Freight Forwarding Operations Manager – (Air & Sea)

Optirecruit Global; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Optirecruit Global is seeking an Operations Manager – Freight Forwarding with 7–12+ years of experience to lead end-to-end air and sea freight operations across import and export. The role emphasizes pricing, vendor coordination, documentation, customs, and profitability.

You will manage a cross-functional team, optimize operations, and ensure on-time delivery while maintaining service quality and cost control. This is a senior leadership position within freight forwarding.

Qualifications

• 7–12+ years of experience in Freight Forwarding / International Logistics.
• Strong hands-on experience in Air and Sea Freight Operations.
• Experience handling both Import and Export shipments.
• Strong negotiation and vendor-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage complete Air and Sea Freight operations from booking to final delivery.
• Coordinate with airlines, shipping lines, NVOCCs, CHAs and warehouses.
• Monitor shipment milestones and resolve operational issues proactively.
• Lead and manage the Operations team and SOPs.

Skills

Freight forwarding

Operations management

Team leadership

Vendor management

Customer handling

Job description

JOB TITLE: Operations Manager – Freight Forwarding (Air & Sea)

Experience: 7–12+ Years

Function: Operations – Air & Sea Freight

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are looking for an experienced Operations Manager – Freight Forwarding who can independently manage and control the complete freight forwarding operations across Air Freight and Sea Freight – Import & Export.

The ideal candidate must have strong hands‑on knowledge of end‑to‑end shipment operations, pricing, costing, carrier/vendor coordination, documentation, customs coordination, transportation, customer handling, team management and operational profitability.

This is a senior operational role. The candidate should understand not just how to move shipments, but what every shipment costs, how it is priced, where the margin is made or lost, and how the entire operation is controlled from booking to final delivery and billing.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. END-TO-END FREIGHT OPERATIONS

• Manage complete Air and Sea Freight operations from booking to final delivery.
• Handle both Import and Export shipments.
• Manage FCL and LCL shipments.
• Coordinate with customers, airlines, shipping lines, NVOCCs, co-loaders, overseas agents, CHAs, transporters, CFSs and warehouses.
• Ensure shipments move according to agreed timelines and service commitments.
• Monitor shipment milestones and resolve operational issues proactively.

2. AIR FREIGHT OPERATIONS

• Manage Air Import and Export shipments.
• Handle airline bookings and rate coordination.
• Manage AWB, HAWB and MAWB documentation.
• Monitor flight schedules, cut-offs and cargo acceptance.
• Coordinate pre-alerts and shipment documentation.
• Track shipments and provide timely status updates.
• Handle flight cancellations, rollovers, offloads, delays and re-bookings.
• Coordinate with airlines and handling agents to ensure smooth cargo movement.

3. SEA FREIGHT OPERATIONS

• Manage Sea Import and Export operations.
• Handle FCL and LCL shipments.
• Coordinate with shipping lines, NVOCCs and co-loaders.
• Handle MBL and HBL documentation.
• Manage booking confirmations and vessel schedules.
• Coordinate Shipping Instructions (SI) and Verified Gross Mass (VGM).
• Manage container allocation, pickup, stuffing and gate-in coordination.
• Review BL drafts and manage amendments.
• Manage Arrival Notices, Delivery Orders and final delivery.
• Control detention, demurrage and free-day issues.

4. PRICING, COSTING & COMMERCIAL CONTROL

• Understand Air Freight and Sea Freight buy and sell rates.
• Obtain and negotiate rates with airlines, shipping lines, NVOCCs and other vendors.
• Understand origin and destination charges.
• Handle THC, CFS, documentation, handling, carting, transportation, customs‑related and other applicable charges.
• Calculate customer selling prices and expected gross margins.
• Identify cost leakages and unnecessary operational expenses.
• Coordinate with the Sales/Commercial team to provide accurate quotations.
• Verify vendor invoices against agreed rates.
• Ensure correct customer billing and recovery of operational charges.

5. CUSTOMS & CLEARANCE COORDINATION

• Coordinate with CHAs and customs clearance teams.
• Understand the complete Import and Export customs clearance process.
• Maintain working knowledge of Shipping Bills, Bills of Entry, ICEGATE, customs examination, assessment, Let Export Order (LEO) and Out of Charge (OOC) processes.
• Coordinate the resolution of customs queries and documentation discrepancies.
• Ensure timely customs clearance and delivery.
• Monitor shipments under customs hold or examination.

6. DOCUMENTATION

Ensure accurate and timely handling of the following documents:

• Bill of Entry
• Certificate of Origin
• Insurance and other shipment‑specific documents

7. VENDOR & CARRIER MANAGEMENT

• Maintain strong working relationships with airlines, shipping lines, NVOCCs, co-loaders, transporters, CHAs, CFSs and warehouses.
• Negotiate operational rates and service terms.
• Resolve rate disputes, service failures and operational escalations.
• Ensure vendors work according to agreed commercial and operational terms.

8. TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Lead and manage the Air and Sea Operations team.
• Allocate shipments and responsibilities to team members.
• Monitor daily operational performance.
• Establish and enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Train team members on operational procedures.
• Ensure proper coordination between Operations, Sales, Documentation, Accounts and Customer Service.
• Take ownership of critical shipments and operational escalations.

9. CUSTOMER & ESCALATION MANAGEMENT

• Act as the senior operational point of contact for key customers.
• Handle customer escalations related to delays, documentation, rates, customs clearance and delivery.
• Ensure service commitments are met.
• Maintain strong customer relationships through reliable operational execution.

10. OPERATIONAL MIS & CONTROL

• Track shipment status and pending actions.
• Monitor operational costs and revenue.
• Track detention, demurrage and other additional costs.
• Review vendor bills and customer billing.
• Prepare operational MIS and management reports.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective actions.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• 7–12+ years of experience in Freight Forwarding / International Logistics.
• Strong hands‑on experience in Air and Sea Freight Operations.
• Experience handling both Import and Export shipments.
• Strong knowledge of FCL, LCL and Air Freight.
• Strong understanding of freight rates, costing and margins.
• Good knowledge of customs clearance processes and CHA coordination.
• Experience dealing with airlines, shipping lines, NVOCCs and logistics vendors.
• Strong negotiation and vendor‑management skills.
• Experience managing an operations team.
• Strong problem‑solving and escalation‑management abilities.
• Good understanding of the commercial and financial aspects of freight forwarding.

CRITICAL REQUIREMENT

The candidate must be capable of independently explaining the complete process for an Air Export shipment and a Sea Import shipment, from booking to final delivery, including:

• Complete operational process
• Documents required at each stage
• Freight rates and local charges
• Potential operational problems and their resolution
• Customer billing

The candidate must demonstrate practical, end‑to‑end freight forwarding knowledge, not just theoretical knowledge or documentation experience.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• Customer satisfaction
• Detention and demurrage control
• Operational issue resolution
• Accurate billing and documentation

FINAL EXPECTATION

The selected candidate will be expected to take complete ownership of the Freight Forwarding Operations function across Air and Sea Freight, independently managing day‑to‑day operations, pricing, costing, vendors, customers, team performance and operational profitability.