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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cargo Analyst

💰 $ - $

LogisticsSupply ChainTransportationAnalytics

🎯 Role Definition

The Cargo Analyst is a logistics and freight-focused analytics role responsible for monitoring and optimizing inbound and outbound cargo movement, analyzing freight spend and carrier performance, supporting tendering and rate negotiations, and ensuring operational and regulatory compliance across transportation channels. This position combines hands-on shipment coordination using TMS platforms with data-driven reporting, stakeholder management, and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce cost-to-serve and improve on-time delivery metrics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Logistics Coordinator / Operations Coordinator
  • Freight Operations Specialist / Freight Processor
  • Customer Service Representative (Transportation)
  • Junior Supply Chain Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior Cargo Analyst / Lead Freight Analyst
  • Transportation Manager / Logistics Manager
  • Network Planning Manager
  • Rate & Contract Manager
  • Supply Chain Analyst / Commercial Analyst

Lateral Moves:

  • Freight Pricing Analyst
  • Customs Compliance Specialist
  • Business Intelligence / Data Analyst (Logistics)
  • Transportation Planner

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage daily freight operations for air, ocean, and ground shipments: coordinate bookings, track shipment status in the TMS, update stakeholders, and escalate exceptions to minimize delays and demurrage.
  • Perform end-to-end freight cost analysis by consolidating carrier invoices, accessorial charges, duties, and surcharges to validate billing accuracy and identify recurring overcharges.
  • Conduct freight audit and payment activities, including invoice reconciliation, resolving billing discrepancies with carriers and forwarders, and preparing variance reports for finance.
  • Analyze carrier performance metrics (on-time delivery, transit time variability, claims frequency) and develop monthly dashboards and scorecards for carrier management and procurement discussions.
  • Support tender and contract processes by compiling historical shipment data, evaluating bid responses, creating cost models, and recommending carrier selections based on service and cost trade-offs.
  • Negotiate rates, service level agreements, and accessorial fee structures with carriers and 3PL partners to secure competitive pricing and capacity for key lanes.
  • Create and maintain operational KPIs (OTD, dwell time, cycle time, cost per shipment) and deliver weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports to operations, procurement, and executive stakeholders.
  • Maintain and configure Transportation Management System (TMS) settings, routing guides, tariff tables, and master data to ensure accurate routing, pricing, and compliance.
  • Conduct root cause analysis on shipment delays, chargebacks, and customer complaints; propose corrective actions and work with operations to implement preventive measures.
  • Support customs and trade compliance by validating Incoterms, review of shipping documentation, classification for duties, and coordination with customs brokers to prevent holds and fines.
  • Lead claims management for lost, damaged, or short-shipped cargo: assemble documentation, liaise with carriers, prepare claim submissions, and track settlements.
  • Build predictive freight spend models and capacity forecasts using historical data, market intelligence, seasonality, and contractual commitments to guide budgeting and procurement.
  • Implement continuous improvement projects in collaboration with operations and IT, including process standardization, automation of manual tasks, and improvement of the booking-to-billing lifecycle.
  • Develop and maintain detailed SOPs for cargo handling, booking windows, exception management, and rate validation to ensure operational consistency across regions.
  • Perform scenario analysis (e.g., route consolidation, modal shift, backhaul optimization) to identify cost savings and carbon-reduction opportunities and present business cases to stakeholders.
  • Support cross-functional projects such as network optimization, new lane implementation, and system migrations by providing shipment-level analytics and operational impact assessments.
  • Validate and ingest external data feeds (carrier EDI, port notices, customs messages) into analytics platforms to ensure accurate, near-real-time shipment visibility.
  • Provide subject matter expertise on freight terms, tariff rules, and logistical constraints for contract negotiations and customer commercial proposals.
  • Collaborate with sales and account teams to model pricing proposals, special routing options, and premium service offerings while ensuring margin protection and compliance with contractual terms.
  • Monitor global capacity constraints, fuel surcharges, and market rate indexes to proactively advise procurement on risk mitigation and contingency planning.
  • Coordinate with warehouse and distribution center teams to align inbound/outbound cutoffs, load plans, and appointment schedules, reducing dwell time and improving throughput.
  • Prepare executive summaries and actionable recommendations from complex datasets to support decision-making by senior management and cross-functional teams.
  • Train and mentor junior analysts and operations staff on freight audit best practices, TMS usage, and performance reporting.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Maintain accurate documentation of pricing logic, routing rules, and data lineage for audits and knowledge transfer.
  • Assist procurement and legal teams during carrier contract renewals with analytics-backed negotiation points.
  • Support ad-hoc operational troubleshooting during peak seasons and major disruptions (weather, port strikes, regulatory changes).

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, macros) for freight modeling and rate roll-ups.
  • Experience with Transportation Management Systems (TMS) such as CargoWise, SAP TM, Manhattan, BluJay, Oracle Transportation Management.
  • SQL for extracting, transforming, and querying shipment and invoice datasets from relational databases.
  • Business intelligence and visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) to create dashboards and executive reports.
  • Freight audit and payment processes, including invoice reconciliation and dispute resolution with carriers.
  • Familiarity with EDI, API integrations, and carrier message standards for shipment visibility and billing feeds.
  • Understanding of international trade compliance, Incoterms, HTS classifications, duties, and customs procedures.
  • Contract analysis and carrier rate management, including tenders, spot rates, and accessorial fee negotiation.
  • Basic scripting or analytics skills (Python, R) for automation, statistical analysis, and predictive modeling.
  • Knowledge of logistics KPIs (OTD, dwell time, cost per TEU/CBM, weight break calculations) and cost-to-serve analysis.
  • Experience working with freight forwarders, 3PLs, carriers, and customs brokers across air, ocean, and ground modalities.
  • Familiarity with claims handling workflows and insurance recovery processes.
  • Exposure to network optimization tools or freight benchmarking platforms is a plus.
  • Strong data governance awareness: data quality checks, master data management, and documentation.

Soft Skills

  • Clear, persuasive communication for cross-functional stakeholders, carrier partners, and senior leadership.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset with attention to detail and numeric accuracy.
  • Negotiation skills and commercial acumen to balance service quality and cost objectives.
  • Project management and prioritization under tight deadlines and high-volume operational cycles.
  • Stakeholder management and collaboration across procurement, operations, finance, and sales.
  • Adaptability to respond to market volatility, capacity disruptions, and changing business priorities.
  • Customer-focused attitude with the ability to manage escalations professionally and calmly.
  • Continuous improvement orientation and curiosity to challenge the status quo.
  • Time management and organization when handling multiple lanes, projects, and reporting cadences.
  • Coaching and mentoring skills to upskill junior team members and propagate best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree plus professional certification (CILT, CSCMP, APICS/CPIM, Certified Supply Chain Analyst) or a Master's degree (MBA or MS in Supply Chain).
  • Coursework or certificate in data analytics, SQL, or business intelligence is advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Logistics & Transportation
  • Business Administration / Finance
  • Industrial & Systems Engineering
  • Economics
  • Data Science / Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2 – 5 years of relevant experience in freight operations, cargo analytics, or logistics coordination.

Preferred: 3 – 7 years with demonstrated experience in TMS administration, freight audit and payment, carrier contract negotiation, international freight operations, and building analytics/reporting for supply chain stakeholders.

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