing businesses in the UK rely on a smooth and uninterrupted flow of imports to ensure productivity is maximised. The same applies to retailers and wholesale companies too. Warehousing can take up some of the slack, but in many cases, wherever imports are optimised and storage is minimised, efficiency is at its peak. Ensuring all this happens is the import coordinator (no pressure then).
The import coordinator will be in constant contact with suppliers all around the world, making sure stocks and production levels are adequate for the projected needs of their employer. And that’s just the start of the journey – import coordinator jobs tend to require oversight of the freight import process, and that means being on the ball with transportation, usually via third party carriers.
Many import coordinator jobs will also require a degree of understanding of the paperwork and customs requirements to bring goods into the country from the various jurisdictions they deal with, although the job is often purely logistical, with the legals being covered by other specialists.
The skills required
Import coordinator job descriptions often ask for accomplished jugglers – people who can have dozens of ongoing tasks at any moment and retain a firm grasp on all of them. While you’ll usually be helped in this with software and a team of import assistants, you’ll be expected to know exactly what is coming in and how they tally with your employer’s demands.
Language skills will often be required, particularly if the employer deals with a single country. But even if your native tongue is enough to excel, you’ll still need advanced communication skills to make sure your instructions are understood – your business relies on it.
Some employers are looking for specialists in road, rail, air or sea imports, as the logistics, speed, volumes and regulations are often specific to that mode of freight transportation. Always check the description carefully.
Import Coordinator Jobs in Margate
If Norfolk and Suffolk were to disappear underwater, and let’s hope they don’t, the Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate cluster would represent the UK’s easternmost point. Situated on the tip of Kent, it has long been the holiday resort of choice for many a Londoner who wants to trade the city streets for sandy beaches and fun. It was also one of the favourite Mods v Rockers battlegrounds in the 1960s, although Brighton is better known for this accolade.
Like many seaside towns of the UK, Margate went through great development in the Victorian era, boomed in the mid to late twentieth century, then declined as more and more families holidayed overseas as flights became more affordable. Margate has a population of about 60,000, which does swell a little in the summer months, but it is more a day-tripper’s destination than a holiday resort nowadays. The population has had to diversify somewhat for the town to survive, and there is now a wider range of non-tourist employment and a small amount of manufacturing taking place in the town.
Manston Airport, or Kent International Airport, is located a few miles to the south west of Margate, and handles flights to mainland Europe and the Channel Islands. The town is reasonably well connected by road and rail to London and the South Coast, too. Margate will have the kinds of logistics needs that accompany any concentration of population, which can sometimes throw Import Coordinator jobs into the mix, but nearby Canterbury, Ashford or Folkestone might be better bets.
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Jobs and candidates incoming at Cast UK
If you’re looking for the perfect import coordinator, we at Cast UK specialise in transport and logistics, and have fantastic talent pools with diverse skill sets in our networks & database with diverse skill sets. Why not give us a call on 0333 121 3345?
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