Operations Manager — Freight Forwarding
Location: HOUSTON ,TX— on-site
Reports To: Director of Operations / General Manager
Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Schedule: Standard business hours, Monday–Friday
Compensation: Competitive base + performance bonus, commensurate with experience
Since 1987, they have delivered end-to-end logistics solutions across air, ocean, and ground freight — including time-critical transport, special handling, transborder (Canada/Mexico) shipping, and warehousing. We serve demanding verticals including automotive, aviation & MRO, electronics & high-tech, energy, medical & healthcare, retail & e-commerce, and trade shows. Our promise is simple: when you call us, you speak with an actual person — guaranteed — and your freight delivers on time. No exceptions, no excuses.
The Operations Manager owns the day-to-day execution of our freight operations — leading the operations team, driving on-time performance across all modes, managing carrier and agent relationships, and ensuring every shipment moves with the proactive communication our customers expect. This is a hands-on leadership role for a freight-forwarding operator who can balance service excellence, team development, and margin discipline in a fast-moving, multi-modal environment.
Operational Execution: Direct daily operations across air, ocean, ground, and transborder shipments — booking, routing, dispatch, documentation, and proof of delivery.
Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop a team of operations coordinators and agents; set clear KPIs, run daily stand-ups, and manage shift coverage including escalation paths for after-hours and weekend freight.
Service Performance: Own on-time delivery performance and service recovery; intervene early on at-risk shipments and communicate proactively with customers before they have to ask.
Carrier & Vendor Management: Negotiate and manage carrier, airline, ocean, cartage, and agent relationships; qualify vendors, manage capacity, and hold partners accountable to service standards.
Margin & Cost Control: Monitor file-level profitability; control buy rates, accessorials, and claims exposure to protect gross margin on every shipment.
Compliance: Ensure compliance with TSA, IATA/DG, C-TPAT, customs documentation, and transborder requirements for Canada and Mexico lanes.
Systems & Process: Leverage the TMS and proprietary tracking technology to drive visibility, exception management, and reporting; identify and implement process improvements.
Time-Critical Ops: Support time-critical and special-handling operations — charters, hand-carries, expedited ground — where minutes matter and problem-solving under pressure is the job.
Sales Support: Partner with sales on onboarding new accounts, pricing support, and standard operating procedures for key customers in automotive, aerospace/MRO, healthcare, and other core verticals.
5+ years of freight forwarding / logistics operations experience, with 5+ years in a supervisory or management role.
Multi-modal fluency: domestic and international air, ocean (FCL/LCL), FTL/LTL ground, and expedited services.
Working knowledge of transborder operations (U.S.–Canada–Mexico) and customs documentation.
Hands-on TMS proficiency (e.g., CargoWise, Magaya, Descartes, or comparable platforms) and strong Excel/reporting skills.
Proven carrier negotiation and vendor management experience.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams in a high-pressure, deadline-driven environment.
Customer-first communication style consistent with a live-person, no-excuses service culture.
Experience in time-critical/expedited freight, charters, or AOG (aircraft-on-ground) support.
Vertical experience in automotive, aviation & MRO, medical/healthcare, or trade show logistics.
Certifications: IATA/DG, Hazmat, CLTD, or Customs Broker License (CHB).
Warehouse/distribution operations exposure.
On-time delivery performance at or above company standard across all modes.
Measurable improvement in file-level gross margin and claims ratio.
Team retention and documented development plans for all direct reports.
SOPs documented for top accounts; escalation and after-hours coverage running without service gaps.
Nearly four decades in business, a reputation built on answering the phone and delivering on time, and a leadership team that invests in old-school customer service backed by new-age technology. You will run operations that customers actually notice — and stake your name on.
| Location | Houston, TX |