Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cargo Operations Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Cargo Operations Coordinator coordinates daily ground and air cargo activity to ensure safe, compliant and timely movement of freight. This role is the operational hub between airlines, ground handling agents, freight forwarders, customs brokers and internal teams, responsible for shipment acceptance, documentation accuracy, load planning support, ULD and warehouse control, customer service, and regulatory compliance (IATA, DGR, customs). The Coordinator optimizes throughput, minimizes delays and discrepancies, and enforces SOPs while reporting on performance metrics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Cargo Handler / Ramp Agent
Freight Forwarding Customer Service Representative
Warehouse / Inventory Associate

Advancement To:

Senior Cargo Operations Coordinator
Cargo Operations Supervisor
Station or Terminal Manager
Cargo Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Customs Brokerage Specialist
Freight Forwarding Coordinator
Ramp Operations Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate daily cargo acceptance and processing activities across acceptance counters, warehouses, and ramps to meet airline cutoffs and departure schedules, ensuring on-time performance and minimizing misconnects.
Verify and prepare all incoming and outgoing cargo documentation, including airway bills, manifests, commercial invoices, packing lists, and customs declarations, ensuring documents are accurate and complete for customs and carrier requirements.
Ensure dangerous goods (DGR) and special cargo (perishables, live animals, valuable cargo, temperature-controlled) are accepted, documented, packaged, and handled in accordance with IATA/ICAO regulations and internal SOPs.
Manage Unit Load Device (ULD) inventories and control — track ULD locations, inspect for damage, plan ULD build-ups and breakdowns, and coordinate repositioning to avoid shortages or delays.
Collaborate with load planners and flight operations to provide weight & balance inputs, special loading instructions, and shipment constraints to support safe aircraft loading and capacity utilization.
Operate and maintain cargo management and reservation systems (e.g., CHAMP, SmartKargo, CargoWise, AMOS) to update shipment statuses, generate reports, and process booking changes or re-routes.
Coordinate with ground handling agents (GHAs), third-party warehouse providers, and trucking partners to manage pickup/delivery windows, drayage, and transfer operations, minimizing dwell time.
Perform acceptance checks and quality inspections to detect damages, labeling errors, palletization issues, and non-conformances; prepare discrepancy reports and initiate claims when necessary.
Serve as the primary point of contact for freight forwarders, shippers, and airline operations for day-to-day shipment queries, status updates, and service recovery following disruptions.
Monitor and manage compliance with customs and import/export requirements — liaise with customs brokers, validate HS codes, and ensure timely submission of electronic documentation and clearances.
Implement and enforce standard operating procedures and health & safety rules in cargo handling, forklift and equipment use, and hazardous materials segregation.
Supervise and coordinate shift teams during peak operations, including task allocation, performance coaching, and escalation handling to sustain productivity and safety targets.
Respond to operational irregularities (delays, diversions, ULD shortages, equipment failures) with contingency plans, rerouting, and communication to stakeholders to minimize service impact.
Reconcile cargo manifest and inventory counts against system records at cutoffs and post-flight to ensure shipment accountability and initiate investigations for shortages or misrouted cargo.
Prepare and distribute operational flight and cargo manifests, crew documents, and reports to airline operations, ground teams, and commercial stakeholders.
Maintain and report on KPIs: on-time shipments, acceptance accuracy, dwell time, misconnect rate, ULD utilization, claims frequency, and customer satisfaction metrics.
Coordinate temperature-controlled cold chain processes: unit pre-conditioning, temperature monitoring, thermally appropriate storage, and cold chain documentation to protect perishable shipments.
Manage cargo acceptance and release procedures for high-value or security-sensitive shipments, including chain-of-custody, secure storage, and authorized release controls.
Lead incident investigations for cargo damage, loss, or regulatory non-compliance; document root cause analysis, corrective actions, and process improvements.
Facilitate EDI/telex/secure messaging interactions with carriers, forwarders, and customs systems to automate status updates, manifest transmissions, and clearance notifications.
Control inventory and space within cargo warehouses and occupied hardstand areas, optimizing slotting, pallet stacks, and staging to improve throughput and reduce handling.
Support revenue protection initiatives: verify chargeable weights, dimensional weight validation, and reclaim of mis-routed or incorrectly rated shipments.
Coordinate outbound consolidation and breakbulk operations to maximize aircraft payload efficiency and meet airline cutoffs across multiple flights.
Maintain relationships with internal commercial teams to ensure accurate bookings, special handling requirements, and to escalate commercial and service recovery issues.
Train new team members in cargo systems, standard processes, safety protocols, and customer service expectations to maintain consistent operational standards.

Secondary Functions

Perform ad-hoc operational analysis and prepare weekly/monthly reports to identify trends, bottlenecks, and cost-saving opportunities.
Assist the operations manager with process improvement projects (5S, Kaizen, SOP refresh) to increase throughput and reduce claims.
Participate in safety audits, regulatory inspections and support certification renewals (IATA, local aviation authority).
Coordinate with IT to test and validate system updates, EDI integrations and mobile scanning solutions used in cargo operations.
Provide backup coverage for related functions such as dispatching, billing coordination, and basic accounting reconciliation during peak periods.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Air cargo systems: demonstrable experience using CHAMP, SmartKargo, CargoWise, AMOS or equivalent cargo management platforms.
Documentation proficiency: airway bills (HAWB/MAWB), manifests, commercial invoices, customs declarations, and export/import paperwork.
Dangerous Goods (DGR): certified or trained in IATA DGR acceptance and handling procedures.
ULD management: experience tracking, inspecting and coordinating ULD build-up/breakdown and reconciliation processes.
Load and weight & balance awareness: ability to interpret basic load plans, weight distribution constraints and special load instructions.
Warehouse and inventory control: WMS, physical counts, slotting, and FIFO / temperature-controlled storage practices.
EDI and electronic messaging: experience with EDI messaging for AWB, manifest, clearance statuses and basic troubleshooting.
Regulatory compliance: working knowledge of IATA regulations, national aviation authority rules, and customs clearance requirements.
IT literacy: intermediate to advanced Excel (pivot tables, vlookups), mobile scanning devices, barcode/RFID workflows.
Claims and damage reporting: ability to document, process and escalate claims for loss, damage or shortage.
Cold chain handling: understanding of temperature monitoring, packaging and traceability for perishables and pharmaceuticals.
Basic forklift and ground equipment familiarity and certification (where applicable).

Soft Skills

Strong communication: clear, professional liaison with airlines, forwarders, customs and internal stakeholders.
Customer-oriented: fast, service-minded approach to resolving shipment exceptions and escalations.
Problem solving & prioritization: decisive during irregular operations and the ability to triage multiple concurrent issues.
Attention to detail: meticulous checking of documentation, labels, and manifests to avoid compliance penalties.
Time management: efficient planning to meet flight cutoffs and tight operational windows.
Team leadership: motivate and coordinate shift staff, and training new hires on procedures and safety.
Adaptability: ability to operate in fast-paced, changing environments (schedule disruptions, weather events).
Analytical mindset: use KPI data to identify operational inefficiencies and propose corrective actions.
Stress resilience: maintain composure and effective decision-making during high-pressure situations.
Collaborative spirit: works cross-functionally with commercial, safety, IT and finance teams to deliver outcomes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent. Vocational training in logistics, aviation or warehouse operations is often required.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Aviation Management, Business Administration, or equivalent.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Aviation Management
Supply Chain / Logistics
Business Administration
Transport & Shipping
International Trade / Customs

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in air cargo operations, freight forwarding, or ground handling.

Preferred:

3+ years of progressive cargo operations experience with an airline, GHA or freight forwarder.
Experience with cargo management systems (CHAMP/SmartKargo/CargoWise).
IATA DGR certification and experience handling special cargo types (perishables, live animals, pharmaceuticals).
Prior supervisory or shift-lead responsibility and demonstrable KPI ownership (on-time performance, dwell time, claims reduction).
Forklift certification and warehouse management experience where applicable.