AI & Workflow Automation Specialist: Data Extraction, Automated PDF Schedules & WhatsApp Query Bot

Job Description ​About the Project: We are a freight forwarding company looking for an experienced AI & Automation Specialist to immediately streamline our weekly ocean freight scheduling operations. ​Currently, our team spends significant manual effort extracting vessel schedules from multiple shipping lines, designing individual destination schedule PDFs, and manually answering schedule inquiries from clients and sales teams. ​We are executing this in two phases. This contract is strictly for Phase 1 (Quick Operational Win), with the selected freelancer having the first opportunity to build Phase 2 (Customer Web Portal & Instant Pricing Engine). Scope of Work (Phase 1 Deliverables) ​Schedule Data Ingestion & Centralized Database: ​Extract schedule data points (POL, POD/Destination, Carrier, Vessel Name, ETD, ETA, Transit Time) from incoming carrier emails, Excel files, or PDFs using AI parsing / OCR tools. ​Centralize the data into a structured cloud database (Airtable, Google Sheets, or Supabase) designed with clean schema so it can later power a web app frontend. ​Automated Weekly PDF Generation: ​Automate the creation of our standardized weekly PDF sailing schedules across 15+ destination ports using our brand template and layout. ​Auto-organize and save generated files into weekly cloud folders (e.g., Week 40, Week 41). ​Internal & Client AI Query Bot (WhatsApp / Web / Slack): ​Deploy an AI query assistant connected to the live database so our internal team can look up next available vessels, transit times, and ETDs using natural language (English / Arabic). ​Integrate with our WhatsApp Business number to automatically answer vessel schedule inquiries and send the corresponding destination PDF to clients on demand.Required Skills & Tech Stack ​Demonstrated expertise in workflow automation tools: Make.com, n8n, Python, or Zapier. ​Strong background in AI document parsing & LLM integration (OpenAI API, Claude, or specialized OCR). ​Experience with WhatsApp Business API (via Twilio, 360dialog, WATI, or similar). ​Proficiency in database design (Airtable, PostgreSQL, Supabase, or Google Sheets). ​Prior experience with logistics, shipping lines, or freight forwarding data is a major plus. ​Fluent written and verbal English communication. How to Apply ​Please submit your proposal including: ​Two or three relevant automation or document-parsing projects you have previously delivered. ​Your recommended architecture/tools for this setup (e.g., n8n vs. Make.com, database choice). ​Estimated turnaround time and milestone-based cost breakdown for Phase 1.