Job description

Position Summary

The Freight Director will lead and oversee the Group's freight forwarding business across its various markets and trade lanes, providing strategic, commercial, and operational leadership.

The role requires a combination of strong technical expertise in Ocean Freight and proven senior management capabilities, including the ability to lead the Freight Manager and the wider freight organization.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving business growth, improving profitability, strengthening carrier and customer relationships, optimizing freight operations, and ensuring consistent performance across all countries within the Group's scope.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Business Development

• Develop and implement the Group's freight strategy in alignment with overall business objectives.
  
• Identify opportunities for business expansion, new markets, trade lanes, and services.
  
• Drive revenue growth, gross profit, and overall business profitability.
  
• Develop strategic customer relationships and support the acquisition of major accounts.
  
• Monitor market developments, competitive dynamics, freight trends, and industry opportunities.
  
• Identify and implement initiatives to strengthen the Group's market position.
  

2. Ocean Freight & Commercial Management

• Provide strong technical and commercial oversight of ocean freight activities, including FCL and LCL operations.
  
• Lead and optimize carrier sourcing, freight procurement, pricing strategies, and rate negotiations.
  
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with major shipping lines, freight agents, and other service providers.
  
• Monitor ocean freight rates, capacity, trade lane performance, and market developments.
  
• Ensure competitive pricing and sustainable gross margins.
  
• Support commercial teams in developing complex freight solutions and securing strategic accounts.
  
• Identify opportunities to expand ocean freight volumes and strengthen the Group's carrier network.
  

3. Operational Management

• Oversee the Group's freight forwarding operations, ensuring efficient and reliable service delivery.
  
• Establish operational standards, procedures, controls, and performance indicators.
  
• Monitor shipment performance, transit times, costs, claims, exceptions, and customer satisfaction.
  
• Ensure effective coordination between freight operations, sales, finance, and customer service.
  
• Identify operational inefficiencies and implement corrective actions.
  
• Ensure consistent service quality across all countries.
  

4. Financial & Performance Management

• Take overall responsibility for the freight business's financial performance and profitability.
  
• Manage budgets, revenue targets, gross profit, operational costs, and business forecasts.
  
• Establish and monitor commercial and operational KPIs.
  
• Analyze performance against budgets and implement improvement measures.
  
• Provide regular business performance reports and strategic recommendations to the CEO.
  

5. Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, manage, and develop the Freight Manager and the wider freight organization.
  
• Set clear objectives, responsibilities, KPIs, and performance expectations.
  
• Develop the management team's capabilities and strengthen organizational effectiveness.
  
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, profitability, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence.
  
• Ensure the organizational structure and resources are aligned with business requirements and growth plans.
  
• Develop succession and talent development plans.
  

6. Customer, Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Establish and maintain long-term relationships with key customers, shipping lines, airlines, agents, and strategic suppliers.
  
• Represent the Group in major commercial negotiations and industry events.
  
• Work closely with senior management and other business units to ensure alignment with the Group's objectives.
  

7. Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure compliance with applicable shipping, freight forwarding, customs, and trade regulations.
  
• Oversee contractual, commercial, credit, documentation, and operational risks.
  
• Ensure appropriate internal controls and governance standards across all relevant markets.
  

Candidate Profile & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
  
• Minimum 12 years of experience in freight forwarding or international logistics, including significant experience in senior management positions.
  
• Strong technical and commercial expertise in Ocean Freight (FCL/LCL), including freight procurement, pricing, shipping line negotiations, carrier relationships, and international trade lanes.
  
• Proven experience leading freight forwarding operations and managing teams through middle management, particularly Freight Managers and other senior team members.
  
• Demonstrated track record in business development, revenue growth, gross profit improvement, and P&L management.
  
• Experience overseeing operations across multiple countries or markets.
  
• Strong leadership, commercial negotiation, strategic planning, and decision-making skills.
  
• Good command of English.
  

Additional Advantage: Exposure to air and land freight forwarding and established relationships with major international shipping lines and freight networks.

Key Selection Criteria

Candidates must combine strong Ocean Freight technical and commercial expertise with proven senior leadership experience. The ability to manage a Freight Manager and lead a wider freight organization is essential.

Important: This is a senior leadership position, not simply an operational freight management role.