AIR FREIGHT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION

Someone has to own the paperwork that keeps freight moving through the air. The Air Freight Manager is the person who holds dual accountability: operational control of daily shipment flow and financial integrity of every import and export transaction, including duties, VAT, and invoicing reconciliation. In a freight forwarding business, that means overseeing customs declaration submissions, including red channel import entries, while simultaneously managing the team, the carrier relationships, and the department's revenue targets. Few roles in logistics require this breadth of compliance ownership alongside direct line management of operational staff.

As the Air Freight Manager, you own end-to-end air freight operations for your region, ensuring every shipment is executed correctly, compliantly, and on time while meeting the department's commercial and financial targets. You lead a team of freight forwarders and support staff, coordinate closely with customs clearance, sales, and credit control functions, and report directly to senior operations or branch leadership.

Career Impact: Managing a live air freight operation, including customs declaration compliance and P&L accountability, builds the kind of cross-functional freight forwarding expertise that opens doors to regional director and general manager roles.

Business Impact: Shipment errors, missed declaration deadlines, or invoicing gaps translate directly into customer losses and regulatory exposure, making the Air Freight Manager's oversight the difference between a compliant, profitable lane and a costly one.

Growth Opportunity: The breadth of this role, spanning operational management, customs compliance, carrier procurement, and staff development, accelerates progression toward multi-modal or country-level leadership faster than single-function freight roles.

• Execute all import and export jobs accurately and on time, including customs declarations, financial transactions, and invoicing.
• Lead the day-to-day workflow of department staff, measuring individual activity and output every month.
• Manage the UK customs declaration process, including documentation authorization and red channel import submission.
• Monitor supplier and carrier performance across the freight network, escalating risks, and identifying improvement opportunities.
• Drive business development activity by tracking new sales leads and coordinating handover of shipments with the sales team.
• Maintain and improve standard operating procedures, ensuring all customer workflows reflect current compliance and efficiency standards.
• Ensure duties, VAT, and client invoicing are charged correctly, and follow up on late payments in coordination with credit control.
• Deliver ad-hoc compliance audits on customer entries and submit findings to the line manager within agreed reporting deadlines.

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or equivalent work experience.
• 3 or more years of air freight forwarding experience, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
• Demonstrated knowledge of UK customs import and export declaration requirements, including red channel procedures.
• Proven ability to manage department-level P&L, invoicing accuracy, and duties and VAT compliance.
• Strong commercial awareness, including understanding of freight sales rates, market margins, and carrier procurement.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills, with experience managing relationships across sales, operations, and customer service teams.
• Ability to develop and enforce standard operating procedures and deliver structured training to new team members.

• Experience using freight management and operational systems such as Cargowise or equivalent platforms, with demonstrated ability to maintain system integrity across all shipment records.
• Background in both import and export operations across multiple customer verticals, enabling flexible coverage and informed staff development.
• Familiarity with air logistics financial controls, including credit management and insurance claim escalation processes.
• Exposure to business development activity within a freight forwarding environment, including quoting and pipeline reporting.

• Customs declaration accuracy rate, measured as the percentage of entries submitted without amendment or penalty.
• On-time shipment execution rate across all import and export jobs handled by the department.
• Invoicing error rate reflects the accuracy of duties, VAT, and client billing across the billing cycle.
• Aged debt ratio within the managed portfolio, tracking late payment resolution in coordination with credit control.
• Staff activity compliance rate, measured monthly against defined operational care standards and workflow targets.
• SOP currency rate, reflecting the proportion of active procedures reviewed and updated within the defined review cycle.

• Base Salary Range: $70,000 to $95,000 annually, depending on region and portfolio size
• Bonus: Performance-based, typically 5 to 10 percent of base salary tied to operational and revenue targets
• Equity: Uncommon at this level; occasionally offered at regional or multi-site scope
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer contribution varies by carrier
• PTO: 15 to 20 days annually, plus standard federal holidays
• Common Perks: Professional development allowances, customs certification support, and employee assistance programs

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment in this role is contingent on successful completion of a background check, which may include verification of employment history and criminal record in accordance with applicable law. All qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations are available to individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Candidates must hold current authorization to work in the United States.

The Air Freight Manager owns the P&L for the North China region, overseeing supplier sourcing, daily operational management, and business development across multiple major port cities. Working closely with regional, local, and functional managers, this role shapes team growth and stakeholder relationships to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the P&L for the North China region, covering multiple major port cities.
• Source local suppliers in line with business requirements and propose selections to the head office for validation.
• Measure and monitor supplier performance in collaboration with the quality team.
• Define operational requirements and ensure the implementation of new strategies, initiatives, and KPIs to meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Conduct daily operational management and monitoring, including risk and opportunity identification.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce a safe and fully compliant working environment through active participation in all required policies.
• Drive business development by identifying new opportunities and improving underperforming business areas.
• Work closely with regional, local, and functional managers to develop sales opportunities.
• Manage and motivate the North China team to foster growth, diversity, and continuous progression within roles.
• Build and develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders to ensure clear communication.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Business Administration, Logistics, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in the air freight forwarding industry, with at least 5 years at the management level.
• Strong familiarity with the industry and market, including a thorough understanding of overall operational processes.
• Commercial acumen with strong negotiation and leadership skills, and experience in a managerial position.
• Proficiency in the Cargowise system is an advantage.
• Proactive and analytical, with strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work under pressure and independently.

Embedded within the air logistics department, the Air Freight Manager leads a team of export and import freight forwarders and a freight administrator to keep operations running smoothly across all air freight functions. Working closely with the customs clearance manager and commercial teams, this role delivers operational and financial goals through improved processes, strategic account support, and high-quality export and import services.

Core Functions

• Provide leadership to the operational and revenue care organisation.
• Improve proceedings to ensure the development of air logistics operational and financial goals.
• Support air logistics procurement and carrier/supplier relationship management.
• Provide a high level of quality for export and import services.
• Work with sales on strategic accounts and with customer service to gain customer-specific knowledge and receive first-hand feedback on operational execution, billing, payment issues, and other revenue-related topics.
• Support the development of new and existing customer targets.
• Manage and perform all tasks and statuses reliably and in accordance with defined operational care standards and goals.
• Minimise overdue air logistics tasks and action tags, and enter notes accordingly.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's or first university degree in Supply Chain Management or Finance.
• Minimum 2 years of leadership experience, both direct and virtual.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in air logistics and freight forwarding.
• Minimum 2 years of knowledge in air logistics, including in a finance context.
• Knowledge of operational systems and the interaction between systems within an air logistics environment.

Reporting to senior commercial leadership, the Air Freight Manager leads product definition, carrier and supplier relationships, and budgetary control for a designated air freight product. Partnering with operational and commercial teams through monthly review meetings, this role builds consumer awareness and delivers innovative IT solutions that strengthen procurement and market positioning.

Primary Duties

• Clearly define the chosen product to internal customers.
• Lead monthly review meetings with operational and commercial teams to deliver marketing and strategy plans.
• Create consumer awareness for the chosen product.
• Manage budgetary control of the chosen product.
• Manage and develop carrier and supplier relationships.
• Deliver innovative IT solutions relevant to the product.
• Take responsibility for the procurement of services relating to the product.

Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in international stakeholder management.
• Product management experience.
• Supplier and procurement management skills.
• Knowledge of sales rates and market margins.
• Strong management skills with the ability to motivate and inspire people.
• Excellent presentation skills.

The Air Freight Manager leads all UK import and export operations, overseeing customs declaration submissions, invoicing accuracy, and SOP compliance across the full freight forwarding department. Working alongside sales teams, credit control, and the line manager, the Air Freight Manager ensures every shipment is executed correctly and on time while maintaining customer and inter-departmental relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Understand and execute the department's vision of good business development.
• Complete all Import/Export jobs correctly and on time, including financial, legal, and invoicing transactions.
• Assist in delivering a training programme to all new starters in airfreight and customs when asked to.
• Complete ad-hoc and spot checks on customer entries and submit reports to the line manager weekly.
• Maintain and utilise the operational system at all times.
• Maintain regular communication with sales teams, reporting new sales leads, and handover of shipments.
• Create new and maintain current SOPs for the department.
• Communicate quotations to the line manager/sales team and ensure all quotations are recorded on the system in one format.
• Implement and improve new efficiencies in customer workflow.
• Ensure all reports are generated by the given deadlines.
• Accurately complete all invoicing for imports, exports, and clients.
• Follow up on late customer payments in conjunction with credit control.
• Maintain excellent customer and inter-departmental relationships at all times.
• Provide holiday and sickness cover as required.
• Ensure insurances are charged correctly, and any insurance claims are handed to the line manager without delay.

Required Qualifications

• Experience in Air Freight within a managerial role.
• Freight forwarding background.
• UK Experience ONLY.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills.