The Air Freight Gateway Manager is responsible for overseeing the operational performance, compliance, financial management and strategic development of air freight gateway activities within the assigned region.
The role ensures efficient cargo flow, effective consolidation and routing, optimal use of capacity and resources, and alignment with regional and global air freight strategies.
Working closely with regional air freight leadership, country operations, carriers, ground handling agents, trucking partners and other internal stakeholders, the position supports reliable, cost-effective and scalable gateway solutions.
The role is also responsible for gateway performance, vendor management, operational improvement and selected regional initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
1. Gateway Operations
- Oversee the operational performance of inbound, outbound and transit gateway activities.
- Ensure timely and accurate handling of shipments in accordance with service standards and operational requirements.
- Monitor and optimise cargo consolidation, routing, load planning, booking and uplift performance.
- Coordinate with country operations, airlines, ground handling agents, trucking providers and other service partners.
- Monitor operational exceptions like cargo rollovers, shipment delays, capacity constraints and irregular operations.
- Ensure operational issues are escalated and resolved quickly.
- Develop and maintain contingency plans for peak periods, service disruptions and capacity shortages.
- Support consistent operating standards across participating locations.
2. Capacity and Carrier Management
- Monitor gateway capacity, shipment allocation, space utilisation and uplift performance.
- Work with regional air freight leadership to support airline capacity planning and routing decisions.
- Maintain effective operational relationships with airlines, general sales agents, ground handlers and other service providers.
- Participate in airline and vendor performance reviews.
- Support capacity, rate and service negotiations within delegated authority.
- Ensure carrier and routing decisions balance service quality, capacity availability, cost and operational risk.
- Maintain accurate carrier, routing and capacity information.
3. Vendor Management
- Manage the operational performance of airlines, ground handling agents, trucking providers and other gateway vendors.
- Support the selection and appointment of service providers.
- Negotiate operational rates and service terms within delegated authority.
- Develop and monitor service-level agreements and vendor performance indicators.
- Conduct regular vendor performance reviews and follow up on corrective actions.
- Escalate significant service, cost or contractual concerns to regional air freight leadership.
- Ensure appropriate governance and approval processes are followed for vendor appointments and renewals.
4. Financial Performance
- Prepare and manage gateway budgets and cost plans.
- Monitor gateway costs, cost per kilogram, utilisation, recovery and profitability.
- Review airline, handling, trucking and other operational charges.
- Identify cost-saving and productivity improvement opportunities.
- Ensure gateway charges and cost allocations are accurate and appropriately recovered.
- Prepare forecasts, performance reports and variance explanations.
- Recommend corrective actions where gateway financial performance is below target.
- Work with Finance and regional stakeholders to maintain appropriate financial controls.
5. Service Quality and Performance Management
- Establish and monitor gateway performance indicators like on-time uplift and delivery, transit-time performance, cargo rollover and offload rates, cost per kilogram, capacity and space utilisation, shipment accuracy, operational productivity, claims and service failures, vendor performance and gateway profitability.
- Conduct regular gateway performance reviews.
- Analyse operational trends and implement corrective actions.
- Investigate service failures and recurring operational issues.
- Support root-cause analysis and preventive action planning.
- Provide timely operational and financial reports to regional leadership.
6. Compliance, Security and Risk Management
- Ensure gateway activities comply with IATA and ICAO requirements, dangerous goods regulations, aviation security standards and local regulations.
- Ensure that relevant customs, trade compliance, and cargo security requirements are followed across participating locations.
- Maintain appropriate controls for cargo security, screening, documentation and chain of custody.
- Ensure employees and vendors maintain the required licences, certifications and training.
- Support internal and external audits and ensure corrective actions are completed.
- Monitor operational risks and maintain appropriate business-continuity and contingency plans.
- Ensure compliance with sanctions, export controls, and company trade compliance requirements.
- Promote a strong safety, security and compliance culture.
7. Process Improvement and Digitalisation
- Identify and implement initiatives to improve gateway productivity, throughput, cost efficiency and service quality.
- Review and standardise gateway procedures and operating practices.
- Support adoption of electronic air waybills, digital booking, EDI and shipment visibility tools.
- Improve data quality, milestone accuracy and system compliance.
- Use operational and financial data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
- Support automation and system-enhancement projects affecting gateway activities.
- Apply continuous-improvement methodologies where appropriate.
8. Customer and Commercial Support
- Work with Sales, Key Accounts, Pricing and Customer Service to support gateway solutions for current and prospective customers.
- Provide operational input for RFQs, tenders and customer solution design.
- Assess operational feasibility, routing, capacity, transit time and cost requirements.
- Support the implementation of newly awarded business.
- Participate in customer meetings, operational reviews and presentations when required.
- Assist with customer escalations relating to gateway operations and service performance.
9. Regional Support
- Support selected regional gateway initiatives, consolidation opportunities and routing reviews.
- Work with country teams to identify cargo flows suitable for consolidation at gateways.
- Provide operational input for regional capacity, service and process-improvement projects.
- Share gateway performance insights and operational recommendations with regional stakeholders.
- Support the Regional Air Freight Director, APAC on gateway-related initiatives as required.
10. People Leadership
- Lead, coach and develop assigned gateway operations employees and supervisors where applicable.
- Set clear objectives, performance standards and accountability.
- Support workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding and performance management.
- Promote teamwork, operational discipline, safety and continuous improvement.
- Ensure employees receive required operational, compliance and system training.
- Build effective relationships across country operations, Finance, Sales, Pricing and regional product teams.
11. Governance and Reporting
- Conduct regular gateway operating reviews and vendor-performance meetings.
- Prepare monthly operational, financial, capacity and service reports.
- Maintain accurate SOPs, rate records, vendor documents, contingency plans and performance records.
- Support budget, forecasting, and business planning exercises.
- Escalate significant financial, compliance, service or operational risks.
- Ensure decisions and approvals are made within delegated authority and in accordance with company policy.
Qualifications and Experience
- Diploma or bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Transportation, Business or a related discipline.
- At least seven years of relevant experience in air freight, air cargo or freight-forwarding operations.
- At least three years of supervisory or management experience.
- Strong knowledge of air export, air import, transit cargo and gateway operations.
- Experience managing cargo consolidation, routing, capacity, carriers and operational vendors.
- Experience managing operational budgets, costs and performance indicators.
- Experience working across multiple countries, stations or business units.
- Regional air freight experience would be an advantage.
Knowledge and Skills
- Strong understanding of international air freight and gateway processes.
- Knowledge of airline capacity, routing, load planning and cargo consolidation.
- Working knowledge of IATA, ICAO, dangerous goods, aviation security and customs requirements.
- Strong commercial awareness and understanding of gateway costs and profitability.
- Vendor-management and negotiation skills.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
- Ability to interpret operational and financial data.
- Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a matrixed, multi-country environment.
- Proficiency in freight-forwarding systems such as CargoWise, SAP or equivalent platforms.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and reporting tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience managing a high-volume air freight gateway or consolidation hub.
- Experience working with airlines, ground handling agents and trucking providers.
- IATA or FIATA certification.
- IATA Dangerous Goods certification or relevant operational knowledge.
- Familiarity with Cargo iQ, e-AWB, EDI and air freight visibility tools.
- Lean Six Sigma or equivalent process-improvement certification.
- Familiarity with TSA and CBP requirements for US-bound cargo would be advantageous.
Travel and Working Requirements
- Ability to travel regionally when required.
- Ability to attend airline, handler, warehouse or customer locations.
- Flexibility to respond to urgent operational matters outside normal working hours.
- Occasional weekend or public-holiday support may be required during peak periods or major service disruptions.
