Route Manager

Think Specialist Recruitment; London Borough of Bromley; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Job summary

Think Specialist Recruitment is seeking a Route Manager in Hemel Hempstead for a global freight forwarder. The role focuses on airfreight procurement, pricing strategies and capacity management across the UK network, reporting into the commercial team.

You will secure best pricing, manage airline relationships, and provide market insight to win business. The position is office-based with a salary in the £40k+ range and a potential late-40s figure, plus an annual bonus scheme.

Qualifications

• Around five years' experience in airfreight preferred.
• Excellent negotiation skills with carriers or suppliers.
• Strong communication skills internally and externally.
• Solid understanding of how airfreight moves and ability to challenge when needed.
• Able to build strong relationships with suppliers and colleagues.
• Focused on solving problems with a positive, can-do attitude.
• Customer-focused and a good team player.
• Good IT awareness and ability to analyse performance data.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the airfreight procurement strategy, supporting airline relationships behind it.
• Secure the best pricing through contract and spot buying.
• Plan consolidations and protect capacity, working with operations and stations.
• Optimise consolidations and control volume paid.
• Take commercial ownership of gateway shipments and back-to-back shipments.
• Define and manage internal rates.
• Analyse market and customer demand to balance supply and demand.
• Monitor carrier performance and take corrective action where needed.

Skills

Airfreight knowledge

Negotiation

Communication

Airfreight operations

Relationship building

Problem solving

Customer focus

Data analysis

Job description

Route Manager - Hemel Hempstead

Think Specialist Recruitment are working with a leading global freight forwarder to recruit a Route Manager for their UK airfreight team. You'll deliver procurement and carrier management strategies that balance cost, capacity and service, working closely with operations teams, stations, gateways and airline partners.

This is a commercial role rather than an operational one. You'll secure the best pricing, protect capacity, manage airline relationships and give the wider UK network the market insight it needs to win and deliver business.

This position is a fully office based role working in our clients Hayes site, on offer is a salary from £40k+ per annum dependent on experience which could see the successful candidate secure a salary in the late 40's, along with an annual bonus scheme.

The role

• Deliver the airfreight procurement strategy, supporting the airline relationships that sit behind it
• Secure the best pricing through contract and spot buying
• Plan consolidations and protect capacity, working directly with operations and stations
• Optimise consolidations and control volume paid
• Take commercial ownership of gateway shipments, consolidations and some back-to-back shipments
• Define and manage internal rates
• Analyse the market and customer demand to balance supply and demand
• Monitor carrier performance using internal reports and take corrective action locally or escale where needed
• Provide market information, guidance and support to the wider UK network
• Make sure all activity meets compliance and code-of-conduct requirements, including anti-corruption
• Contribute to the continuous improvement programme

About you

• Strong commercial understanding of the airfreight industry, with around five years' experience preferred
• Excellent negotiation skills, with a track record of securing results with carriers or suppliers
• Excellent communication skills, internally and externally
• Good operational understanding of how airfreight moves, and the confidence to challenge when needed
• Able to build strong relationships with suppliers and colleagues
• A strong problem solver and results driven, with a positive "can do" attitude
• Customer focused, and a good team player
• Good IT awareness, with confidence in analysing performance data and reports