Inbound Freight Specialist

ShipMonk isn't just a 3PL — we're the tech-powered growth partner for ecommerce brands, running 12+ owned fulfillment centers across the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe so our merchants can stress less and grow more.

Position Overview The Inbound Freight Specialist is responsible for managing the end-to-end delivery appointment scheduling process across ShipMonk's fulfillment center network. Using the DataDocks scheduling portal as the primary platform, this role serves as the central point of coordination between carriers, freight brokers, merchants, and warehouse operations teams. The Specialist ensures that merchant inventory arrives on time and without delays by maintaining accurate appointment calendars, enforcing scheduling requirements, and resolving exceptions swiftly.

 

Key Responsibilities Appointment Management • Monitor and manage the DataDocks scheduling portal throughout the day, approving and canceling appointments across all active ShipMonk warehouse locations (US, Canada, Czech Republic, and UK). • Review all pending appointments to verify accuracy — including ASN, pallet/carton counts, load type, and BOL alignment — before approving. • Identify and flag potential duplicate appointments; communicate with carriers via the DataDocks Messages feature and hold in pending status until confirmed. • Enforce appointment requirements: 5+ pallets or 30+ floor-loaded cartons require a scheduled appointment at least 24 hours in advance (with merchant-specific exceptions). • Ensure a minimum two-hour interval is maintained between floor-load appointments, and that floor-load slots are scheduled at the start of the day where possible. • Cancel appointments that fall below minimum thresholds, documenting reasons in appointment notes. • Maintain accurate notes for all appointment changes, including the name of the requester for record-keeping purposes.

Carrier & Merchant Communication • Serve as the primary point of contact for carriers and brokers via the appointments@shipmonk.com inbox, DataDocks Messages, and warehouse-specific Slack dock channels. • Guide carriers new to DataDocks through the three-step onboarding process for accessing and booking within the portal. • Respond to inquiries regarding appointment status, receiving hours, pallet/carton requirements, and scheduling availability using established email signature templates. • Direct freight-related inquiries to the appropriate team (Transportation, Support, Logistics) based on the nature of the request. • Collect required shipment details (ASN, destination, load type, pallet/carton count) when information is missing, and escalate if unresolved within 24 hours of the appointment

DataDocks Portal Administration • Perform bulk ASN/PO uploads to DataDocks three times daily (9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM) using exported data from Metabase and the standardized upload template. • Manually add individual ASNs to DataDocks when bulk upload timing does not capture newly created ASNs. • Perform company/merchant bulk uploads to keep active account data current in the portal. • Maintain and update inbound receiving hours, daily capacity limits (pallets and floor loads), and blocked dates for holidays and peak periods across all locations. • Onboard new ShipMonk warehouse sites to DataDocks by gathering site information, coordinating with the DataDocks team, creating Slack dock channels, and conducting ops training sessions. • Manage DataDocks user access for operations teams — up to 10 active users per site — and maintain the Ops User List.

Exception Handling • Evaluate exception requests from merchants and carriers who are unable to book their preferred delivery date due to capacity constraints. • Check the DataDocks calendar for availability and, when capacity is at or near threshold, post requests to the appropriate Slack dock channel tagging Inbound Leads, the Ops Manager, and the merchant's Happiness Engineer. • Communicate exception outcomes (approved or declined) to the requesting party and update appointments accordingly. • Manage merchant-specific exceptions, including unique scheduling rules for accounts such as Brooklinen/Marlowe, Cocokind, Dr. Squatch, Ooni, Il Makiage, Spoiled Child, and Fresh Clean Tees.

Reporting & Capacity Monitoring • Generate and distribute the weekly Appointment Product Summary Report to the Transportation team, covering all completed appointments with key metrics including wait time, processing time, turnaround, and average quantities. • Produce and share the daily Inbound Capacity Output each morning, reflecting current pallet and floor-load scheduled volumes per location versus daily thresholds. • Flag locations exceeding 75% capacity in the daily output, note pending exception requests, and notify the Transportation Manager of any at-risk situations. • Post the Inbound Capacity Output to both the logistics Slack channel and each individual dock channel.

Operations Coordination • Maintain clear communication with warehouse operations teams via dedicated Slack dock channels to coordinate drop vs. live-unload decisions, appointment timestamp corrections, and delivery status updates. • Update appointment timestamps (Arrived, Started, Completed, Left) when corrections are submitted by ops, ensuring reporting accuracy. • Assist in setting DataDocks capacity parameters to zero during holidays, receiving blocks, and peak periods as approved by the VP of North American Operations and relevant site leadership.

Qualifications Required • 2+ years of experience in freight coordination, dock scheduling, transportation logistics, or a related supply chain role. • Proficiency with scheduling or transportation management platforms; experience with DataDocks or similar appointment scheduling tools is strongly preferred. • Strong written communication skills with the ability to correspond professionally and efficiently with carriers, brokers, and internal stakeholders. • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for data management, bulk uploads, and reporting tasks. • High attention to detail with the ability to identify discrepancies in shipment data (ASNs, pallet counts, carton counts, BOLs). • Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. • Comfortable working with Slack and email as primary communication tools across distributed teams.

Preferred • Experience working in a 3PL (third-party logistics) or fulfillment center environment. • Familiarity with inbound freight processes including BOLs, ASNs, palletized vs. floor-loaded shipments, and carrier/broker workflows. • Experience with Metabase or similar data/reporting tools for data extraction. • Bilingual communication skills (English required; additional languages a plus for carrier correspondence).

Core Competencies

Attention to Detail

Organizational Skills

Process Adherence

Cross-Functional Communication 

Problem Solving & Escalation

Data Accuracy & Reporting

 

Tools & Systems

Tool Purpose DataDocks - Primary appointment scheduling portal for all ShipMonk warehouse locations

ShipMonk App Portal - ASN verification, merchant account management, and order visibility

Metabase - Data export for daily ASN/PO uploads and capacity reporting

Slack - Real-time communication with dock channels, ops teams, and Transportation

Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets  - Upload templates, capacity tracking, and reporting.

Work Environment & Schedule

This role operates in a high-volume, time-sensitive environment requiring consistent availability during standard business hours to manage appointment approvals and carrier communications.

Daily morning tasks include distributing the Inbound Capacity Output before operations begin at warehouse locations across multiple time zones.

Three scheduled DataDocks upload windows per day (9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 3:30 PM) are core recurring responsibilities.

Weekly reporting obligations include compiling and distributing the Appointment Product Summary to the Transportation team every Monday for the prior week

  About ShipMonk

ShipMonk isn't just a 3PL; we're a growth partner for merchants . We provide cutting-edge technology and a network of owned and operated fulfillment centers that empower high-growth ecommerce and DTC brands to stress less and grow more. With over 2,500 employees across five countries, we're on a mission to revolutionize fulfillment by providing everything from the fastest click-to-delivery and real-time inventory to custom solutions—all with a merchant - first mindset.

Why ShipMonk?

We believe in building for the long term, and our success is powered by five key differentiators that help us become true partners to our merchants.

Global Fulfillment Network: Our 12+ owned and operated fulfillment centers span the US, Canada, the U.K., and Mainland Europe. We never outsource, ensuring quality and consistency. ● Proprietary Technology: We've eliminated the need for tribal knowledge with our AI-powered platform. It provides a real-time, unified view of inventory and orders, giving our merchants the control and visibility they need to succeed. ● Unrivaled Support: We provide hands-on, "mom and pop" support with a global reach. Our dedicated teams are on-site at every fulfillment center, ready to jump into action. ● Transparent Pricing : We believe in honest, long-term partnerships. Our all- inclusive pricing means predictable costs, with no hidden fees or surprises. ● Committed to the Future: We invest over $10 million annually in research and development to ensure our technology and services continually evolve, helping merchants plant roots with a partner who is here to stay.

Our Core Values

Our values are the heart of our culture. We're looking for individuals who embody these principles every day.

Merchant-first: We handle the logistics so our merchants can focus on what they do best—growing their business.

People make ShipMonk: We believe in our team and invest in our people.

Own it: We take ownership of our work, our mistakes, and our successes.

Get sh*t done: We're a fast-paced, high-growth company that values action and results.

Change the score:  We challenge the status quo, constantly innovating and improving.

 

ShipMonk is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.