Export Operations Team Leader (Air & Ocean)

About the job

Build a platform for supply chain and commerce to help scale businesses Role: Export Operations Team Leader (Air & Ocean) As an Export Operations Team Leader, you will lead the execution engine of Beeontrade’s international freight operations. You will manage a team responsible for end-to-end ocean and air import shipments, ensuring world-class service delivery, clean documentation, proactive communication, and tight cost control. This role is both leadership and execution: you will run complex files yourself when needed, coach the team daily, enforce SOPs, and be accountable for KPIs tied to service quality, billing speed, and exception management. What You Will Do Operational Execution Leadership • Lead day-to-day execution of Ocean & Air Export operations, ensuring smooth movement from origin to final delivery. • Assign workloads, set priorities, and manage capacity to keep shipments moving without bottlenecks. • Step into escalations and high-risk files (rollovers, demurrage risk, customs holds, exams, late docs, carrier disputes). End-to-End Shipment Management (Team + Your Own Files) • Coordinate full-cycle import shipments from booking to final delivery (CFS/warehouse, trucking, devanning, delivery appointments). • Work with origin agents, steamship lines, airlines, consolidators, customs brokers, truckers, and warehouses for end-to-end coordination. • Track milestones inside Beeontrade’s system and ensure the team updates status consistently and accurately. Documentation & Compliance Ownership • Ensure accurate and timely preparation/auditing of documents: • HBL/MBL, Arrival Notice, invoices, packing lists, COO, certificates, permits as needed, and air docs (MAWB/HAWB). • Enforce compliance with country-specific requirements and US CBP procedures (ISF coordination, exams, holds, discrepancies). • Maintain audit-ready documentation practices and prevent release delays caused by missing/incorrect paperwork. Customer Communication & Service Quality • Ensure customers receive proactive status updates and clear exception communication (no surprises). • Own response quality and speed across the team—set standards and monitor performance. • Build and enforce customer SOPs and ensure adherence across repeat shipments. Billing, Cost Capture & Profit Protection • Own cost capture discipline: ensure all supplier costs, accessorials, storage, chassis, exams, and special services are recorded. • Drive fast, accurate invoicing and resolve billing discrepancies quickly. • Reduce margin leakage by enforcing correct charge codes, documentation, and approval flows. Process, Training & Performance Management • Coach and train the team on operations best practices, documentation, system discipline, and escalation handling. • Enforce SOPs, improve workflows, and remove recurring operational failure points. • Track performance through weekly KPI reporting and corrective actions. • Lead daily/weekly standups focused on priorities, exceptions, and execution quality. Success Metrics (What You’ll Be Accountable For) • On-time milestone performance (arrival notices, customs handoff, delivery scheduling) • Exception rate (rollovers, documentation issues, release delays) • Demurrage/detention exposure and prevention • Billing speed (days from delivery to invoice) + billing accuracy • Cost capture completeness (no missing accessorials) • Customer satisfaction and escalation resolution time • Team productivity (files handled per coordinator, quality score) You Should Have • 4–7 years of operational experience in international freight forwarding (imports preferred; air + ocean believeable). • 1–3 years of leadership experience (team lead, senior coordinator, supervisor), or clear evidence you’ve run a desk and coached others. • Strong knowledge of shipping documentation, Incoterms, carrier practices, and customs clearance workflows. • Solid understanding of Turkish and U.S. trade lanes and import procedures. • Experience with logistics software (CargoWise, Magaya, or similar TMS/WMS). Strong system discipline is mandatory. • Ability to manage multiple shipments, prioritize under pressure, and drive team execution without chaos. • High attention to detail, strong problem-solving, and calm escalation handling. • Proficiency in English (written & spoken). • BA/BS degree preferred. You operate like a leader if: • You hold standards and fix broken processes. • You don’t allow “missing info” to stall shipments. • You drive accountability, clarity, and speed across the team.

Requirements

• Operational expertise in international freight forwarding
• Leadership and coaching
• Shipping documentation knowledge
• Problem-solving
• Communication

Qualifications

• 4-7 years in international freight forwarding
• 1-3 years in leadership role
• BA/BS degree preferred

Preferred Technologies

• Operational expertise in international freight forwarding
• Leadership and coaching
• Shipping documentation knowledge
• Problem-solving
• Communication

About the company

Beeontrade is a freight forwarder and logistics platform building modern software to make global trade easier for everyone. We are solving complex problems on a global scale. We help the world’s fastest-growing brands manage their international supply chains, providing a fully-managed service for moving goods between any two places on the planet.