Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Order Coordinator

💰 $40,000 - $60,000

OperationsLogisticsSupply ChainCustomer Service

🎯 Role Definition

The Order Coordinator is a mission-critical operations role responsible for accurate, timely processing and fulfillment of customer orders across ERP/Order Management Systems (OMS), coordination with warehouses and carriers, and proactive communication with sales and customers. This role ensures order accuracy, minimizes delivery exceptions, optimizes inventory allocation, and drives continuous improvement in order-to-cash and fulfillment processes. Ideal candidates bring hands-on experience with order entry, EDI/ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle), logistics coordination, and strong stakeholder communication.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Customer Service Representative with order-entry exposure
  • Logistics or Shipping Clerk
  • Inventory Control Specialist

Advancement To:

  • Senior Order Coordinator / Order Management Lead
  • Logistics Supervisor / Operations Supervisor
  • Supply Chain Analyst / Inventory Planner

Lateral Moves:

  • Customer Success Manager (Operations-focused)
  • 3PL/Carrier Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Process and execute customer orders end-to-end in the company ERP/OMS (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle), ensuring accurate order entry, pricing, billing codes, customer-specific terms, and required documentation before release to warehouse and fulfillment.
  • Validate order accuracy by checking product SKUs, pricing, discounts, lead times, terms, and credit holds; flag and resolve discrepancies with sales, finance, or product teams prior to shipment.
  • Manage and monitor order status through the order-to-cash cycle, updating internal systems and customer portals with confirmations, picking/packing status, tracking numbers, and expected delivery dates.
  • Coordinate daily with warehouse and 3PL partners to schedule pick/pack, staging, carrier tendering, and loading windows; escalate resource or capacity constraints to operations management for timely resolution.
  • Generate and manage shipping documentation (BOLs, ASNs, commercial invoices, packing lists), ensure accurate carrier labels, and confirm compliance with carrier and customer shipping requirements.
  • Execute EDI transactions (ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC) or integrate via API/portal; troubleshoot EDI failures or mapping issues and coordinate corrections with IT/3PL partners to restore data flows.
  • Expedite late or at-risk orders by identifying root cause, coordinating cross-functional mitigation (production, purchasing, logistics), and maintaining proactive customer communication until resolution.
  • Manage returns, credits, and RMA processes by issuing return authorizations, coordinating return shipping, inspecting returned goods disposition, and ensuring timely credit/invoice adjustments with finance.
  • Maintain inventory allocations for high-priority and backlog orders, working with inventory planners to balance safety stock, allocation rules, and customer commitments.
  • Support pricing, promotion and contract compliance by applying correct pricing logic at order entry and validating promo codes, contractual discounts, or special payment terms.
  • Reconcile order invoices and credit memos with accounts receivable; work with finance to resolve invoice disputes and ensure accurate revenue recognition.
  • Track and analyze key order fulfillment KPIs such as on-time delivery, perfect order rate, order cycle time, fill rate, backorder levels and provide actionable recommendations to reduce exceptions.
  • Communicate proactively with internal stakeholders (Sales, Customer Success, Production, Procurement) to confirm delivery schedules, production constraints, and order prioritization for large or complex orders.
  • Serve as the primary customer point-of-contact for order status inquiries, shipment exceptions, and schedule changes; provide professional, timely updates and coordinate corrective actions.
  • Create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for order processing, fulfillment workflows and escalation matrices; train new hires on order-entry best practices and system processes.
  • Manage special shipping requests including temperature-controlled shipments, hazardous materials documentation, palletization specifications, lift-gate appointments, and white-glove delivery coordination.
  • Administer drop-ships and vendor-managed fulfillment orders by coordinating vendor acceptance, shipping confirmations, and invoice routing to ensure seamless end-customer delivery.
  • Support customs and international shipping requirements by preparing export documentation, coordinating with customs brokers, and ensuring compliance with Incoterms and export controls.
  • Participate in order management system configuration and testing for new features, pricing changes, or integrations; contribute to UAT, script test cases, and validate production readiness.
  • Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies impacting order fulfillment by coordinating cycle counts, bin audits, and root-cause analysis with inventory control and warehouse teams.
  • Maintain and update customer master data (ship-to/ship-from addresses, billing terms, shipping tolerances) in the ERP and CRM to prevent order failures and ensure accurate delivery.
  • Implement continuous improvement projects to streamline order-to-cash processes, reduce manual touchpoints, and increase automation (templates, macros, workflow rules) for improved throughput and accuracy.
  • Schedule and coordinate large project or promotional orders, ensuring staggered deliveries, partial shipments, and milestone billing are executed according to contracts.
  • Monitor carrier performance and freight costs; raise opportunities for cost savings or service improvements with logistics managers and procurement.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to order trends, fulfillment issues, and capacity planning to drive business decisions.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by providing subject-matter input on order lifecycle data needs and system enhancements.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for reporting, integrations, and workflow automation.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within cross-functional teams to prioritize order management improvements, testing, and deployment.
  • Assist in seasonal planning and peak-period readiness by coordinating with demand planning and warehouse teams on surge staffing and inventory staging.
  • Support compliance and audit activities by preparing order history, shipment logs, and change-control documentation for internal and external reviews.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Order Management Systems (OMS) / ERP experience: NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics or comparable systems.
  • EDI transaction management and troubleshooting (ORDERS, DESADV/ASN, INVOIC) and familiarity with VANs and mapping tools.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, data validation, and basic VBA/macros for reporting automation.
  • Shipping and logistics coordination: carrier tendering, freight quotes, BOLs, ASNs, parcel vs. LTL/FTL distinctions, and appointment scheduling.
  • Inventory management and allocation logic: safety stock, backlog management, allocation rules, and cycle count reconciliation.
  • Invoicing, credit memo processing, and basic accounts receivable reconciliation.
  • Experience with CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot) for order-related customer communication and case management.
  • Familiarity with international shipping requirements, Incoterms, customs documentation, and export compliance processes.
  • Analytical and reporting skills: KPI dashboards, root-cause analysis, and experience with BI tools (Tableau, Power BI) is a plus.
  • Experience integrating with 3PLs, freight forwarders, and drop-ship vendors; managing SLAs and KPIs.

Soft Skills

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for clear customer and cross-functional updates.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy when entering orders, creating shipping docs, and reconciling invoices.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to triage escalations and drive to resolution under tight timelines.
  • Time management and multi-tasking ability to handle high order volumes and competing priorities.
  • Customer-service orientation: patience, empathy, and a proactive approach to status updates and exception handling.
  • Collaboration and stakeholder management across Sales, Warehouse, Procurement, Finance, and IT.
  • Adaptability and resilience during peak seasons, system migrations, or process changes.
  • Organizational skills and the discipline to maintain SOPs, audit trails, and process documentation.
  • Negotiation and influence to coordinate carrier appointments, expedite services, and negotiate small carrier exceptions.
  • Continuous improvement mindset: identify inefficiencies, propose solutions, and lead small-scale process changes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High School Diploma or GED required; equivalent work experience in order processing or logistics accepted.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's degree or Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Logistics, Operations Management, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Logistics & Transportation
  • Business Administration
  • Operations Management
  • International Trade / Global Logistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–5 years in order management, logistics coordination, customer service operations, or warehouse support roles.

Preferred:

  • 2–4 years of hands-on order processing experience in an ERP environment, exposure to EDI or integration platforms, and prior coordination with 3PLs or carriers.
Explore More Careers