Freight Operations Manager
Full-time
Mid
Description
Operations Manager
Location: Luton
Role Summary
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading the companies core airfreight and customs operations, ensuring compliant, efficient, and time-critical handling of shipments. The role requires strong expertise in air cargo, airline/airport procedures, and UK customs regulations.
Experience in road and sea freight is a strong advantage, supporting the companies multimodal offering and contributing to seamless end-to-end logistics solutions.
Key Responsibilities
• Airfreight Operations Leadership
• Manage daily air export and import operations.
• Ensure full compliance with Regulated Agent requirements, IATA rules, and airport/aviation security protocols.
• Oversee MAWB/HAWB preparation, airline bookings, screening, and flight cut-off performance.
• Coordinate with airlines, ground handling agents, and the Luton warehouse.
• Resolve delays, offloads, capacity issues, and handling irregularities.
• Customs Operations & Compliance
• Lead all customs activities for imports, exports, and transit (T1) declarations using ASM Sequoia.
• Ensure HMRC compliance, including correct tariff classification, valuation, and regulatory documentation.
• Manage customs processes for bonded warehousing, controlled goods, and special procedures.
• Act as the escalation point for HMRC, Border Force, and customer customs enquiries.
• Train and update the team on changing customs regulations and best practice.
• Road & Sea Operations Support
• Support the coordination of road transport with TC’s European fleet, including collections, express shipments, and airport linehauls.
• Liaise with drivers, planners, and TC depots to ensure timely and compliant movement of goods.
• Assist with sea freight operations when required—booking, documentation, customs, and carrier liaison.
• Contribute to multimodal planning for customers using combined air-road-sea solutions.
• Ensure operational alignment across all modes to deliver seamless end-to-end service.
• Quotation Management & Customer Response
• Guarantee accurate and responsive quotations for airfreight, handling, customs, and multimodal services.
• Validate operational costs, air rates, and customs charges before issuing prices.
• Support commercial opportunities by providing strong operational insight to sales and account teams.
• Team Leadership & Staff Development
• Lead, motivate, and develop the operations and customs team at Luton.
• Ensure staff maintain high competency in airfreight processes, customs procedures, and operational compliance.
• Plan resources to support 24/7 time-critical environments.
• Track and improve performance against KPIs for service quality, accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.
• End-to-End Shipment Oversight
• Manage the entire shipment lifecycle from booking → handling → customs → transport → delivery.
• Ensure accurate documentation, job costing, invoicing, and operational reporting.
• Maintain clear, proactive communication with clients throughout the process.
Required Skills & Experience
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in airfreight operations (export/import) within a freight forwarder or air cargo environment.
• Strong, hands-on experience with UK customs procedures and ASM Sequoia.
• Solid knowledge of airline handling processes, screened cargo, and aviation security standards.
• Previous experience supervising or managing an operations or customs team.
• Strong problem-solving ability and resilience in a time-critical environment.
• Excellent communication skills, accuracy, and a strong compliance mindset
Location: Luton
Role Summary
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading the companies core airfreight and customs operations, ensuring compliant, efficient, and time-critical handling of shipments. The role requires strong expertise in air cargo, airline/airport procedures, and UK customs regulations.
Experience in road and sea freight is a strong advantage, supporting the companies multimodal offering and contributing to seamless end-to-end logistics solutions.
Key Responsibilities
• Airfreight Operations Leadership
• Manage daily air export and import operations.
• Ensure full compliance with Regulated Agent requirements, IATA rules, and airport/aviation security protocols.
• Oversee MAWB/HAWB preparation, airline bookings, screening, and flight cut-off performance.
• Coordinate with airlines, ground handling agents, and the Luton warehouse.
• Resolve delays, offloads, capacity issues, and handling irregularities.
• Customs Operations & Compliance
• Lead all customs activities for imports, exports, and transit (T1) declarations using ASM Sequoia.
• Ensure HMRC compliance, including correct tariff classification, valuation, and regulatory documentation.
• Manage customs processes for bonded warehousing, controlled goods, and special procedures.
• Act as the escalation point for HMRC, Border Force, and customer customs enquiries.
• Train and update the team on changing customs regulations and best practice.
• Road & Sea Operations Support
• Support the coordination of road transport with TC’s European fleet, including collections, express shipments, and airport linehauls.
• Liaise with drivers, planners, and TC depots to ensure timely and compliant movement of goods.
• Assist with sea freight operations when required—booking, documentation, customs, and carrier liaison.
• Contribute to multimodal planning for customers using combined air-road-sea solutions.
• Ensure operational alignment across all modes to deliver seamless end-to-end service.
• Quotation Management & Customer Response
• Guarantee accurate and responsive quotations for airfreight, handling, customs, and multimodal services.
• Validate operational costs, air rates, and customs charges before issuing prices.
• Support commercial opportunities by providing strong operational insight to sales and account teams.
• Team Leadership & Staff Development
• Lead, motivate, and develop the operations and customs team at Luton.
• Ensure staff maintain high competency in airfreight processes, customs procedures, and operational compliance.
• Plan resources to support 24/7 time-critical environments.
• Track and improve performance against KPIs for service quality, accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.
• End-to-End Shipment Oversight
• Manage the entire shipment lifecycle from booking → handling → customs → transport → delivery.
• Ensure accurate documentation, job costing, invoicing, and operational reporting.
• Maintain clear, proactive communication with clients throughout the process.
Required Skills & Experience
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in airfreight operations (export/import) within a freight forwarder or air cargo environment.
• Strong, hands-on experience with UK customs procedures and ASM Sequoia.
• Solid knowledge of airline handling processes, screened cargo, and aviation security standards.
• Previous experience supervising or managing an operations or customs team.
• Strong problem-solving ability and resilience in a time-critical environment.
• Excellent communication skills, accuracy, and a strong compliance mindset