Airfreight Operations Manager

Kevin Theobald Employment Agency; Greater London; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Kevin Theobald Employment Agency is representing an independent Heathrow forwarder with its own warehouse and fleet. They seek an Airfreight Operations Manager to own the Heathrow operation, lead a small team of operators, admin staff and drivers, and hands-on run live shipments.

You'll raise service standards, foster a customer-first culture, and position the business for growth. Equity may be offered as milestones are hit and the operation strengthens.

Qualifications

• Airfreight operations experience is required.
• Strong leadership and the ability to coach a small team.
• Hands-on mentality with readiness to handle live shipments.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day air export and import operations at Heathrow, working live shipments with the team.
• Lift customer service standards and reset the culture of an established team by coaching and setting expectations.
• Own service quality for high-value, time-critical and specialist cargo.
• Manage airline, handling agent, customs and haulier relationships to secure capacity, rates and reliability.
• Oversee the warehouse and small fleet, scheduling collections and deliveries efficiently.
• Ensure compliance with security (RA/KC), customs and dangerous goods requirements.
• Improve processes and systems so the operation can scale.
• Help shape and deliver the growth plan and support client development.

Skills

Airfreight operations

Leadership

Hands-on

Customer service

Commercial awareness

Job description

An independent Heathrow forwarder with its own warehouse and fleet of trucks, is looking for an Airfreight Operations Manager.

Location - Heathrow Salary up to £60K

Outline of the Role:

You will take full ownership of the Heathrow operation: a small team of operators as well as a couple of general admin staff and drivers. This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll run the desk, set the standard and step in on live shipments whenever needed, not manage from a distance.

The immediate priority is the operation itself: raising service standards, building a proactive customer-first culture and making the business ready to grow. Once that foundation is in place, you'll play a central part in driving growth, and hitting agreed milestones earns you equity in the business.

Duties Include:

• Lead day-to-day air export and import operations at Heathrow, working live shipments alongside the team
• Lift customer service standards and reset the culture of an established team - coaching, setting expectations and tackling under-performance
• Own service quality for high-value, time-critical and specialist cargo
• Manage airline, handling agent, customs and haulier relationships to secure capacity, rates and reliability
• Oversee the warehouse and small fleet, scheduling collections and deliveries efficiently
• Ensure compliance with security (RA/KC), customs and dangerous goods requirements
• Improve processes and systems so the operation can scale
• Help shape and deliver the growth plan once the operation is strengthened, including supporting client development

What our client is looking for:

• Strong, recent airfreight operations experience
• Solid working knowledge of both air export and import processes, airline booking, customs and security procedures
• Experience leading or supervising an operations team, with the confidence to raise standards and drive culture change
• Hands-on mentality: comfortable rolling up your sleeves on the busiest days
• Customer-first attitude and excellent communication skills
• Commercial awareness: you understand margin, cost control and what keeps clients loyal