Logsitics and Operations VA

Job Opportunity – Remote | UK Time Zone

Excel Mastery | Freight Documentation | Bookkeeping | Executive Support

We are UK-registered SME commodity trading company specialising in agri exports — primarily cashew nuts — across West Africa to international buyers in India, Vietnam, and China. We are a fast-growing, lean operation moving hundreds of containers annually, and we run on precision, speed, and trust.
We work across multiple time zones and jurisdictions, and our team is small, intimate, intercultural, sharp, and highly accountable. We are now looking for a talented remote VA to become a core part of our operations.

THE ROLE

This is a full-time remote position working flexible hours within the UK time zone (GMT/BST). You will be the operational backbone of the business — managing our shipment data, supporting executive communications, handling bookkeeping, and keeping our systems accurate and up to date.

This is not a passive role. We need someone who takes ownership, spots problems before they escalate, and brings order to a fast-moving trading environment.

We invite the candidate to take ownership and be creative and passionate about what the are doing, curious and solution oriented.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Shipment Tracking & Documentation
Maintain and update our container shipment tracker daily
Manage export documentation: Bills of Lading, Commercial Invoices, Packing Lists, Certificates of Origin
Coordinate with carriers, freight forwarders, and suppliers on ETAs and status updates
Ensure documentation accuracy and compliance across multiple countries
Excel & Data Reporting
Build and maintain Excel-based tracking tools, dashboards, and reports
Advanced Excel skills required: VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, conditional formatting, data validation
Support Power BI reporting as we develop our operations platform
Maintain data integrity across all operational spreadsheets
Bookkeeping & Financial Administration
Maintain Excel-based bookkeeping records: income, expenses, invoices, and payments
Process and track supplier invoices and buyer payments
Reconcile transactions and flag discrepancies promptly
Support preparation of financial summaries for management review
Executive & Email Support
Manage and organise the CEO's inbox — prioritise, draft responses, and follow up
Coordinate communications with suppliers across West Africa and buyers in Asia
Draft professional correspondence, summaries, and reports
Support calendar management and scheduling across time zones

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Minimum 5 years experience in logistics coordination or freight forwarding
Advanced Excel proficiency — VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, data analysis are non-negotiable
Solid bookkeeping experience, ideally in a trading or import/export environment
Excellent written English — C1 or C2 level required
Proficient in Microsoft 365: Outlook, Excel, Word, Teams
Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Experience with Bills of Lading, commercial invoices, and export documentation preferred
Reliable internet connection and dedicated remote working setup

WHAT WE OFFER

Full-time remote role — flexible hours within UK time zone (GMT/BST)
Paid trial period to ensure mutual fit before long-term commitment
Opportunity to grow with a fast-scaling international trading business
Direct working relationship with the CEO — your work will have real impact
Stable, ongoing role for the right candidate

Candidate Assessment
Please answer all questions honestly and in your own words. There are no trick questions — we are looking for clear thinking, practical experience, and good judgement. Take your time. Quality of response matters more than speed.
All responses should be written in English. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Q1. A container of cashew nuts is booked from Abidjan, Ivory Coast to Europe. We have sent out the PO, we need to track and confirms receipt of documents. What do you track, what do you check, and how do you make sure nothing falls through the cracks?
We are looking for: process knowledge, attention to detail, and understanding of international freight documentation.

Q2. You are managing 12 active shipments simultaneously across 4 countries. It is Monday morning. How do you organise your day and prioritise your workload? What does your tracking system look like? How will you communicate the progress.
We are looking for: organisation, systems thinking, and how you handle volume under pressure.

SECTION 2 — BOOKKEEPING & INVOICE MANAGEMENT
Q3. Q3. At Colibri Global Trading we work across multiple West African countries simultaneously — Guinea (GNF), Ivory Coast & Senegal (XOF), Ghana (GHS), Guinea-Bissau (XOF), Gambia, (GMD) and Tanzania (TZS) — alongside USD, GBP, and EUR. Suppliers send invoices, price confirmations, and payment details informally via WhatsApp voice notes, WhatsApp messages, and CamScanner document photos. How would you manage this? Walk us through your system for extracting, converting, recording, and reconciling financial data that arrives in this format. What tools would you use, how would you handle currency conversion, and how would you make sure nothing gets missed or miscalculated?

Q4. Describe how you would set up a simple Excel-based bookkeeping tracker for a trading company that buys from African suppliers and sells to Asian buyers. What columns would you include? How would you handle multi-currency transactions?
We are looking for: practical Excel knowledge and financial organisation skills.

SECTION 3 — HANDLING MISTAKES & DATA ERRORS
Q5. You have been maintaining the shipment tracker for two weeks. Your manager reviews it and finds that 3 containers have incorrect ETAs and a few are missing entirely. How do you respond? What do you do in the next 30 minutes, and what do you put in place so it does not happen again?
We are looking for: accountability, problem-solving under pressure, and process improvement mindset.

Q6. Tell us about a real mistake you made in a previous role involving data or documentation. What happened, what did you do about it, and what did you learn?
We are looking for: honesty, self-awareness, and the ability to learn from errors. ( we all make mistakes and we are always learning)

SECTION 4 — SUPPLIER & BUYER COMMUNICATION UNDER PRESSURE
Q7. A buyer in India is chasing original shipping documents that were supposed to arrive 5 days ago. You contact the freight forwarder and discover the documents were sent to the wrong address. The buyer is threatening to reject the shipment. Draft the email you would send to the buyer right now.
We are looking for: professional written English, composure under pressure, and customer communication skills.


SECTION 5 — SOP WRITING TASK
Task: Write a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Write a clear, step-by-step SOP for the following process:
"Inbox Management & Email Prioritisation for a Commodity Trading Business" — covering how to manage a busy CEO inbox, triage incoming emails, prioritise urgent supplier and buyer communications, draft responses, and ensure nothing is missed or delayed.
Your SOP should include: purpose, scope, step-by-step process, priority categories, escalation rules, and any tools or templates you would use. Write it as if handing it to a colleague on their first day.

SECTION 6 — REPORTING STRUCTURE & PROJECT COORDINATION
At Colibri Global Trading, we operate across multiple time zones simultaneously — our suppliers are in West Africa (Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania), our buyers are in India, Vietnam, China, and the USA, EU , UK and our headquarters is in the UK. Keeping everything visible, coordinated, and on track is essential.
We do not believe in micromanagement — but we do believe in full transparency and daily accountability. This section asks you to give us an idea that you would use to design the reporting system you would put in place if you were hired tomorrow.

Q9. Design a daily reporting framework for this role. What would your start-of-day update look like? What would your end-of-day update include? How would you structure it so your manager always knows exactly what is moving, what is stuck, and what needs a decision — without having to ask?
We are looking for: proactive thinking, communication structure, and ownership of accountability. Show us a real format or template, not just a description.

Q10. We are coordinating active shipments and supplier relationships across West Africa, while managing buyer communications in India, Vietnam, China, and the USA — all from a UK time zone base. How would you manage your day to ensure nothing falls through the gaps across these time zones? What tools or systems would you use?
We are looking for: time zone awareness, practical coordination skills, and systems thinking across a global operation.

Q11. You are juggling 3 urgent tasks at the same time: a buyer in India is chasing documents, a supplier in Guinea has not confirmed a booking, and the weekly shipment tracker needs updating before a 2pm call. Walk us through exactly how you handle the next 90 minutes.
We are looking for: prioritisation under pressure, decisiveness, and practical task management.

Q12. What do you need from a manager to do your best work? How do you prefer to receive feedback, flag problems, and escalate issues? Be honest — we want to know how you actually work, not what sounds good.
We are looking for: self-awareness, communication maturity, and cultural fit with a lean, fast-moving team.

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.
Please return this completed document along with your CV and a brief covering note explaining why you feel you are the right fit for Colibri Global Trading.