What does an export manager do?
Export manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real export manager resumes:
- Manage all NVOCC and freight forwarding operations.
- Negotiate and manage export carrier contracts, trucking, full container loads, LCL and airfreight.
- Proof read, manage and negotiate contracts with national carriers and rates obtain from NVOCC's.
- Streamline logistics management by designing, developing and programming web-base applications for preparing shipping quotes and managing export documents.
- Full air and ocean (FCL and LCL) export operations by using IES software.
- Receive and track goods from factories to freight forwarders and to the final destination to ensure deliveries are accurate and punctual.
- Maintain strong relationships with overseas customers and freight forwarders.
- Enforce mandatory U.S. Customs, FDA, USDA, TSA, OSHA regulations.
- Initiate the company's C-TPAT certification.
- Develop KPI's to chart global contract vendors compliance.
- Monitor legal documents pertaining to FDA and EPA regulations.
- Handle special cases of refused/seize cargo with CBP and FPF.
- Confer and comply with agencies including FDA, USDA and EPA.
- Draft and implement office relate procedures as an ISO implementation team member.
- Work with USDA for compliance with Australian import regulations for dairy products.
Export manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Export Managers are proficient in Logistics, Customer Service, and Booking. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Leadership skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Export Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Logistics, 14%
Ensured overall export operations of assigned regions, including shipping & logistics and other exports procedures through documentation and logistic team.
- Customer Service, 12%
Commended consistently for achieving on time delivery commitments.- Noted for achieving consistent excellent results is customer service both locally and overseas.
- Booking, 8%
Revise the Traffic and documentation Department - Supervise and support the booking department - Increase and improve the customer list.
- Export Compliance, 5%
Managed team responsible for reviewing all engineering documentation for contractual and export compliance requirements.
- Forwarders, 5%
Maintained strong relationships with overseas customers and freight forwarders.
- AES, 4%
Evaluated and improved international documentation processes, including analyzing recommending and upgrading current AES software.
"logistics," "customer service," and "booking" are among the most common skills that export managers use at work. You can find even more export manager responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an export manager to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what export managers do because "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." Additionally, an export manager resume shows how export managers use analytical skills: "analyzed, updated and adjusted rates and terms on various service contracts. "
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform export manager duties is leadership skills. Export managers responsibilities require that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." Export managers also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "develop leadership skills including planning, distribution, logistics, transportation, and customer operations. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for export managers to perform their duties. For an example of how export manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an export manager: "export logistics efficiency improvement: reduced short shipments 90% and late shipments 70% by improving communications among all departments. ".
Customer-service skills. For certain export manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "customer-service skills." The day-to-day duties of an export manager rely on this skill, as "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what export managers do: "market research to identify potential markets, new partners and customers. "
The three companies that hire the most export managers are:
- Vyaire Medical13 export managers jobs
- Airbus4 export managers jobs
- Kuehne+Nagel4 export managers jobs
Compare different export managers
Export manager vs. International sales manager
An International Sales Manager is responsible for coordinating the sales department's global operations through sales volume monitoring and establishing goals. International Sales Managers maintain the company's global sales for services and commodities, and create methodical procedures and ideas to attract and persuade international clients to buy. In addition, it is their duty to plan, inspire, and motivate the sales workforce, and prepare and create daily, monthly, and annual sales reports. They also design and enforce a variety of assessment programs and plans.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an export manager are more likely to require skills like "logistics," "customer service," "booking," and "aes." On the other hand, a job as an international sales manager requires skills like "product development," "distribution channels," "sales strategies," and "r." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
International sales managers earn the highest salaries when working in the transportation industry, with an average yearly salary of $81,240. On the other hand, export managers are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $77,016.On average, international sales managers reach similar levels of education than export managers. International sales managers are 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Export manager vs. Client relationship manager
Client Relationship Managers handle special client accounts for the company. They are usually assigned to essential clients or corporate accounts. They ensure that the company keeps these clients engaged. Client Relationship Managers work hard to build professional working relationships. They give special attention to the assigned client accounts and provide clients with updates on company services and promotions. They tend to any concerns that clients may have, and they ensure that these concerns are properly addressed and resolved. Client Relationship Managers are entrusted to build and strengthen the company's relationship with a client. As such, they are expected to be professional, friendly, and collaborative.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real export manager resumes. While export manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "logistics," "booking," "export compliance," and "forwarders," client relationship managers use skills like "client service," "client satisfaction," "client facing," and "product knowledge."
Client relationship managers may earn a higher salary than export managers, but client relationship managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $101,935. On the other hand, export managers receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $77,016.In general, client relationship managers achieve similar levels of education than export managers. They're 3.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Export manager vs. National accounts sales manager
A national accounts sales manager is responsible for maintaining healthy business relationships with clients by managing and monitoring the performance of their accounts. National accounts sales managers establish reasonable sales targets and develop techniques that would maximize sales staff productivity and efficiency. They conduct data and statistical analysis with the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase profitability. A national accounts sales manager negotiates contracts and agreements with clients and ensures their brand consistency in the market.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an export manager is likely to be skilled in "logistics," "customer service," "booking," and "export compliance," while a typical national accounts sales manager is skilled in "national accounts," "healthcare," "account management," and "crm."
National accounts sales managers earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $103,530. Export managers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $77,016.When it comes to education, national accounts sales managers tend to earn lower degree levels compared to export managers. In fact, they're 7.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Export manager vs. Inside sales manager
An inside sales manager is the one who leads the sales team to meet the organization's sales targets. The sales managers recruit, handle, and train the professional development of the sales team. It is their duty to set the goals of the company, provide sales reports, set departmental budgets, and track sales. They collaborate with the marketing department to make sure that the sales staff receives quality leads. Also, they address and resolve complaints from customers.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between export managers and inside sales managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an export manager might have more use for skills like "logistics," "booking," "export compliance," and "forwarders." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of inside sales managers require skills like "crm," "salesforce," "customer satisfaction," and "product knowledge. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for inside sales managers, with average annual pay of $81,903. Comparatively, the highest export manager annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.The average resume of inside sales managers showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to export managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 8.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.0%.Types of export manager
Updated January 8, 2025