We are looking for a dynamic and strategic leader with extensive experience in global freight forwarding and supply chain. This is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing all operational aspects, including managing teams, driving efficiency, ensuring compliance, and maintaining profitability. Your leadership will be instrumental in delivering operational innovation, commercial growth, and quality customer service, responsible overall for a multi-modal global team of 50. We are, therefore, looking for a natural collaborator and passionate people leader, someone well versed in building high performing and engaged teams, as well as building strong stakeholder relationships in fast-paced and complex matrix environments. Finally, you should have a passion for technology and its ability to revolutionise industries and ways of working. You will be pivotal in partnering with our Software leadership to deliver innovative and disruptive solutions to the world of supply chain.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in global freight forwarding and supply chain.
• Experience in a senior leadership role.
• Proven ability to manage teams, drive efficiency, ensure compliance, and maintain profitability.
• Experience in building high-performing and engaged teams.
• Experience in building strong stakeholder relationships in complex matrix environments.
• Passion for technology and its ability to revolutionise industries.
• Experience in developing and implementing strategic operational blueprints.
• Experience in M&A integration management.
• Full ownership of P&L statements, including budget management and forecasting.
• Experience in financial justification and business case development for capital expenditures.
• Experience in developing and executing professional development plans and succession planning.
• Experience in establishing KPIs and SLAs, with rigorous tracking mechanisms.
• Experience in championing data-driven decision making.
• Experience in identifying, evaluating, and implementing emerging technologies.
• Experience in overseeing digital transformation roadmaps for operations.
• Experience in executive communication and stakeholder management, including with Senior Leadership Teams and Boards.
• Comprehensive oversight and management of end-to-end freight services (Air, Ocean, Road, Rail).
• Experience in analysing and optimising operational workflows and processes.
• Experience in strategically managing, negotiating, and optimizing relationships with a global network of logistics partners.
• Experience in instituting rigorous compliance frameworks for international shipping regulations.
• Experience in developing and testing contingency plans, disaster recovery protocols, and business continuity strategies.
• Experience in acting as a point of escalation for complex client issues.
• Experience in fostering a customer-centric culture within operations teams.
• Experience in developing and nurturing strategic relationships with key clients and major accounts.
• Experience in participating in industry forums and client events for network development.

Responsibilities

• Develop, articulate, and drive the overarching strategic direction for all freight forwarding operations, including market expansion, service offerings, and technological integration.
• Design and implement a robust, scalable operational blueprint that standardises processes across all global regions.
• Oversee the complete process of merging operational functions, systems, and teams of an acquired business.
• Assume full ownership of the function's P&L statement, managing budgets, forecasting expenses, and driving cost-efficiency initiatives.
• Lead the financial justification and business case development for major capital expenditures and strategic operational investments.
• Recruit, mentor, and cultivate exceptional operations teams globally, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Develop and execute comprehensive professional development plans and succession planning for key operational leadership roles.
• Establish clear, measurable KPIs and SLAs for all operational processes and team members, implementing rigorous tracking mechanisms and conducting regular performance reviews.
• Champion the use of operational data and analytics to identify bottlenecks, measure success, and inform strategic decisions.
• Proactively identify, evaluate, and lead the implementation of emerging technologies and innovative processes to improve operational efficiency, data accuracy, and customer service.
• Oversee the digital transformation roadmap for operations, ensuring systems are integrated and future-proofed.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Board, providing executive communication, managing expectations, presenting findings, and making strategic recommendations.
• Provide comprehensive oversight and management of all end-to-end freight services, ensuring efficiency, reliability, and adherence to global logistics standards.
• Continuously analyse and optimise operational workflows and processes to reduce costs, accelerate transit times, minimize errors, and enhance customer experience.
• Strategically manage, negotiate, and optimize relationships with a global network of logistics partners.
• Institute a rigorous compliance framework to ensure adherence to all international shipping regulations, trade laws, customs tariffs, export controls, and security standards.
• Proactively develop and regularly test contingency plans, disaster recovery protocols, and business continuity strategies.
• Act as the ultimate point of escalation for complex client issues, operational crises, and high-impact disputes, leading resolution efforts.
• Foster a culture where operations understand the customer's business and build strong relationships.
• Develop and nurture strong, strategic relationships with key clients and major accounts.
• Actively participate in industry forums and client events to develop and maintain a strong professional network.

Benefits

• Generous Annual Leave (UK)
• 33 days paid holiday annually (Netherlands, US)
• Flexible, Remote and Hybrid Working
• Home Equipment Allowance
• BUPA Private Medical Insurance (UK)
• Private healthcare scheme (US)
• Annual L&D Budget
• Paid Volunteering Days
• Pension Scheme (UK, Netherlands)
• 401K Pension Scheme (US)
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave & Pay

About Zencargo

Zencargo is a digital-first freight forwarder & logistics provider. Our platform allows customers to book, maintain and keep track of their international freight as well as use analytics to drive intelligent supply chain decisions that help their businesses thrive.

Whilst shipping is a complex trillion-dollar industry, many of the processes that could be simplified with technology are currently done over the phone, by fax and email or even jotted down on scraps of paper.

Our services include ocean, air and rail freight as well as trucking and cargo insurance. We deliver significant time, paper and financial savings to our customers offering instant quoting, easy booking and an online dashboard to give them 360 degree, 24/7 visibility on their shipments. Shippers and their counterparts collaborate to oversee their logistics on Zencargo and all their supply chain data is stored together in the cloud making business analytics easier than ever.

At Zencargo, we believe that technology can simplify logistical complexity and tear down barriers to trade. Automating trade and logistics operations and providing access to data and analysis will help companies to trade smarter and more efficiently, freeing businesses to concentrate on key outcomes. Only by combining human endeavour and technology, can we build smarter supply chains that know no borders.

Our Vision, Mission and Values

Zencargo is a company driven by our Vision, Mission and Values. We conduct values interviews as part of our recruitment process to ensure we are able to hire top talent that embodies concepts that align with our core values and beliefs.

Our Zencargo Vision - "A world with smarter trade"

Our Zencargo Mission - "To make customers' supply chain their competitive advantage"

Our Zencargo Values

• We Learn Fast and Grow
• We Build Trust
• We Take Ownership
• We Deliver Outcomes

A Fair Chance

Every role in the Zencargo team is open to applications from all sections of society. We believe in the superpowers and potential of everyone, regardless of race, religion or belief, ethnic origin, different physical ability, family structure, socio-economics, age, nationality or citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other difference that makes you, you.

More than just encouraging your application, we're committed to conscious inclusion that (we hope and intend) cultivates an environment of belonging.

We open our doors to those who share these motivations.