Air Logistics Export Operational Care Specialist

Kuehne+Nagel; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 44,083 - 48,216; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and welfare benefits

401k retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Incentive compensation

Job summary

Kuehne+Nagel is seeking an Operational Care Specialist in the United States to manage air export operations, coordinating with customers, origin stations, carriers, and overseas offices while ensuring timely, compliant shipments. You will prepare documentation, monitor progress from booking to handoff, and resolve any routing or regulatory issues.

The role emphasizes collaboration with airlines, gateways, RCC teams, and overseas counterparts, maintaining service standards and optimizing

Qualifications

• 3+ years of air logistics experience.
• 2+ years of freight forwarding industry experience.
• High level of attention to detail with strong communication and organizational skills.
• Proven airfreight knowledge and expertise.
• Possess a can-do customer service mindset.
• Adaptable and able to work in a dynamic environment.
• Adherence to regulatory requirements and industry guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Manage and execute all air export operational activities accurately, compliantly, and within established timelines.
• Coordinate and communicate with customers, origin stations, carriers, overseas offices, and internal stakeholders for seamless export execution and visibility.
• Monitor export shipments from booking through departure to final destination handoff with timely updates and documentation.
• Prepare, review, and validate export documentation to ensure compliance with international trade requirements.
• Resolve operational discrepancies related to routing, carrier schedules, documentation, customs requirements, rate agreements, and customer instructions.
• Escalate shipment delays, service failures, documentation issues, and operational risks to management and drive timely corrective actions.
• Collaborate with airlines, ground handling agents, gateways, warehouses, customs brokers, RCC teams, and overseas counterparts.
• Monitor carrier performance, capacity, transit times, and service commitments, escalating concerns and identifying alternatives as needed.
• Partner with the Optimization Team to enhance export processes, maximize automation, and improve data quality.
• Drive profitability through effective export cost management, carrier selection, consolidation opportunities, and adherence to pricing and procedures.
• Identify opportunities for operational excellence and customer experience improvements, supporting continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support onboarding and implementation activities by partnering with Sales and Customer Care for new aerospace export business.
• Ensure compliance with export regulations, TSA security requirements, dangerous goods regulations, and aerospace SOPs.

Skills

Air logistics

Freight forwarding

Attention to detail

Communication

Organizational skills

Airfreight knowledge

Customer service mindset

Adaptable

Regulatory knowledge

Job description

It's more than a job

As a member of the Freight Forwarding team Kuehne+Nagel, you will play a key role in transporting goods, optimising processes, and fulfilling our customers' promises. And by transporting medicines, toys and important machine parts, you are not only delivering goods, you are making small and big moments possible for people all around the world. At Kuehne+Nagel, our contribution counts in more ways than we imagine.

The Operational Care Specialist is responsible for managing the coordination of shipments accurately and timely, meeting customer transit time requirements. The Operational Care Specialist is part of a team (Operational Care Centers) responsible for coordinating transport activities by executing the necessary bookings with our partners and gateways, generating the required documentation, and monitoring each shipment, including deviation handling. You liaise with our customer care specialists to ensure specific requirements are met (Transit Times, Carrier selection, Routings etc.). Securing buy rates (when required), as well as capacity with qualified carriers/partners and or via the KN gateways is critical. All activities are to be performed in compliance with rules and regulations governing air transport, industry, and product standards, KN standards and guidelines, and executed via KN operational systems.

How you create impact

• Manage and execute all air export operational activities accurately, compliantly, and within established timelines, ensuring customer export requirements and service commitments are consistently met.
• Coordinate and communicate proactively with customers, origin stations, carriers, overseas offices, and internal stakeholders to ensure seamless export shipment execution and visibility.
• Monitor export shipments from booking through departure and final destination handoff, ensuring timely updates, milestone tracking, and accurate documentation within internal systems.
• Prepare, review, and validate export documentation, including shipping instructions, air waybills, commercial invoices, export declarations, and other regulatory documentation to ensure compliance with international trade requirements.
• Resolve operational discrepancies related to export routing, carrier schedules, documentation, customs requirements, rate agreements, and customer instructions.
• Escalate shipment delays, service failures, documentation issues, and operational risks to management while driving timely corrective actions.
• Collaborate closely with airlines, ground handling agents, gateways, warehouses, customs brokers, RCC teams, and overseas counterparts to ensure successful export execution.
• Monitor carrier performance, capacity availability, transit times, and service commitments, escalating concerns and identifying alternative solutions when necessary.
• Partner with the Optimization Team to enhance export processes, maximize automation, improve data quality, and reduce manual interventions.
• Drive profitability through effective export cost management, carrier selection, consolidation opportunities, and adherence to agreed customer pricing and operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities for operational excellence, process improvement, and customer experience enhancements, supporting continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support customer onboarding and implementation activities by partnering with Sales and Customer Care teams to ensure successful transition of new aerospace export business into operations.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable export regulations, TSA security requirements, dangerous goods regulations, aerospace customer SOPs, and company policies.
• Act as a primary operational contact for aerospace export accounts, providing proactive communication, problem resolution, and high-touch service for time-critical and specialized shipments.

What we would like you to bring

• 3+ years of air logistics business unit experience handling air shipments.
• 2+ years of freight forwarding industry experience.
• High level of attention to detail is necessary, coupled with excellent communication and organizational skills when dealing with stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Proven track record of airfreight knowledge and expertise,
• Possess a "can do" customer service mindset.
• Adaptable and eager to work in a dynamic environment.
• Adherence to regulatory requirements is a must, and this is accompanied by a knowledge of industry specific guidelines.

This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for current or future employer sponsorship.

What's in it for you

At Kuehne+Nagel we strive daily to inspire, empower, and deliver not only to our customers, but also to our colleagues. We offer a dynamic global work environment with opportunities for excellent training programs and career mobility. The hourly wage for this role is between 32.00 and 35.00. Base wage is part of a competitive total rewards package that includes health and welfare benefits, a 401k retirement savings plan, tuition reimbursement, and incentive compensation for eligible roles. Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by a number of factors including experience, skills, job location, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations. Kuehne+Nagel reviews pay ranges regularly to ensure competitive and fair pay based on industry market data.

Kuehne+Nagel participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used to assist in specific process [e.g., screening applications, interview scheduling]. These tools analyze information to support decision-making, but final decisions are made by human reviewers.

Who we are

Logistics shapes everyday life - from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world. As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life-saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine.

We kindly advise that placement agencies refrain from submitting unsolicited profiles. Any submissions of candidates without prior signed agreement will be considered our property and no fees will be paid.

Kuehne+Nagel is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) and to compliance with all federal, state, and local laws that prohibit workplace discrimination and unlawful retaliation. Kuehne+Nagel strictly prohibits all discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religious creed or belief, physical or mental disability, marital or familial status, legally protected medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical condition), gender (including gender identity and gender expression), sexual orientation, citizenship status, protected activity (such as opposition to or reporting of prohibited discrimination or harassment. Kuehne+Nagel will also make reasonable accommodations for disabled applicants and employees, including accommodations for pregnancy and childbirth, and for the sincerely held religious beliefs of applicants and employees depending upon individual circumstances unless such accommodation would create an undue hardship on Kuehne+Nagel.