Job description
As Trade Operations Specialist, you are the person who makes sure every deal we close actually gets to the customer, on time, in spec and without surprises. You own the full shipment lifecycle from the moment a trade is confirmed to the moment goods are delivered: freight booking, documentation, customs compliance, carrier management and cost control.
We are looking for someone with deep, hands-on experience in international logistics — whether that comes from a freight forwarding background, an in-house supply chain or operations role, or a shipping-line environment. What matters is that you have real, cross-functional exposure across shipping, freight forwarding, road freight, container transport and customs, and that you know exactly what good looks like. A forwarder background is a strong plus, but not the only path in.
This is a broad and hands-on role. Nedstar ships regulated, food-grade products to a wide range of markets, which means the documentation, compliance and coordination requirements are real. You will work closely with our traders, finance team and commercial counterparts to make logistics a competitive advantage, not just a cost centre.
About the role and key responsibilities
What You Will Do
Shipment coordination & execution
- Own the end-to-end shipment process for every trade: from deal confirmation through to final delivery, managing all parties in the chain.
- Coordinate with suppliers on loading schedules, container specifications and readiness, ensuring smooth handover at origin.
- Book and manage freight across modes: sea (FCL, bulk, ISO tanks) and road
- Track all active shipments, proactively flag delays or issues to traders and customers, and resolve problems before they escalate.
Documentation & trade compliance
- Manage the full documentation set for each shipment: bills of lading, certificates of origin, packing lists, customs declarations, health and safety certificates, and any product-specific documentation (ADR/IMDG for ethanol, food-grade certifications, excise documentation).
- Ensure documentation accuracy and completeness across all shipments — first-time-right is non-negotiable, as errors have direct financial and operational consequences.
- Stay current on import and export regulations across key markets, and flag changes that affect Nedstar shipments.
- Manage customs clearance at origin and destination, working with brokers and agents where required.
Carrier & partner management
- Maintain and develop relationships with shipping lines, road hauliers, freight forwarders, port agents and customs brokers.
- Negotiate freight rates and service terms, benchmark against the market and push back where costs are not justified.
- Evaluate and select logistics partners based on reliability, cost and capability for specific trade lanes and product types.
- Hold external partners accountable for service levels and escalate where performance falls short.
Cost control & finance interface
- Track freight and logistics costs per shipment, ensuring accurate accruals and alignment with the finance team.
- Identify cost-saving opportunities across routes, modes and providers without compromising reliability or compliance.
- Work closely with the business controller and CFO on logistics cost flows, deal profitability and budget planning.
- Flag cost overruns early and propose solutions rather than just reporting problems.
Process improvement & reporting
- Build and maintain clear logistics tracking, reporting and documentation processes that scale as Nedstar grows.
- Identify inefficiencies in current logistics workflows and drive improvements.
- Provide traders and management with clear, timely visibility into shipment status, transit times and logistics costs.
Your profile
Who You Are
You know international logistics from the inside — whether that is from years on the forwarder side, in-house at a trading company or shipper, or within a shipping line. You understand how shipping lines work, what makes documentation fail, how customs clearance can go wrong and how to prevent all of it. You are ready to take full ownership on the operator side and hit the ground running.
Beyond the hard skills, you are:
- Hands-on and detail-oriented: you do not let things fall through the cracks and you follow through on every open item.
- Commercially aware: you understand that logistics is part of deal economics and you treat cost and margin with the same care as a trader would.
- A strong communicator: you work with traders, finance, suppliers and customers and you can adapt your style to each.
- Proactive and solutions-focused: when something goes wrong, you come with a fix, not just a status update.
- Comfortable with complexity: multiple simultaneous shipments, different product types, different regulatory environments, and you keep it organized.
- Eager to build: you want to professionalize and scale logistics at Nedstar, not just maintain the status quo.
- First-time-right minded: accuracy is non-negotiable — you check, double-check and get it right before it leaves your desk.
- A strong team player: you work well with colleagues across functions and bring out the best in the people around you.
- Independent and ownership-driven: you hit the ground running, take initiative without being told and own outcomes, not just tasks. You do not need a long ramp-up.
- Confident and assertive: you are a genuine equal to traders and finance — comfortable holding your ground when pushed for the impossible, and equally skilled at finding a workable solution when the pressure is legitimate.
What we are looking for
Background we are looking for
- 5 years minimum of experience in international logistics, supply chain, freight forwarding or shipping-line operations, with broad operational responsibility across multiple trade lanes.
- Strong knowledge of sea freight (FCL, bulk liquid, ISO tank), with road experience as a plus.
- Solid understanding of international trade documentation, Incoterms, customs procedures and export/import compliance.
- Experience with regulated or food-grade products (dangerous goods, excise, food safety certificates) is a significant advantage.
- Education: HBO Logistics/Supply Chain or University degree
- Systems and data proficiency: comfortable working in ERP systems, strong in MS Office (particularly Excel) and familiar with data tools such as Power BI.
- Fluent English& Dutch is a huge plus!
What is in it for you?
What's In It For You
At Nedstar you will own logistics end-to-end in a growing international trading company. This is a genuine opportunity to build and professionalize the function — you are not walking into a fully structured process. You will shape how logistics works here, establish the relationships, build the systems and structures, and have a direct line to the traders and management team you support.
As Nedstar grows, this role grows with it. There is real scope to build a team, expand your remit and develop into a senior operations leadership position.
About Nedstar
Nedstar is an Amsterdam-based international trading company and trusted sourcing partner for raw materials and specialty products, including ethanol, neutral and organic alcohols, bulk spirits (rum, whisky, gin, tequila, brandy and more), coffee and biochemicals. Founded in 2018, we supply premium food-grade products to customers in more than 75 countries across the beverage, flavor, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
We are a small, high-performing and entrepreneurial team operating in a fast-scaling international environment. Everyone, including the management team, operates hands-on and combines operational execution with building and improving.
We offer
- Direct impact: your work determines whether our deals get done on time and within cost, and that is visible to the whole business.
- Development: access to training, coaching and the space to build the role as the company scales.
- Competitive salary and secondary benefits, reflecting your expertise and the responsibility of the role.
- Flexible working: we focus on results; if you need flexibility, we can talk.
- Location: a historic canal house on the Herengracht in Amsterdam, with daily delicious lunches, Friday drinks, company trips, the Nedstar boat and much more.
Interested?
Interested?
Send your CV and a short note on why this role interests you to alessia@nedstar.com.
We are currently focusing on candidates already authorised to work in the EU. No visa sponsorship is available at this time.
No agencies please, we are handling this one in-house.
