Manager - O

DHL Freight; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

DHL Freight Chennai is seeking an experienced Manager - OFR to lead Ocean Freight and Freight Forwarding operations. You will manage a large operations team, drive process improvements, automation and digitalisation, and develop Power BI dashboards to monitor KPIs.

You will be the primary customer-facing contact, coordinate with stakeholders and technology teams, and ensure compliance with SOPs and quality standards while delivering measurable performance improvements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Ocean Freight, Freight Forwarding or Logistics Operations.
• 3+ years leading teams of 30+ employees.
• Strong customer-facing and stakeholder management.
• Proven automation, digitalisation or process transformation experience.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret operational data.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day Ocean Freight / Freight Forwarding operations, ensuring service quality, operational efficiency and SLA adherence.
• Lead and manage a team of 30+ employees, including performance management, coaching, workload allocation and capability development.
• Act as a key customer-facing point of contact, managing escalations, service reviews and operational performance discussions.
• Drive process improvement, automation and digitalisation initiatives across freight operations.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate manual activities, improve productivity and enhance customer experience through technology.
• Analyze operational data and provide actionable insights to management and business stakeholders.
• Track key metrics such as productivity, SLA adherence, shipment performance, turnaround time, quality, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Conduct root-cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions for recurring operational issues.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, customers, technology teams and other business functions to deliver operational improvements.
• Ensure adherence to standard operating procedures, compliance requirements and organizational quality standards.
• Prepare regular MIS, KPI and management reports and present insights to senior leadership.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to improve cost efficiency, quality and overall operational performance.

Job description

Job Description

Designation - Manager - OFR

Location - Chennai

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced Ocean Freight / Freight Forwarding Operations professional with strong people-management, customer-facing, analytical and digital transformation experience. The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience managing large operations teams, driving process improvements and automation initiatives, developing Power BI dashboards, and monitoring operational KPIs. Experience with CargoWise and DHL freight operations will be an added advantage.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage day‑to‑day Ocean Freight / Freight Forwarding operations, ensuring service quality, operational efficiency and SLA adherence.
• Lead and manage a team of 30+ employees, including performance management, coaching, workload allocation and capability development.
• Act as a key customer‑facing point of contact, managing escalations, service reviews and operational performance discussions.
• Drive process improvement, automation and digitalisation initiatives across freight operations.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate manual activities, improve productivity and enhance customer experience through technology.
• Analyze operational data and provide actionable insights to management and business stakeholders.
• Track key metrics such as productivity, SLA adherence, shipment performance, turnaround time, quality, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Conduct root‑cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions for recurring operational issues.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, customers, technology teams and other business functions to deliver operational improvements.
• Ensure adherence to standard operating procedures, compliance requirements and organizational quality standards.
• Prepare regular MIS, KPI and management reports and present insights to senior leadership.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to improve cost efficiency, quality and overall operational performance.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of experience in Ocean Freight, Freight Forwarding or Logistics Operations.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience managing teams of 30+ employees.
• Strong customer‑facing and stakeholder‑management experience.
• Proven track record of delivering automation, digitalization or process‑transformation projects.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret operational data and identify trends and opportunities.
• Strong process improvement and problem‑solving mindset.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple operational priorities in a fast‑paced environment.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with CargoWise or similar freight‑forwarding platforms.
• Experience working with DHL freight / logistics operations.
• Exposure to digital transformation, workflow automation or RPA initiatives.
• Knowledge of Ocean Freight KPIs, shipment lifecycle and freight‑forwarding processes.
• Experience working with global customers and geographically distributed teams.