Tupande Export Logistics Senior Specialist

Role Overview

This position owns the full journey of our goods once they leave the building — from the moment an order is confirmed until it is signed for at an international destination. Day to day you are the person stitching together production schedules, freight partners, customs paperwork and customer expectations so that nothing sits idle at a port or gets held up at a border. Getting this right protects our delivery promises, our margins and our reputation with the overseas buyers who depend on us.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and drive the export plan for each order, sequencing production handover, packing, booking and dispatch so cargo moves on the agreed schedule and arrives complete.
• Work shoulder to shoulder with production, warehouse and procurement colleagues to confirm quantities, readiness dates and loading windows before vessels or flights are booked.
• Select and brief freight forwarders, shipping lines and logistics partners, negotiating rates and service terms that hold costs down without putting timelines at risk.
• Track every consignment in transit, chase down delays or misrouted cargo, and keep internal teams and buyers informed before problems escalate.
• Produce and verify the full document set — commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, certificates of origin, export licences and any destination-specific certificates — and keep records audit-ready at all times.
• Monitor changes to customs procedures, trade agreements and import rules in our destination markets, and adjust our paperwork and processes accordingly.
• Serve as the first point of contact for customers on logistics queries, resolving complaints, shipment discrepancies and documentation errors quickly and professionally.
• Coordinate reconditioning or rework logistics when an overseas regulator flags a compliance issue, making sure approved procedures and paperwork are complete before goods are released to the buyer.
• Maintain end-to-end traceability of exported product, working with sourcing and quality colleagues so origin, certification and inspection records stand up to external scrutiny.
• Review freight spend, duty and tariff exposure, container utilisation, demurrage and detention charges, and route choices, then recommend concrete savings without trading away service quality.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least five years in supply chain roles, with a minimum of three of those spent specifically on export operations.
• Hands-on command of export management systems and shipment tracking tools.
• Confident building complex formulas and functions in Google Sheets for reporting, cost analysis and performance tracking.
• Fluency in English is required; working Swahili is a genuine advantage in this market.
• Strong planning and organisational instincts — you can hold several live shipments, deadlines and stakeholders in your head at once.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the diplomacy to deal with carriers, port officials, regulators and customers.
• An analytical approach to cost projections, freight budgets and shipment performance data.
• Comfort operating under pressure and reprioritising when a vessel is delayed or a document is queried.
• Relevant education in supply chain, logistics, international trade or a related discipline is beneficial.

What We Offer / Why Join

• A learning culture with real investment in your development, including mentorship and structured training programmes.
• Weekly check-ins with your manager and regular performance feedback, so you always know where you stand.
• Formal career reviews every six months, plus dedicated time to talk through your aspirations and long-term goals.
• The chance to shape how a growing organisation runs its export function, and to build a lasting career within it.