Brokerage Operations Specialist at Forward in Des Plaines, IL, United States

Job description

• Brokerage Operations Specialist
• Compensation: $50,000 - 55,000 Annually
• The Brokerage Operations Specialist serves as a critical link between customers, carrier partners, and internal sales teams, ensuring the seamless execution of freight shipments from pickup through delivery. They coordinate transportation activities, support customer accounts, and drive operational excellence across assigned business. They develop strong relationships with customers and internal partners to deliver exceptional service, resolve issues, and identify opportunities for account growth. Through effective communication, attention to detail, and a sense of urgency, this individual helps ensure customer expectations are consistently met while maximizing operational efficiency.
• This position offers significant opportunities for professional growth within a fast-paced and dynamic logistics environment. As part of the onboarding experience, the selected candidate will receive comprehensive training on transportation brokerage operations, industry best practices, transportation management systems, and customer support processes.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Customer Sales, Carrier Sales, and Account Management teams to support the successful execution of customer freight shipments.
• Coordinate and monitor truckload shipments from tender acceptance through final delivery, ensuring service commitments are achieved.
• Schedule pickup and delivery appointments while communicating shipment statuses and updates to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain ownership of assigned customer accounts and daily load activity to ensure exceptional service levels are consistently delivered.
• Develop strong relationships with customer contacts and shipping facilities to understand operational needs and support account growth opportunities.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for shipment-related inquiries, proactively identifying and resolving service issues.
• Collaborate with carrier sales teams to secure transportation capacity that aligns with customer requirements, service expectations, and business objectives.
• Monitor shipment performance, track key milestones, and escalate exceptions to ensure timely resolution.
• Maintain accurate shipment documentation, customer records, and operational data within transportation management systems and company platforms.
• Support customer onboarding activities, account implementation efforts, and process improvement initiatives.
• Analyze operational challenges and recommend solutions that improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall account performance.
• Assist leadership and account management teams with reporting, administrative support, and special projects as needed.
• Demonstrate professionalism, urgency, and accountability while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced transportation environment.
• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Requirements

• Education: High School Diploma or GED equivalent required; Undergraduate degree in a related field preferred.
• Experience: Prior experience in logistics, transportation, freight brokerage, customer service, sales support, operations, or a related business environment preferred.
• Outstanding customer service skills with the ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively across all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities with the confidence to resolve operational issues independently.
• Self-motivated with a strong work ethic, growth mindset, and desire to build a career within the transportation and logistics industry.
• Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
• Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)
• Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.

Skills

Required

• Outstanding customer service skills

Benefits

• Compensation: Competitive base pay based on experience, industry/geographic benchmarks and internal equity. Some positions may be eligible for incentive pay programs and/or equity-based incentives. Pay ranges published on job boards are not provided nor verified by the Company.
• Health: Medical and Pharmacy insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA); Vision; Dental; Life and Disability; Critical Illness; Accident Indemnity; Hospital Indemnity; On-demand telehealth via Teladoc; Employee Assistance Program (counseling and financial/lifestyle coaching).
• Wealth: 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match; Employee stock purchase program; Flexible Spending Account (FSA); Commuter Benefits; LegalEASE legal coverage.
• Time: 7 paid holidays and generous Paid Time Off (PTO) tiers ranging from 10–25 days annually.
• Culture: A collaborative, transformation-driven, solutions-first environment full of "can do" attitude and "will do" work ethic.