Senior Freight Operations – Air & Sea

Department: Freight Forwarding Operations
Reports To: Freight Forwarding Operations Manager
Employment Type: Full-Time
Location: Egypt

Job Purpose

The Senior Freight Operations professional is responsible for the end-to-end operational handling of air and sea freight import and export shipments, ensuring shipments are executed accurately, efficiently, on time, and in accordance with customer requirements, carrier procedures, customs regulations, and company standards.

The role acts as a senior operational focal point, coordinating with airlines, shipping lines, overseas agents, customers, customs-clearance teams, transport providers, sales, and finance while supporting and supervising junior operations staff.

Key Responsibilities

1. Air Freight Operations

• Manage air freight import and export shipments from booking through final delivery.

• Arrange bookings with airlines, GSAs/GSSAs, consolidators, and overseas agents.

• Review flight schedules, routing options, transit times, capacity, and operational restrictions.

• Prepare and review MAWB/HAWB documentation and shipping instructions.

• Coordinate cargo acceptance, terminal handling, customs clearance, and delivery.

• Monitor shipment status, departures, arrivals, connections, and irregularities.

• Handle airline booking amendments, offloads, delays, and operational exceptions.

• Ensure compliance with airline acceptance requirements and applicable air-cargo procedures.

• Coordinate special cargo requirements, including temperature-sensitive, oversized, valuable, and dangerous goods where applicable and authorized.

2. Sea Freight Operations

• Manage FCL and LCL import and export shipments.

• Arrange bookings with shipping lines, NVOCCs, co-loaders, and overseas agents.

• Monitor vessel schedules, routing, transit times, cut-offs, and equipment availability.

• Coordinate container release, pickup, stuffing, transportation, gate-in, and port requirements.

• Prepare and review shipping instructions and Bills of Lading.

• Coordinate Original BL, Sea Waybill, and Telex Release requirements.

• Monitor vessel departure, arrival, transshipment, rollover, and other schedule changes.

• Coordinate delivery orders, customs clearance, container delivery, and empty-container return.

• Monitor free time and minimize demurrage, detention, and storage exposure.

3. Import & Export Documentation

• Review shipment instructions and commercial documents before execution.

• Prepare and verify MAWB, HAWB, Bills of Lading, shipping instructions, manifests, and related operational documentation as applicable.

• Verify shipper, consignee, notify party, commodity, weight, dimensions, routing, and other shipment information.

• Ensure documents are submitted within airline, shipping-line, terminal, customs, and regulatory deadlines.

• Maintain complete and properly organized shipment files and electronic records.

4. Carrier & Overseas Agent Coordination

• Maintain effective operational relationships with airlines, GSAs/GSSAs, shipping lines, NVOCCs, co-loaders, overseas agents, terminals, and transport providers.

• Coordinate bookings, capacity, equipment availability, documentation, shipment status, and operational exceptions.

• Follow up proactively with carriers and agents to prevent delays.

• Escalate service failures and negotiate practical operational solutions.

• Coordinate pre-alerts and documentation with overseas partners.

5. Customer Service & Shipment Follow-Up

• Act as a senior operational contact for assigned customers.

• Provide timely and accurate shipment-status updates.

• Communicate ETD, ETA, flight/vessel information, connections, documentation deadlines, and operational requirements.

• Immediately inform customers of significant delays, offloads, rollovers, documentation problems, or unexpected charges.

• Investigate operational complaints and coordinate corrective actions.

• Maintain professional communication throughout the shipment lifecycle.

6. Customs Clearance & Transportation Coordination

• Coordinate with internal or external customs-clearance teams.

• Ensure clearance teams receive complete documentation on time.

• Coordinate cargo pickup and delivery with transport providers.

• Monitor airport, port, terminal, warehouse, and container activities as applicable.

• Follow up until proof of delivery or completion of the agreed service scope.

7. Cost Control & Shipment Profitability

• Verify airline, shipping-line, agent, terminal, warehouse, customs, and transportation charges against agreed rates.

• Ensure all expected shipment costs are recorded accurately.

• Identify discrepancies or unexpected charges before file closure.

• Coordinate with Finance regarding supplier invoices and customer billing.

• Monitor avoidable costs such as storage, demurrage, detention, amendment fees, and penalties.

• Ensure operational files are financially complete before closure.

• Report significant margin discrepancies to the Operations Manager.

8. Internal Coordination

Work closely with:

• Sales: customer requirements, handover, service commitments, and exceptions.

• Pricing: carrier selection, buying rates, routing, and quotation requirements.

• Customs Clearance: documentation and clearance status.

• Transportation: pickup and final delivery arrangements.

• Finance: supplier costs, customer invoicing, credit issues, and file profitability.

• Management: major operational issues, customer escalations, and service-performance concerns.

9. Senior-Level & Supervisory Responsibilities

• Support and supervise junior freight operations staff.

• Allocate or coordinate operational files where required.

• Review complicated, high-value, or sensitive shipments.

• Assist junior staff with operational problems and carrier issues.

• Ensure operational procedures and company SOPs are followed.

• Monitor documentation quality and shipment follow-up standards.

• Handle escalated operational cases before referring major issues to the Operations Manager.

• Assist in training new operations employees.

• Identify recurring operational problems and recommend process improvements.

• Provide operational feedback on airline, shipping-line, agent, and supplier performance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance should be evaluated using:

• On-time booking and shipment execution.

• Air and sea documentation accuracy.

• Shipment update compliance.

• Number of operational errors.

• Number of avoidable offloads/rollovers.

• Avoidable storage, demurrage, and detention costs.

• Customer complaint frequency and resolution time.

• Supplier invoice and shipment-cost accuracy.

• Shipment profitability and margin protection.

• File closure time.

• Compliance with operational SOPs.

• Performance and development of junior operations staff.

Required Competencies

• Strong air and sea freight operational knowledge.

• Excellent attention to detail.

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability.

• Ability to handle multiple shipments simultaneously.

• Ability to work effectively under operational pressure.

• Strong customer-service skills.

• Effective carrier and supplier coordination.

• Commercial awareness and cost-control mindset.

• Strong communication and negotiation skills.

• Ability to supervise and develop junior employees.

• Strong ownership and accountability.

Authority & Escalation

The Senior Freight Operations professional is expected to independently manage normal air and sea freight operational activities and resolve routine shipment issues.

Major matters involving significant additional costs, cargo claims or damage, regulatory or customs issues, serious customer complaints, major service failures, or exceptions outside approved company procedures must be escalated to the Freight Forwarding Operations Manager.

Position in Department Structure

Freight Forwarding Operations Manager
↓
Senior Freight Operations – Air & Sea

Requirements

• Qualifications & Experience

  • Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, International Trade, Business Administration, or a related field.

  • 4–7 years minimum of freight forwarding operations experience, preferably covering both air and sea freight.

  • Strong practical knowledge of air import/export operations.

  • Strong practical knowledge of sea import/export operations, including FCL and LCL.

  • Good understanding of MAWB/HAWB and Bill of Lading documentation.

  • Good knowledge of Incoterms and international freight-forwarding practices.

  • Knowledge of Egyptian airport, port, customs, and cargo-handling procedures is preferred.

  • Understanding of airline and shipping-line operational procedures.

  • Knowledge of dangerous goods and special cargo procedures is an advantage, subject to appropriate training/certification.

  • Good command of written and spoken English and Arabic.

  • Strong Microsoft Excel and freight-forwarding/IST system skills.