Operations Supervisor - Air

Forward Air

Euless, TX

JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
Air Cargo, Billing, Brokerage, Cargo/Freight, Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Coaching, Communication Skills, Continuous Improvement, Cost Control, Customer Escalations, Customer Relations, Customer Support/Service, Data Entry, Data Quality, Develop and Maintain Customers, Documentation, Freight Forwarding, Import/Export, Information/Data Security (InfoSec), International Trade Law, Leadership, Logistics, Maintain Compliance, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Product Family, Microsoft Windows Operating System, Microsoft Word, Network Routing, Operations Management, Organizational Skills, Partner Sales, Performance Metrics, Presentation/Verbal Skills, Pricing, Problem Solving Skills, Process Development, Quality Management, Regulatory Compliance, Safety Compliance, Service Level Agreement (SLA), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Supply Chain, Systems Administration/Management, Team Lead/Manager, Time Management, Trucking, Web Conferencing, WebEx, Writing Skills
LOCATION
Euless, TX
POSTED
Today

The Operations Supervisor – Air Freight is responsible for leading daily air import and export operations to ensure timely, compliant, and cost‑effective movement of international freight. They oversee a team of air freight forwarding professionals while serving as a subject matter expert across export documentation, import clearance, carrier coordination, and customer service. They partner closely with internal stakeholders, airlines, customs brokers, and overseas offices to drive operational excellence. They play a critical role in maintaining service quality, meeting SLAs, and resolving escalated shipment issues. This hands‑on leader brings strong background in international air freight processes, and a continuous‑improvement mindset. 

 

Responsibilities

  • Supervise day‑to‑day air import and export operations, ensuring compliance with international trade regulations and company SOPs.
  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of air freight coordinators, promoting accountability, accuracy, and service excellence.
  • Oversee end‑to‑end shipment lifecycle management, including booking, documentation, customs coordination, and final delivery.
  • Ensure adherence to airline, TSA, IATA, and customs requirements for international air freight movements.
  • Monitor operational KPIs such as transit times, service levels, cost control, and shipment accuracy.
  • Serve as the escalation point for customer issues, shipment delays, and operational exceptions, driving timely resolution.
  • Coordinate closely with overseas agents, airline partners, customs brokers, and trucking providers.
  • Review and approve air freight documentation, including MAWB/HAWB, commercial invoices, packing lists, and export filings.
  • Support pricing, routing, and capacity decisions in partnership with sales and network teams.
  • Identify process gaps and implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and service quality.
  • Ensure accurate and timely data entry within the freight forwarding and transportation management systems.
  • Maintain strong customer relationships by ensuring consistent communication and proactive issue management.
  • Support staffing, scheduling, and workload balancing to meet operational demands.
  • Promote a culture of safety, compliance, and operational discipline.
  • All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

 

Qualifications

  • Education: High School Diploma or GED equivalent required; Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field preferred.
  • Certification/Licensure: IATA/FIATA certification, Certified Customs Specialist (CCS), or similar industry credentials preferred.
  • Experience: 5+ years of experience in international air freight import and export operations.
  • Prior supervisory or team lead experience within a freight forwarding or logistics environment.
  • Strong working knowledge of international trade compliance, Incoterms, and air freight documentation.
  • Experience working with freight forwarding systems and transportation management platforms required; CargoWise experience highly preferred. 
  • Excellent problem‑solving, organizational, and time‑management skills in a high‑volume environment.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact across global teams and customers.
  • Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
  • Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.).
  • Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.

About the Company

F

Forward Air

Since 1990, Forward Air has been a leading provider of ground transportation and related logistics services to the North American air freight and expedited LTL market. We offer surface shipping on an accelerated “time-definite” basis, delivering cargo at a specific time, but under less time-sensitive situations – supplying you with a cost effective, reliable alternative to air transportation. We work with companies of all sizes to develop tangible advantages and build the best products to meet your specific needs. Forward Air presents to the wholesale transportation community (logistics companies, freight forwarders, integrated air cargo carriers, passenger/ cargo airlines, and non-traditional shippers), a single-source provider that can deliver more supply chain services and a superior menu of choices. Throughout the years we have added supplementary lines to our linehaul service, such as full truckload operations (Truckload Services), final-mile coverage (Complete® Cartage), and an Airline Logistics program, and we will continue to expand our services to meet the changing needs and growth of our customer base.

Forward Air is structured to optimize both savings and service to our customers. Direct partnerships with owner-operators and other surface transportation providers, enable us to remain cost-competitive. The Forward Air network is designed with over 90 facilities located at or near major U.S. and Canadian airports, 12 regional sort centers and over 300 beyond points (secondary airports provided through our Complete Cartage service), creating one of the most comprehensive linehaul networks in the industry.

The foundation product for Forward Air is our expedited linehaul service, offering consistent and reliable transit and on-time, damage-free deliveries. By locating terminals on or near airports and maintaining a scheduled transportation network, we are able to arrange for convenient and consistent service with broad geographic coverage. Shipments of varying sizes (TL/LTL) are received at our terminals and transported by contracted service providers either (1) on a direct truck to the destination terminal, (2) through our Columbus, Ohio central sorting hub, or (3) through one of our 12 regional hubs, where they are unloaded, sorted, and reloaded in rapid fashion. After reloading the shipments, our contracted service providers deliver them to the destination city for early morning recovery. Through our Forward Air Complete® cartage service, customers also can have shipments picked up from the shipper, delivered to the final consignee, or transferred at the airport, simplifying the freight management processes. These options allow us to maximize handling efficiency of each shipment while minimizing freight loss and damage, improving transit times over traditional ground transportation.

COMPANY SIZE
2,500 to 4,999 employees
INDUSTRY
Transport and Storage - Materials
FOUNDED
1981
WEBSITE
https://www.forwardair.com/content/careers-0