Responsibilities
Mine & Producer Liaison
- Maintain regular communication with mine producers and export agents to confirm scheduled loadings, dispatch dates and product availability.
- Coordinate product grade and quality requirements against customer specifications and offtake agreement parameters.
- Manage daily and weekly production and dispatch schedules, escalating deviations to the Operations Manager promptly.
- Maintain an up-to-date mine-to-port tracker covering all active shipments.
Transport & Domestic Logistics
- Engage and manage approved domestic transport contractors (road haulage and rail) for the movement of magnetite product.
- Issue transport instructions, confirm bookings and monitor vehicle/wagon movements in real time.
- Investigate and resolve transport delays, shortfalls, and quality discrepancies in transit.
- Track and reconcile truck and rail tonnages against dispatch and receipt records.
Export Documentation & Compliance
- Prepare, review and submit all required export documentation in accordance with South African customs (SARS) and international trade regulations.
- Coordinate with freight forwarders and clearing agents to ensure timeous clearance at loading ports.
- Maintain a document tracking register ensuring all originals and copies are filed and accessible for audit purposes.
- Stay current with SARS, ITAC and port authority regulatory changes affecting magnetite export.
International Shipping Management
- Coordinate cargo bookings with international shipping lines and freight forwarders; confirm vessel nominations and sailing schedules.
- Liaise with port agents at loading and discharge ports to manage vessel operations and demurrage exposure.
- Monitor vessel ETDs, ETAs and notify all relevant parties of changes affecting downstream logistics.
- Review and negotiate freight rates in conjunction with the commercial team; maintain a freight rate and surcharge register.
- Track and resolve any claims arising from cargo damage, short-landing or contamination.
Laboratory & Quality Coordination
- Engage accredited laboratory services for independent survey and sampling of magnetite product at load and discharge ports.
- Obtain and distribute Certificates of Analysis, surveyor reports and weight certificates to customers, finance teams and internal stakeholders.
- Proactively flag quality deviations against offtake agreement specifications and support any claims resolution process.
- Maintain a quality results database linked to shipment records.
Finance & Treasury Interface
- Provide logistics cost data (freight, transport, port charges, laboratory fees) to the finance team for accurate accrual and invoice processing.
- Review and approve third-party freight and logistics invoices against agreed rates and confirmed quantities.
- Support the treasury function with shipping documentation required for foreign currency payments and letters of credit.
- Coordinate intercompany logistics cost allocations between South African, Mauritius, and other group entities.
- Assist in reconciling logistics costs against standard costs and flagging variances to the cost accounting team.
Reporting & Systems Administration
- Maintain Sage ERP with accurate and timely capture of despatch, receipt and cost transactions related to logistics.
- Produce weekly and monthly logistics reports including shipment status, cost summaries and KPI dashboards for management.
- Update internal trackers for vessel nominations, document status, payment milestones and claims.
- Support internal and external audit processes by maintaining a complete and organised document archive.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of logistics processes, systems and reporting tools.