How To Become A Shipping Coordinator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a shipping coordinator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Shipping coordinators, sometimes called warehouse managers, play a vital role in distribution companies. They oversee shipping and receiving operations. They work with courier companies to determine and arrange shipping routes. Furthermore, they prepare invoices and packages for customers in line with their shipping needs.

Also, they prepare all relevant documents, including waybills, export declarations, labels, government forms, and special mailing certificates. Additionally, they verify and keep an inventory of incoming and outgoing shipping materials and supplies. Asides from that, they use the forklift to hoist or convey shipments from platform to storage or work area.

The minimum educational qualification for this position is a high school diploma or its equivalent. Most employers prefer a degree in business management, logistics, or a related field. You must possess communication, time management, multitasking, organization, computer, and leadership skills. The salary ranges from $39,920 to $49,940, with an average salary of $44,150. They earn approximately $16.64 per hour.

ScoreShipping CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,677

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.3

Growth Rate -3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.75%

Asian 7.57%

Black or African American 10.79%

Hispanic or Latino 21.24%

Unknown 4.24%

White 55.41%

Gender

female 39.57%

male 60.43%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.0

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a shipping coordinator

Explore shipping coordinator education requirements

Most common shipping coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

37.1 %

High School Diploma

26.1 %

Associate

25.3 %

Start to develop specific shipping coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	25.45%
Inventory Control	8.34%
Shipping Receiving	6.73%
Data Entry	5.40%
On-Time Delivery	5.29%

Complete relevant shipping coordinator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New shipping coordinators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a shipping coordinator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real shipping coordinator resumes.

Research shipping coordinator duties and responsibilities

Utilize ERP system to track, manage, and maintain raw bulk inventory, WIP inventory, and finish goods inventory.
Develop and implement lean processes to manage the economical and efficient coordination of interdepartmental logistics.
Manage all aspects of customer shipments including generation of shipping output documents, coordination of logistics or scheduling domestic/international freight forwarders.
Improve all KPI reporting for the bottling operation and implement visual aids such as report cards and production floor daily displays5.

Prepare your shipping coordinator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your shipping coordinator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a shipping coordinator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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