Director of Air Freight Control Tower - Engineering & Manufacturing

DHL Global Forwarding; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) Match

Stock Purchase Plan

Medical

Vision

Dental

Paid Time Off

Job summary

DHL Global Forwarding seeks a Director of Air Freight Control Tower for Engineering & Manufacturing to lead the NORAM operation from Peoria or Chicago. You will set strategy, governance and standards to ensure time-critical air freight executes with visibility and quality across complex shipments.

The role demands senior leadership, deep air freight knowledge, data analytics, and strong customer governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive international air freight, control tower, customer operations, or supply chain experience.
• Demonstrated leadership of managers, senior professionals, and complex regional or multinational customer portfolios.
• Strong knowledge of air freight operations, gateways, carriers, capacity, customs interfaces, trucking, and exception management.
• Experience supporting Engineering & Manufacturing, automotive, industrial, or other production‑critical supply chains preferred.
• Proven ability to lead customer governance, major escalations, continuous improvement, and cross‑functional change.
• Strong command of performance analytics, EDI and milestone quality, control tower systems, and executive reporting.
• Executive‑level communication, commercial judgment, and stakeholder‑management skills.

Responsibilities

• Control Tower Leadership: Set the NORAM strategy, governance, operating standards, and capability roadmap for Engineering & Manufacturing air freight control towers.
• Service Execution: Ensure reliable end-to-end air freight execution, milestone visibility, exception management, and delivery performance for complex, production-critical shipments.
• Customer Governance: Lead performance reviews, customer health assessments, service-risk management, and improvement plans for strategic and multinational accounts.
• Escalations & Recovery: Direct major escalations, contingency plans, service recovery, and corrective actions across countries, stations, gateways, and partners.
• Operational Excellence: Convert performance gaps and recurring failures into measurable cross-functional improvement programs.
• Data & Digital Performance: Strengthen EDI quality, milestone compliance, dashboards, predictive risk indicators, and adoption of digital customer solutions.
• People Leadership: Lead and develop control tower leaders and senior Customer Program Managers through clear goals, coaching, accountability, and succession planning.
• Commercial Partnership: Support strategic RFQs, solution design, renewals, and growth opportunities by validating operational feasibility, capacity, and service commitments.
• Voice of Customer: Translate customer feedback and sector requirements into regional operational, product, and digital priorities.

Skills

Air freight operations

Control tower

Leadership

Executive reporting

EDI & milestones

Analytics

Stakeholder management

Escalations & recovery

Education

Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Job Title: Director of Air Freight Control Tower - Engineering & Manufacturing

Job Location: Peoria or Chicago, Illinois

Job Purpose

Lead the NORAM Air Freight Control Tower for Engineering & Manufacturing customers, ensuring consistent execution, visibility, and service quality across complex and time-critical supply chains. Direct regional governance, customer performance, escalations, operational improvement, and team development while aligning control tower delivery with global standards and commercial priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Control Tower Leadership: Set the NORAM strategy, governance, operating standards, and capability roadmap for Engineering & Manufacturing air freight control towers.
• Service Execution: Ensure reliable end-to-end air freight execution, milestone visibility, exception management, and delivery performance for complex, production-critical shipments.
• Customer Governance: Lead performance reviews, customer health assessments, service-risk management, and improvement plans for strategic and multinational accounts.
• Escalations & Recovery: Direct major escalations, contingency plans, service recovery, and corrective actions across countries, stations, gateways, and partners.
• Operational Excellence: Convert performance gaps and recurring failures into measurable cross-functional improvement programs.
• Data & Digital Performance: Strengthen EDI quality, milestone compliance, dashboards, predictive risk indicators, and adoption of digital customer solutions.
• People Leadership: Lead and develop control tower leaders and senior Customer Program Managers through clear goals, coaching, accountability, and succession planning.
• Commercial Partnership: Support strategic RFQs, solution design, renewals, and growth opportunities by validating operational feasibility, capacity, and service commitments.
• Voice of Customer: Translate customer feedback and sector requirements into regional operational, product, and digital priorities.

Authority & Decision Making

• Set regional control tower priorities, governance standards, and performance expectations.
• Authorize escalation, recovery, alternate routing, capacity, and service-upgrade actions within approved guidelines.
• Assign ownership and corrective actions for customer, operational, and data-quality failures.
• Recommend investments, operating-model changes, and resource priorities through regional governance.

Key Interfaces

• Engineering & Manufacturing customers and global account teams
• DHL Air Freight Product, Stations, Gateways, Operations, and Control Towers
• Sales, Pricing, Solutions Design, Country Management, and Process Excellence
• Carriers, ground handling, trucking, security, and compliance partners

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On‑time pickup, departure, arrival, and delivery performance
• Milestone and EDI timeliness, completeness, and accuracy
• Exception aging, recovery cycle time, and escalation closure
• Customer satisfaction, SQI performance, and corrective‑action effectiveness
• Reduction in repeat incidents, service failures, and operational cost leakage
• Team capability, retention, succession readiness, and control tower maturity

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive international air freight, control tower, customer operations, or supply chain experience.
• Demonstrated leadership of managers, senior professionals, and complex regional or multinational customer portfolios.
• Strong knowledge of air freight operations, gateways, carriers, capacity, customs interfaces, trucking, and exception management.
• Experience supporting Engineering & Manufacturing, automotive, industrial, or other production‑critical supply chains preferred.
• Proven ability to lead customer governance, major escalations, continuous improvement, and cross‑functional change.
• Strong command of performance analytics, EDI and milestone quality, control tower systems, and executive reporting.
• Executive‑level communication, commercial judgment, and stakeholder‑management skills.

Pay Range: $130,011.75 - $174,349.00+ (Based on Experience)

Benefits (All Non‑Union Employees)

• Compensation: Competitive base salary plus role dependent performance‑based incentives.
• 401(k) Match: $1‑for‑$1 match up to 4% quarterly + 2% annual base contribution.
• Stock Purchase Plan: Ability to purchase Deutsche Post AG shares at a discounted rate.
• Medical: Comprehensive plans covering preventive care, inpatient/outpatient services, and prescriptions.
• Vision: Optional coverage for exams, frames, and contacts.
• Dental: Optional coverage for preventive, basic, and major services.
• Paid Time Off: 7 major holidays, 8 floating holidays, and accrued vacation/sick days.

Why Join DHL Global Forwarding?

At DHL Global Forwarding, we invest in our employees' growth, providing training, guidance, and career advancement opportunities. We believe in building careers, not just jobs, and empowering our team to develop skills and achieve long‑term success.

Be part of DHL Group, the world's leading logistics provider, operating in 220+ countries. DHL Global Forwarding (DGF) is a global leader in air and ocean freight, with 30,000+ employees ensuring seamless transport and supply chain solutions. Explore careers with us: DHL Careers.

Equal Opportunity Employer

DHL Global Forwarding is committed to equal employment opportunities, evaluating all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.