Outbound Logistics Specialist

About the Role

At Beacon Recycling, our Outbound Logistics Specialist ensures sold material reaches its destination by coordinating high volumes of recycled metal from our Muskegon facility to steel mills, foundries, and industrial consumers. This role involves securing transportation, working with carriers, tracking inventory, and solving logistical challenges to turn the monthly sales plan into actual shipments. You’ll take ownership, anticipate problems, and bring flexibility to a dynamic logistics environment where the obvious solution isn’t always available.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate outbound shipments by truck, rail, and other bulk transportation methods.
• Turn the monthly sales plan into an actionable transportation schedule.
• Source trucks, railcars, and other transportation capacity to keep material moving.
• Build relationships with carriers, brokers, and owner-operators.
• Negotiate freight rates and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Monitor shipments and respond quickly to delays, equipment shortages, or disruptions.
• Develop creative alternatives when standard transportation options, schedules, or resources aren’t available.
• Balance cost, timing, customer expectations, and operational needs to find practical solutions.
• Use RIMAS, ShipCSX.com, Microsoft Office, and other logistics systems to plan, ship, trace, and audit loads.
• Collaborate with Sales, Yard Operations, and the Scale House to track inventory and prioritize shipments.
• Communicate with carriers and mill buyers about schedules, status updates, and changing needs.
• Prevent yard bottlenecks by ensuring transportation capacity aligns with operational demands.
• Maintain accurate shipment schedules, freight documentation, and inventory data.

Requirements

• Naturally take ownership of problems and proactively seek solutions.
• Manage multiple priorities without losing attention to detail.
• Anticipate transportation issues before they become emergencies.
• Bring ingenuity to problem-solving and adapt when standard approaches fail.
• Adjust quickly to new information, capacity limitations, or operational changes.
• Persist in finding alternatives rather than accepting "that won’t work."
• Communicate clearly and directly with colleagues at all organizational levels.
• Stay organized amid changing schedules and make quick decisions when needed.
• Thrive in a role where your decisions have an immediate operational impact.
• Balance urgency with accuracy and seek continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• College degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or a related field.
• Experience in logistics, transportation, third-party freight sourcing, heavy industry, or bulk material transportation preferred.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills.
• Ability to quickly learn specialized systems like RIMAS and ShipCSX.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven organizational and problem-solving abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to improvise and develop practical solutions when established processes or transportation options fall short.
• Attention to detail when handling schedules, documentation, freight information, and inventory data.

Work Environment

Beacon Recycling is a fast-paced, team-oriented industrial recycling operation. This position is based at our Muskegon facility and involves both indoor office work and interaction with outdoor yard and operational teams. You’ll collaborate closely with Sales, Operations, the Scale House, and transportation teams, requiring comfort with cross-departmental communication and proximity to daily operations.

Why This Role Matters

When outbound logistics runs smoothly, material moves efficiently, customers receive their orders, yard inventory stays manageable, and Beacon avoids unnecessary freight costs. When challenges arise, you’ll be a key problem-solver—sometimes with straightforward solutions, other times requiring creative thinking and adaptability to find a way forward. If you enjoy transportation, negotiation, creative problem-solving, and coordinating complex logistics in a fast-moving industrial environment, this role is for you.