District Freight Forwarding Leader

Rhenus Logistics; Illinois; On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Rhenus Logistics in Illinois seeks a District Manager with 7–10 years in international freight forwarding to lead P&L, budgeting, and multi-site operations.

You will partner with Sales, Product, Finance, and HR to drive revenue growth, optimize costs, and ensure regulatory compliance across Air and Ocean product.

This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and travel across district branches to align with corporate standards.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of progressive leadership in international freight forwarding and multi-site operations.
• Experience managing P&L, budgets, forecasts, cost controls, and profitability initiatives.
• Strong operational and commercial knowledge of air and ocean freight forwarding, including import/export.
• Proven track record of revenue growth via business development and key account management.
• Experience leading branch operations across multiple locations and improving service quality.
• People leadership, coaching managers, performance management and succession planning.
• Knowledge of freight forwarding regulations, compliance, and industry best practices.
• Ability to collaborate with Product, Sales, Finance, HR, and Ops in a matrix organization.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen with KPI reporting experience.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management with senior leadership and key accounts.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and drive organizational change.
• Bachelor-level degree or equivalent in a related field; industry experience considered.
• Proficiency with freight forwarding systems; CargoWise or similar is an asset.
• Excellent written and verbal English; other languages are a plus.
• Willingness to travel regularly between district branches.

Responsibilities

• Lead district P&L including budgeting, forecasting, and financial targets for the US-IL operations.
• Monitor district financial performance and implement corrective actions to achieve profitability and growth.
• Oversee credit management, AR, and financial risk controls.
• Analyze pricing, cost components, and margins to improve financial performance.
• Prepare and present district performance reports and strategic recommendations to regional leadership.
• Drive district revenue growth through strategic business development and key account management.
• Partner with Sales and Product to identify opportunities and expand air/ocean freight volumes.
• Support competitive freight forwarding solutions, pricing, and cross-selling opportunities.
• Maintain relationships with strategic customers, addressing escalations for long-term profitability.
• Monitor market trends and customer requirements to shape district commercial strategies.
• Provide leadership to branch management teams; oversee workforce planning and development.

Skills

P&L management

Strategic leadership

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

English proficiency

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or related

Tools

CargoWise

Job description

Rhenus Logistics in Illinois seeks a District Manager with 7–10 years in international freight forwarding to lead P&L, budgeting, and multi-site operations.

You will partner with Sales, Product, Finance, and HR to drive revenue growth, optimize costs, and ensure regulatory compliance across Air and Ocean product.

This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and travel across district branches to align with corporate standards.