Head Of Freight Forwarding

Aspion Search; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related bonus

Autonomy to build new unit

Career progression opportunities

International backing

Job summary

Aspion Search in the UK seeks an ambitious Head of Freight Forwarding to establish and grow a brand-new UK freight forwarding business unit. You will lead across sea, road, air freight and customs, building a high-performing team and taking ownership of the P&L.

With backing from an established international logistics group, you will shape the UK operation, recruit talent, win new business and drive profitable growth from a greenfield operation.

Qualifications

• Proven freight forwarding experience across multiple modes (sea, road, air) and customs processes.
• Track record of building/growing teams and leading commercial growth.
• Strong P&L ownership and budget management experience.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to launch a new business unit.

Responsibilities

• Establish and develop the new UK freight forwarding business unit.
• Create and implement the UK commercial and growth strategy.
• Develop new business across sea, ocean, road, air freight and customs.
• Recruit, coach and develop a high-performing freight forwarding team.
• Manage budgets, forecasting and overall P&L performance.
• Provide regular commercial and operational reporting to senior management.

Skills

Freight forwarding

P&L management

Business development

Leadership

Customer relationships

Commercial awareness

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Job description

UK Head Of Freight Forwarding / Business Unit Manager

We are seeking an ambitious, commercially driven and entrepreneurial Head of Freight Forwarding / Business Unit Manager to establish and grow a brand-new UK freight forwarding business unit.

This is a genuine blank-sheet opportunity for an experienced freight forwarding professional who wants to build and grow a business, rather than simply manage an existing operation.

The successful candidate will take responsibility for developing the UK operation across sea, road, air freight and customs, building a team, developing new business and taking ownership of the day-to-day operation and overall P&L.

With established international operations across Ireland, Europe, the Middle East and the USA, the successful candidate will have the backing, infrastructure and international network of an established logistics business, while having the autonomy to shape and develop the UK operation.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is switched on, commercially minded and capable of thinking for themselves, bringing their own industry knowledge, customer relationships and ideas to create a successful and sustainable UK business.

The Benefits;

• Performance-related bonus / high earning potential
• Genuine opportunity to build and lead a new UK business unit
• Significant autonomy and commercial responsibility
• Backing of an established international logistics business
• Access to established international customers, partners and infrastructure
• Opportunity to recruit and build your own team
• Direct responsibility for the growth and profitability of the UK operation
• Excellent long-term career progression opportunities
• Flexible UK location – Liverpool, Manchester, Midlands or Greater London

The Candidate;

• Proven experience within the freight forwarding / international logistics sector
• Experience across multiple freight modes, ideally including sea, ocean, road and air freight
• Strong understanding of customs and international freight processes
• Previous experience managing and developing a team
• Proven business development and new business generation experience
• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing P&L and budgets
• Confident building relationships with customers, suppliers, agents and international partners
• An established network of customers and contacts would be highly advantageous
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build something from the ground up
• Commercially driven with a focus on sustainable, profitable growth
• Confident decision maker who can operate autonomously
• Strong leadership and people development skills
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills

Duties and Responsibilities;

• Establish and develop the new UK freight forwarding business unit
• Create and implement the UK commercial and growth strategy
• Develop new business across sea, ocean, road, air freight and customs
• Bring existing industry knowledge, relationships and customer opportunities into the new operation
• Identify, target and secure new customers across the UK market
• Build and develop a high-performing freight forwarding team
• Recruit, manage, coach and develop employees as the business grows
• Take full responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the UK business unit
• Manage budgets, forecasting and overall P&L performance
• Develop and maintain strong customer, supplier, agent and international partner relationships
• Work closely with the wider international operation to maximise global opportunities
• Develop processes and systems to support the growth of the UK operation
• Identify new revenue streams and commercial opportunities
• Negotiate commercial agreements and secure profitable business
• Monitor performance against agreed budgets, revenue and profitability targets
• Provide regular commercial and operational reporting to senior management
• Build a sustainable and scalable UK freight forwarding operation