Published: Aug 19, 2025 - The Import Assistant is responsible for coordinating container orders, processing shipping documents, and preparing customs entries to ensure smooth and compliant import operations. This role involves managing international payments, expediting shipments with suppliers, monitoring intranet-based systems, and conducting customs tariff and compliance checks, including Brexit-related transactions. The assistant also investigates and resolves shipment issues, handles supplier claims, manages invoice queries, and supports the import department with general administration and reporting tasks.

Tips for Import Assistant Skills and Responsibilities on a Resume
1. Import Assistant, Horizon Supply Partners, Tacoma, WA
Job Summary:
- Maintain and manage import inventory, including performing inventory adjustments, maintaining and auditing inventory levels at off-site warehouses, and running weekly reports.
- Coordinate the material needed from one warehouse to another to fulfill customer orders.
- Keep proper personnel informed of important developments, potential problems and related information necessary for effective management of inventory.
- Maintain import programs by generating weekly supplier orders, creating proformas, and receiving product into the system.
- Responsible for customers’ sales orders allocation, generating pick lists and pack lists, and shipping.
- Communicate with order entry and customer service regarding any concerns related to quantities, schedules, specifications, part numbers, expedited orders, prices, and pricing issues.
- Provide information to the sales team, customers and others concerning the status of orders, delivery information, lead-times, freight coordination, and other matters.
- Coordinate with scheduling to expedite the delivery of products in emergency situations.
- Understand and keep up to date with the status of containers during their transit.
- Responsible for confirming delivery orders.
Skills on Resume:
- Inventory Control (Hard Skills)
- Warehouse Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Problem-Solving (Soft Skills)
- Order Processing (Hard Skills)
- Order Fulfillment (Hard Skills)
- Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Freight Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Delivery Tracking (Hard Skills)
2. Import Assistant, Greenfield Maritime Services, Peoria, IL
Job Summary:
- Communicate with the global logistics team about delays.
- Continually monitor customers’ expectations, programs, specifications, service activities, and results.
- Take or recommend necessary corrective action to improve results and exceed expectations.
- Maintain data and filing system for import department documents, which will include sensitive material such as individual supplier programs and related information, correspondence files, samples, customer product and competitor information.
- Assist with filing customer orders by customer and purchase orders by number and manage for 7 years.
- Record and code all invoices for the import programs, including freight, supplier payment, and miscellaneous items.
- Participate in coordinating all information on forecasting of existing and new products.
- Communicate information to ensure accurate reserve and forecast data for assigned customers.
- Generate and maintain import processes for all new and existing import programs.
- Assist with annual and quarterly review of physical counts of inventory, customer consumption against forecast.
Skills on Resume:
- Global Communication (Soft Skills)
- Customer Monitoring (Soft Skills)
- Data Management (Hard Skills)
- Order Filing (Hard Skills)
- Invoice Processing (Hard Skills)
- Forecast Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Process Management (Hard Skills)
- Inventory Review (Hard Skills)
3. Import Assistant, Blue Ridge Trade Solutions, Roanoke, VA
Job Summary:
- Follow internal procedures to create compliant Customs entry files, both digitally and with paper.
- Responsible for correspondence in English via email and voice with Buyers, vendors, service providers, and colleagues.
- Maintain a high level of customer service and professionalism.
- Maintain the current record-keeping system, both digitally and physically, for compliant Customs entry files.
- Work closely and collaborate with fellow Import team associates, Buyers, vendors, and service providers to accomplish special projects.
- Cross-train to learn new duties within the Import Department and assist in them.
- Responsible for maintaining Item Master.
- Provide reporting, as well as audit support.
Skills on Resume:
- Customs Compliance (Hard Skills)
- English Communication (Soft Skills)
- Customer Service (Soft Skills)
- Record Management (Hard Skills)
- Team Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Cross Training (Soft Skills)
- Item Management (Hard Skills)
- Reporting Auditing (Hard Skills)
4. Import Assistant, Cascade Import Group, Bend, OR
Job Summary:
- Responsible for registering container orders.
- Responsible for processing shipping documents.
- Check and raise international payments.
- Responsible for preparing customs entries.
- Expedit shipments, shipping documents and container releases with suppliers.
- Review/issue of daily reports.
- Investigate and resolve shipment issues (loading/price/cube).
- Update and monitor information on a bespoke intranet-based system.
- Raise and resolve claims with suppliers (UK and International).
- Responsible for Customs Entries and Tariff compliance checks.
- Invoice checks, entries, and queries.
- Brexit transactions, EU and Ireland clearance process and compliance checks.
- General admin and correspondence within the import department.
Skills on Resume:
- Container Registration (Hard Skills)
- Shipping Documents (Hard Skills)
- Payment Processing (Hard Skills)
- Customs Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Shipment Expediting (Hard Skills)
- Report Handling (Hard Skills)
- Issue Resolution (Soft Skills)
- System Monitoring (Hard Skills)
5. Import Assistant, Lakeshore Global Resources, Duluth, MN
Job Summary:
- Follow up and verify all warehouse counts.
- Notify production of any discrepancies in warehouse counts.
- Follow up with the warehouse to verify shortages.
- Issue chargebacks (for any import issues) and maintain a chargeback log.
- Set up all TT payments to vendors.
- Mark shipments complete on the shared corporate drive.
- Log in to the payment advice from the banks.
- Deal with import FCL, LCL, and sea freight shipments.
Skills on Resume:
- Warehouse Verification (Hard Skills)
- Discrepancy Reporting (Hard Skills)
- Shortage Follow-Up (Hard Skills)
- Chargeback Management (Hard Skills)
- Payment Processing (Hard Skills)
- Shipment Tracking (Hard Skills)
- Bank Reconciliation (Hard Skills)
- Freight Handling (Hard Skills)
6. Import Assistant, Redwood Commodity Carriers, Santa Rosa, CA
Job Summary:
- Issue purchase orders according to inventory and sales projections.
- Responsible for negotiation with suppliers.
- Carry out the total cost of imports until the product reaches the warehouse.
- Coordinate with the suppliers of the shipment dates.
- Follow up on the entire import process (request for permits, review of documents, request for insurance, etc.) until disembarkation in warehouses.
- Coordinate with the Customs agency on the issuance of proformas for customs clearance expenses, duty payments and the import nationalization process.
- Book clients' deliveries with shipping lines or merchant hauliers.
- Deal with correspondence from overseas agents and clients.
- Work under their own initiative, but also take direction.
Skills on Resume:
- Purchase Orders (Hard Skills)
- Supplier Negotiation (Soft Skills)
- Import Costing (Hard Skills)
- Shipment Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Import Process (Hard Skills)
- Customs Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Delivery Booking (Hard Skills)
- Client Communication (Soft Skills)