Project Freight Forwarder

Job Title

Project Freight Forwarder

Bristol, United Kingdom

£35,000 - £50,000 + Bonus

Full-time

Mid‑Senior Level

Gleeson has partnered with a Project Freight Forwarder to recruit a Senior Freight Forward for a high‑impact role based in Bristol. This dynamic role combines hands‑on daily management with full‑cycle coordination of shipments, offering a unique blend of operational involvement and strategic oversight. With the company actively expanding, there is strong potential for career growth and professional development.

• Manage end-to-end international freight movements across air, road, and sea.
• Plan routing and coordinate with carriers, suppliers, and logistics partners.
• Prepare and maintain accurate transport and shipping documentation.
• Act as the primary point of contact for customers, providing timely updates and resolving issues swiftly.
• Prepare, verify, and manage customs declarations and insurance documentation.
• Ensure compliance with export controls and licence requirements.
• Maintain secure chain‑of‑custody processes for sensitive or high‑security consignments.
• Standardise, streamline and optimise freight forwarding procedures.
• Lead the use and improvement of the Forward Solutions TMS.
• Evaluate service delivery models, identifying opportunities to bring services in‑house or outsource effectively.
• Monitor freight margins, negotiate rates, and manage supplier performance.
• Develop standard operating procedures and service playbooks.
• Support forecasting, capacity planning and bid/proposal activity.
• Lead, coach and develop a small freight forwarding team.

• 3‑5+ years' experience in road and/or air & ocean freight.
• Strong background in imports, exports and cross‑trade operations.
• Experience handling time‑critical or secure cargo & dangerous goods awareness.
• Experience submitting UK import/export entries via CDS.
• Competent user of freight/TMS platforms (Forward Solutions advantageous) and Excel.
• Proactive, analytical, organised and able to anticipate and resolve issues early.

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