If you are good at organizing and enjoy planning, you could enjoy a career as a logistics coordinator. As a logistics coordinator, you will not only play an important role in the supply chain of your organization; you will also be in a position to enact changes that can have a genuinely positive effect on the world, such as ensuring your supply chain has as small an impact on the environment as possible.
As a logistics coordinator, you will manage all aspects of the logistics of the supply chain. This includes organizing and providing efficient storage and transportation solutions. This will cover entire product lifecycles, from raw materials to point-of-sale destinations. You will also be responsible for resolving distribution issues, as well as taking steps to ensure such issues have minimal impact when they do occur.
For the most part, you will be working standard business hours as a logistics coordinator. That means roughly 40 hours per week somewhere in the region of 9 am to 5 pm, weekdays. However, overtime is not uncommon in this profession, and you will likely have to tackle some less sociable hours in the course of your duties. It's also worth noting that the kind of business you are working for will make a big difference in your potential overtime. Logistics is an area of business that tends to run around the clock, and a sufficiently large business may be taking deliveries in the middle of the night or dealing with suppliers on the other side of the planet. All of this can increase the need for overtime.
For the most part, the questions you will be asked when interviewing for a logistics coordinator role are straightforward and should have simple answers that you won't need to put much thought into. However, you will likely get some open-ended questions as well, and it will benefit you to put a little thought into what you will say to these questions. Some common interview questions include:
Your resume should contain all the basic information your future employer will want to know about you, such as qualifications and past experience. In contrast, your cover letter is essentially an introduction, and an opportunity to expand a little on some of the key points in your resume. In your resume, be sure to include the following;
Remember that your cover letter will be the first impression your potential employer has of you, so take care to avoid typos and unprofessional language. In your cover letter, expand on your biggest selling points, such as relevant experience, awards, and qualifications. Also, touch on why you think you would be a good fit for the company.
If you choose to enter this profession, your job outlook should be quite positive. While many aspects of logistics are becoming automated, it is typically the logistics coordinator that brings about the implementation of that automation, and the position will be necessary for a long time to come. Additionally, with an increasing focus being placed on the sustainability and ethicality of supply chains, the role of the logistics coordinator is an increasingly important one. There is also room to grow within the profession, such as moving on to more senior logistics positions, perhaps overseeing larger operations.
The position of logistics coordinator is mostly a single standard role with little variation beyond that imposed by the industry of the business. But even in wildly different industries, the role of a logistics coordinator remains largely unchanged.
The average salary for a logistics coordinator is a little on the low side when compared to the average salary in Canada. A typical logistics coordinator can expect to earn around $43,000 per year, based on a rate of $22 per hour and an average of 40 hours per week. This is only the base salary, however. As mentioned above, overtime is common in this profession, and that overtime can bring your pay up. At the lower end of the scale for logistics coordinators, you can expect to be earning around $37,000 per year, while the most experienced, highest-earning logistics coordinators can take home upwards of $53,000 per year.
Top paying areas for logistics coordinators in Canada include: Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario.
The role of a logistics coordinator has many moving parts, much like logistics itself. You will need to be able to stay on top of a number of aspects of your job in order to succeed, including;
Logistics coordinators will typically work in an office, though they can also work remotely if circumstances require it. You may find your work environment close to the action, such as an office in a warehouse or near a loading bay. Nevertheless, you should be able to look forward to heating and a comfortable chair.
Many of the skills you need as a logistics coordinator can be learned, such as computer literacy, familiarity with stock control systems, and basic accounting skills. There are some rather less-defined skills that you will find useful, however, including;
It is possible to work your way up to a logistics coordinator role from a more entry-level position in an organization; however, this is not a common way of going about it, and probably shouldn't be looked at as a viable career path for someone who is new to the employment market. In terms of qualifications, you will usually find that a degree in business administration will be sufficient, however, you will also need a couple of years of experience in logistics management. Your employer will likely also want you to be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of relevant legal regulations and ISO requirements.
Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about logistics coordinator jobs.
For someone already working in logistics, it is possible to get promoted from within once you have enough experience (and perhaps some additional training), but this is not a particularly common route. For a more traditional route, you will need at least a degree in something like business administration and at least two years of experience in logistics management.
There are, of course, plenty of places online to look for new jobs in Canada, including Randstad. You can find new logistics coordinator vacancies on our job seeker page for engineering, along with plenty of other related professions.
Feel free to browse Randstad's available logistics coordinator jobs to find one that suits you. When you have, simply create an account with Randstad, log in, and apply. It's that simple.
The advent of the internet and social media has made it so much easier to find out about new job listings. While you can still employ the traditional methods of ringing companies up and checking job boards, you can also look on company websites and follow them on social media. Consider also following the social media of any people in senior positions who work at companies you are interested in working for. You can also stay up to date with the latest job vacancies on Randstad by signing up for our newsletter.
A logistics coordinator is responsible for ensuring the supply chain runs smoothly so that deadlines and fulfilments can be met without issue. This involves a number of things, such as finding solutions to problems as they arise (such as missed shipments), as well as looking for ways to improve processes to reduce the number of problems that do arise. It also involves establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with other organizations in the supply chain.
A logistics coordinator is a role with a lot of responsibility, which is appealing to many. It is also a role that can offer a great deal of experience that can be useful when moving on to other roles. That being said, the pay in this position is not necessarily the best, being a bit below the national average in Canada.
A typical logistics coordinator will make around $43,000 per year, working 40 hours per week at $22 per hour. This amount can be increased thanks to overtime, which is quite common in this profession. At the lower end of the scale, you might be earning around $37,000, while the higher-earning logistics coordinators in Canada can make upwards of $53,000 per year.