International forwarding operations coordinator to forwarding manager
An international forwarding operations coordinator already meets 23% of what the forwarding manager role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.5/ 100
1 How much of what a forwarding manager is expected to do is already part of an international forwarding operations coordinator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the forwarding manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forwarding manager role treats 5 of its required skills as things an international forwarding operations coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess carriers
- coordinate export transportation activities
- coordinate import transportation activities
- foster relationships with various types of carrier
- manage carriers
What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forwarding manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an international forwarding operations coordinator background worth leading with.
- already held assess carriers management skills
- already held foster relationships with various types of carrier communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage carriers management skills
- already held liaise with transportation services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations assisting and caring
- already held coordinate export transportation activities management skills
All 12 carried skills, including the 5 the forwarding manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop efficiency plans for logistics operations required
- still to learn manage freight payment methods required
- still to learn oversee cargo storage requirements required
- still to learn plan transport operations required
- still to learn manage medium term objectives required
- still to learn oversee shipment routing required
- still to learn plan medium to long term objectives required
- optional, not held administer multi-modal logistics optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- still to learn analyse shipping rates required
- still to learn analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn develop transportation cost metrics required
- still to learn prepare bills of lading required
- still to learn prepare documentation for international shipping required
- optional, not held handle shipment paperwork optional
- optional, not held keep up-to-date to current customs regulations optional
- still to learn book cargo required
- still to learn communicate with shipment forwarders required
- still to learn make bids in forward auctions required
- still to learn implement short term objectives required
- optional, not held implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships optional
- optional, not held negotiate logistics services optional
- optional, not held provide advice to clients in terms of export restrictions optional
- optional, not held provide advice to clients in terms of import restrictions optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languages optional
- optional, not held create import-export commercial documentation optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held negotiate price optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- still to learn inspect carrier documents required
- still to learn non vessel operating common carrier regulations required
- optional, not held ensure legal accreditation for forwarding agent operations optional
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held principles of cargo stowage optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forwarding manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inspect carrier documents practise this
- 02 non vessel operating common carrier regulations practise this
- 03 analyse shipping rates practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held assess carriers skill
- already held coordinate export transportation activities skill
- already held coordinate import transportation activities skill
- already held foster relationships with various types of carrier skill
- already held manage carriers skill
- already held analyse work-related written reports skill
- already held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations skill
- already held control trade commercial documentation skill
- already held liaise with transportation services skill
- already held set import export strategies skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in a logistics team skill
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure legal accreditation for forwarding agent operations optional
- optional, not held handle shipment paperwork optional
- optional, not held implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships optional
- optional, not held keep up-to-date to current customs regulations optional
- optional, not held negotiate logistics services optional
- optional, not held principles of cargo stowage optional
- optional, not held provide advice to clients in terms of export restrictions optional
- optional, not held provide advice to clients in terms of import restrictions optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held administer multi-modal logistics optional
- optional, not held communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languages optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- optional, not held create import-export commercial documentation optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held negotiate price optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
10 held skills the forwarding manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role international business knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage import export licenses skill
- not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
- not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role respond to requests for logistics services from all over the world skill
- not needed by the target role show intercultural awareness skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role write routine reports skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held principles of cargo stowage optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Other moves recorded from international forwarding operations coordinator
- aviation data communications manager 29% covered · substantial
- non-vessel operating common carrier 26% covered · career change
- customs and excise officer 26% covered · substantial
- shipping agent 25% covered · substantial
Full index of moves from international forwarding operations coordinator
Common questions about this move
Can an international forwarding operations coordinator become a forwarding manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An international forwarding operations coordinator already covers 23% of what a forwarding manager is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 5 of which the forwarding manager role treats as required.
What skills does an international forwarding operations coordinator need to become a forwarding manager?
19 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is inspect carrier documents.
How hard is the move from international forwarding operations coordinator to forwarding manager?
Its learning distance is 80.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.