Air Freight and Dry Cargo Executive

Air Freight and Dry Cargo Executive

Salary: R85,000 – R130,000 CTC per month (PENDING EXPERIENCE)

Location:  Bellville

Job Purpose

The Air Cargo Executive is responsible for driving profitable growth across the air freight division, including general cargo imports and exports. The role combines commercial, operational and leadership responsibilities to ensure sustainable business growth, exceptional customer service, operational excellence, and strong team performance.

1. Commercial Growth & Business Development

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and maintain the annual sales plan aligned to company growth targets (BHAG).
• Identify, qualify and secure new business opportunities.
• Build and maintain a strong sales pipeline.
• Compile and evaluate quotations to ensure profitability and alignment with market conditions.
• Conduct regular market analysis and monitor competitor activity.
• Provide market intelligence to support pricing strategies, commercial decisions and product development.
• Identify and execute approved branding and marketing initiatives in collaboration with the Marketing team.
• Attend weekly sales meetings and identify opportunities across the business.
• Drive cross-selling opportunities between business units.
• Maintain accurate customer interaction records on the CRM system (Zoho).
• Maintain strong relationships with customers, prospects and service providers while representing company values and brand promises.

Key Performance Indicators

• Annual sales plan completed and updated weekly.
• Number of client visits conducted and planned.
• Monthly new business revenue generated against budget.
• Number of customer interactions conducted weekly.
• Quote turnaround times achieved.
• Monthly reporting against sales targets with corrective actions where required.

2. Customer Relationship Management

Key Responsibilities

• Build, maintain and strengthen long-term customer relationships.
• Conduct structured customer engagements and record all interactions on Zoho.
• Conduct mandatory face-to-face implementation and wrap-up meetings with customers at least twice annually.
• Ensure all follow-up actions are documented and completed.
• Oversee the successful onboarding of new clients, including:
  • Implementation meetings
  • Introduction to key personnel
  • Completion of terms and conditions
  • Mandates and required documentation
  • Client training where applicable
• Monitor customer satisfaction and identify potential risks or service concerns.
• Escalate and manage customer "red alerts" proactively.
• Support Finance with overdue account recovery where required.
• Implement customer retention strategies.
• Provide customers with accurate service guidance, operational updates and product recommendations.
• Coordinate internally to ensure customer queries are resolved within agreed service levels.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen customer loyalty through approved marketing and branding initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators

• All customers visited at least twice annually.
• Customer visit plans updated monthly.
• Customer retention levels maintained and improved.
• Customer issues resolved within agreed timeframes.
• Successful onboarding of all new customers.

3. Operational Management & Service Delivery

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the end-to-end operational execution of all air cargo shipments and bookings.
• Ensure all files, bookings and shipments are processed according to agreed procedures and service targets.
• Ensure all operational procedures remain current and aligned with business requirements.
• Maintain accurate and timely updates on operational systems.
• Ensure accurate reporting and communication to customers.
• Monitor operational performance against targets on a daily basis.
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks through daily huddles and team engagement.
• Ensure all supplier, customer and internal queries are resolved within agreed deadlines.
• Record process deviations and implement corrective actions.
• Drive and monitor Smash Goals to improve operational efficiency.
• Implement approved process improvements and update procedures accordingly.
• Ensure financial supporting documentation is completed accurately and submitted to Finance within agreed timelines.
• Manage workload distribution across the team.
• Ensure all employees consistently demonstrate company values and brand promises.

Key Performance Indicators

• Operational targets achieved and reported on weekly and monthly.
• Current year performance maintained or improved compared to previous year.
• Daily monitoring and reporting of operational KPIs.
• Continuous improvement in operational efficiency and service delivery.

4. Customer Solutions & Continuous Improvement

Key Responsibilities

• Identify customer needs, operational challenges and service improvement opportunities.
• Gather insights through customer engagement, operational data and internal feedback.
• Design and develop practical customer-focused solutions.
• Lead approved projects from concept through implementation.
• Manage project timelines, resources and stakeholder communication.
• Collaborate with Operations, Commercial, Finance and service providers to assess feasibility and costs.
• Monitor project progress and implement corrective actions where required.
• Present business cases, recommendations and project updates to management.
• Integrate new solutions into customer onboarding, training and customer review processes.

Key Performance Indicators

• Solutions developed and implemented before peak operational periods.
• Successful execution of approved solutions.
• Reduction in claims and operational issues.
• Profitability generated through implemented solutions.
• Customer adoption and utilisation of new solutions.

5. Leadership, Management & Administration

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Culture

• Create a high-performance culture based on accountability, teamwork and company values.
• Maintain a strong leadership presence internally and externally.
• Ensure company values and brand promises are consistently demonstrated.

Performance Management

• Ensure every team member has clearly defined SMART goals and performance targets.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings with all team members.
• Complete scheduled performance reviews and development discussions.
• Document and follow up on all agreed actions.
• Monitor daily performance and address performance gaps proactively.

Communication & Feedback

• Ensure communication follows company meeting structures and processes.
• Facilitate effective use of:
  • Grid Minutes
  • eNPS
  • Stop, Start, Continue
  • Works and Irks
• Ensure concerns are addressed through the appropriate channels.

Change Management

• Lead and support employees through organisational and operational change.
• Communicate openly and transparently.
• Provide guidance, support and direction during periods of change.

People Management

• Manage recruitment, onboarding, retention and succession planning.
• Ensure staff receive all required training, coaching and development.
• Ensure employees have appropriate hardware, systems access and resources.
• Encourage staff participation in continuous improvement initiatives and Simple Solutions.
• Plan and manage annual leave and other staff administration in line with operational requirements.

Key Performance Indicators

• Individual targets established and measured daily.
• Weekly one-on-one meetings completed.
• Increase in Simple Solutions submitted and implemented.
• Measurable improvements in departmental performance.
• At least 80% completion of annual training requirements.
• Strong employee engagement and retention.