Hunter Campbell’s Mastering Supply Chain Series profiles roles within the Supply Chain job family, including jobs in demand, wages, and employment prospects.
In this article, the role of Logistics Coordinator is in the spotlight.
Purpose of the Role
Logistics Coordinators play a vital role in the value chain, ensuring the right product reaches the right customer at the right time, in the right quantity, and in the right condition. As you can see, there’s a lot to get right!
Typically employed by logistics or freight forwarding companies, or within a company’s supply chain department, Logistics Coordinators oversee the movement of goods from manufacturer to consumer. They manage the entire lifecycle of a product’s journey—from acquisition to distribution and delivery.
Logistics Coordinators develop and execute logistics plans designed to maximise efficiency and customer satisfaction while balancing cost and lead time. They register and maintain shipment data such as space availability, changes, and weight, and resolve transport issues to ensure goods arrive as expected.
Recruitment Forecast 2025
In today’s market, Logistics Coordinators must be highly agile. Many companies are reworking how they meet demand, often needing to source or add new suppliers for raw materials, which increases the complexity and volume of logistics activities that Logistics Coordinators oversee. Since COVID, slowdowns in goods movement have created significant challenges, making strong communicators and proactive, solutions-focused individuals essential for these roles. With many companies turning to data and digital transformations to stay competitive, hiring candidates with advanced technical skills has become a key focus in the recruitment process.
Career Prospects
Logistics Coordinators play a crucial role across a variety of businesses, including manufacturers, distributors, freight forwarders, and 3PL providers. In this role, you’ll collaborate closely with key players in the supply chain, such as Demand/Supply Planners, purchasing and shipping teams. Through these interactions, your understanding of their roles deepens, potentially opening up career opportunities within these areas as you grow in the industry.
Qualifications
A common path is to start with tertiary qualifications in Supply Chain, Operations, or Commerce. From there, graduates can enter rotation roles in larger organisations or start in positions like Supply Chain Coordinator or Logistics Coordinator.
For those already in the workforce, qualifications such as Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) from NZPICS are popular choices. These certifications demonstrate a commitment to professional development that is highly valued by employers and can provide candidates with a competitive edge.
Many Logistics Coordinators advance from roles in warehousing or administration, gaining hands-on experience before stepping into logistics.
NZPICS also offers a certification in Logistics, Transportation, and Distribution, covering a broad range of topics that equip professionals with essential skills to manage supply chain operations, transport management, and distribution processes effectively.
Key Skills Required
Logistics Coordinators must manage a wide range of activities and be skilled at seeing and understanding the bigger picture.
The following skills are key to success in this role:
- Tech-savvy and detail-oriented to ensure accurate record-keeping and effective tracking of goods movement.
- Highly organised to manage complex logistics operations smoothly.
- Solutions-oriented and quick to troubleshoot, with strong teamwork skills to coordinate with multiple stakeholders involved in goods movement.
- Adaptable and solutions-focused, as the ability to think on your feet is increasingly essential amid ongoing disruptions to international shipping.
Salary Guide
This information is anecdotal and based on roles Hunter Campbell is currently recruiting or has previously recruited and relate to base salaries. They do not include any additional bonuses or benefits.
Salaries of Logistics Coordinators vary depending on the level of experience and the responsibilities within a role.
A Supply Chain Graduate or person moving from a warehouse or administration-based role could expect a salary between $55,000 to $60,000. Once they gain experience and show promising signs of progression, they may take on further responsibility in their role, which would likely see them having more autonomy in decision making and moving to a salary between $60,000 to $70,000.
Advanced Logistics Coordinators may see themselves in larger and more complex logistics-based roles. An experienced Logistics Coordinator could expect to see themselves having direct reports. These salaries will vary depending on the industry, company size and levels of responsibility.
If you would like to find out more about the role of a Transport Manager, please contact consultant Joe Francis. Joe specialises in the recruitment of Supply Chain, Distribution and Logistics.. For more news and views, visit our website by clicking here, see what opportunities we have available here or follow us on LinkedIn.
