Ocean Export Team Lead

Ari Agency Executive Search & Digital Recruitment; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ari Agency Executive Search & Digital Recruitment is partnering with a client to fill an Ocean Export Team Lead role in Toronto. This hybrid position requires a hands-on operations leader who can architect our ocean-export processes and bridge to the carrier network.

You will own the desk, mentor the team, audit workflows, drive margin discipline, and champion IT/tool adoption to reduce admin overhead.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in international freight forwarding, with full-cycle exposure.
• Proactive go-getter who initiates improvements.
• Comfort troubleshooting under pressure across time zones.
• Confident communicator, building external partner relationships.
• Strong knowledge of export docs, compliance, and logistics workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead ocean export team and act as escalation point for complex files.
• Audit current workflows and identify improvement opportunities.
• Strengthen relationships with ocean carrier partners and drive service levels.
• Drive process improvements between Operations and Pricing/Procurement.
• Lead adoption of new tools and AI-driven procedures to reduce overhead.
• Document workflows and establish standards to support team growth.

Skills

Freight forwarding

Go-getter mindset

Operational troubleshooting

Active communication

Export documentation

Job description

Role: Operations Leadership, Ocean Export Division

Role Overview

The client is currently specializing its operations into dedicated mode-based divisions to better serve our high-value client base. We are seeking a proactive Ocean Export Team Lead to step into this newly created role.

This is not a traditional back-office operations role. We are looking for an \"architect\" of ocean exports—someone who is not content to simply move files from A to B, but who has the drive to challenge the status quo, streamline our processes, and serve as the primary bridge to our carrier network. You will lead our ocean export team, acting as an escalation point for complex files while actively driving service standards and profitability.

Role Goals & Milestones

• Operational Mastery: Achieve full proficiency in operational processes, taking ownership of the current ocean export desk and handling complex high-value accounts.
• Relationship Building: Establish a rapport with the existing team and initiate contact with our primary ocean carrier representatives, transitioning these from transactional links to active partnerships.
• Process Assessment: Complete a thorough audit of current workflows to identify at least one \"low-hanging fruit\" opportunity to reduce errors or manual work.

6 Months: Process Improvement & Strategic Bridging

• Vendor Strategy: Solidify our carrier partnerships. You will be the go-to person for troubleshooting issues and negotiating special rates/service levels when bottlenecks arise.
• Workflow Optimization: Execute the process improvement plan identified in your first quarter, focusing on streamlining internal communication between Operations and Pricing/Procurement.
• Proactive Margin Management: Demonstrate active involvement in file profitability by identifying cost, rate, and billing discrepancies before they impact the bottom line.
• Leadership & Culture: Establish clear team standards and foster a culture of professional growth, mentoring team members to increase their operational discipline.
• Tech Integration: Lead the adoption of new system tools and AI-driven procedures to reduce administrative overhead and increase file-handling capacity.
• Divisional Growth: Contribute to the scalability of the division by documenting workflows and establishing a standard for ocean export excellence that can support future team growth.

Candidate Profile Need-to-Haves

• Freight Forwarding DNA: 5+ years of experience specifically within an international freight forwarding environment. We need someone who understands the \"full-cycle\" of the forwarder role—carrier-only or shipper-only experience is not a fit for our operations.
• The \"Go-Getter\" Mindset: You are not just looking for a routine job. You have a track record of identifying better ways to do things and taking the initiative to implement those changes.
• Operational Troubleshooting: Comfort in high-pressure environments where you must troubleshoot complex issues, coordinate across international time zones, and step in immediately when shipments go off-course.
• Active Communication: You are comfortable picking up the phone to resolve issues rather than relying solely on emails. You enjoy building rapport with external partners and vendors.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of export documentation, compliance, and international logistics workflows.

Nice-to-Haves

• Tech & AI Enthusiasm: Direct experience implementing workflow improvements, CRM/TMS system upgrades, or AI tools to increase efficiency.
• Cross-Modal Knowledge: Exposure to import or air export operations, or experience working closely with procurement/pricing teams.
• Complex Cargo Exposure: Experience dealing with high-value, sensitive, or over-dimensional shipments.

This role is hybrid in Toronto, with an exception of remote in Montreal.