Control Tower Officer

Role Overview

The Control Tower Officer is responsible for round-the-clock supervision of transportation activities, utilizing real-time GPS and TMS tracking systems. The position ensures that deliveries adhere to schedules and service commitments while swiftly addressing any operational disruptions. Serving as a communication hub, the officer liaises between fleet, dispatch, customs, customer service teams, and clients directly. Critical situations are prioritized by urgency and meticulously managed until resolution.

Key Duties

• Continuously monitor truck movements, trips, and shipments via live GPS and tracking platforms.
• Assess trip progression versus plans, identifying and reporting delays, route changes, prolonged stops, and missed delivery windows.
• Maintain active communication with drivers, dispatchers, and third-party transport providers concerning ongoing trips.
• Prioritize critical or time-sensitive shipments and promptly escalate issues to appropriate teams.
• Collaborate with fleet, dispatch, customs clearance, customer support, and warehouse units to address and resolve operational bottlenecks.
• Document incidents including accidents, vehicle breakdowns, cargo damage, and delivery delays, ensuring follow-up until cases are fully closed.
• Provide customers and internal stakeholders with timely and precise updates on shipment status, including estimated arrival times, proof of delivery, and exceptions.
• Generate daily, weekly, and monthly reports and KPI dashboards highlighting metrics such as on-time delivery, trip turnaround times, fleet utilization, and SLA adherence.
• Ensure system data integrity by maintaining accurate records of trips, milestones, PODs, and exception logs.
• Conduct root cause analyses of repeated delays or failures and recommend corrective actions.
• Monitor driver compliance with regulations on working hours, speed limits, routes, and safety standards.
• Oversee container movements between ports, depots, and customer locations, including managing equipment returns and detention.
• Participate in shift changeovers, guaranteeing clear handover of all outstanding issues.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing operational visibility and efficiency.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 2–3 years of experience in control tower functions, transportation operations, fleet monitoring, or logistics coordination, ideally within transport, freight forwarding, or shipping sectors.

Skills and Competencies

• Hands-on experience with GPS tracking systems, fleet management tools, or Transportation Management Systems (TMS).
• Proficient in advanced Microsoft Excel features such as pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and dashboards; familiarity with Power BI considered advantageous.
• Strong knowledge of land transport logistics, trip scheduling, and performance monitoring through KPIs and SLAs.
• Understanding of container logistics, port activities, and customs clearance processes is a plus.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including performing root cause analyses.
• Ability to remain composed under pressure while managing multiple simultaneous cases.
• Effective communication and coordination skills across drivers, internal teams, and customers.
• Fluency in both Arabic and English languages.
• Willingness to work shifts, including weekends and holidays, as operational demands require.
• High attention to detail, especially regarding accurate operational reporting.