At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage shipments from start to finish while spotting opportunities for profit.
- Company: Leading UK freight forwarder with over 20 years of experience.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus potential, and hybrid work flexibility.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for growth and development.
- Why this job: Be the key link between operations and sales, driving success and innovation.
- Qualifications: Commercial mindset and experience in logistics or operations.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 38000 £ per year.
Location: Southampton | Department: Operations
Reports to: Operations Manager / Branch Manager
Salary: £30,000 - £38,000 + bonus, DOE | Type: Full-time, office-based with hybrid flexibility
About Us
Our client is a leading UK freight forwarder with 20+ years moving air, sea, road and project cargo worldwide known for service-first operations and smart commercial thinking. The Southampton office is a key UK gateway, handling 8,000+ TEU annually across retail, automotive, and industrial clients.
The Role
This isn't a process the paperwork ops role. We need a Commercially Minded Operations Executive who owns shipments end-to-end and spots opportunities to improve margin, win revenue, and keep clients sticky. You'll sit between operations and sales executing flawlessly while thinking: How do we make this more profitable? What else does this client need? Where's the risk?
Key Responsibilities
- Operational Excellence (60%): Manage full lifecycle of air/sea/road shipments: booking, documentation, customs, tracking, POD. Liaise daily with overseas agents, shipping lines, hauliers, airlines, and UK ports mainly Southampton, Felixstowe, London Gateway. Ensure HMRC/CHIEF/CDS compliance and accurate customs entries. No surprises on duty/VAT. Proactively solve problems: delays, roll-overs, space issues, demurrage. Clients hear solutions, not problems. Maintain data integrity in [CargoWise/Wisetech/operational system]; your numbers drive our reporting.
- Commercial Performance (30%): Protect margin: Query rate discrepancies, challenge unnecessary charges, optimize routing. Grow accounts: Spot upsell ops insurance, customs clearance, warehousing, DDP conversions. Flag buying opportunities: consolidations, backloads, new carrier deals. Support sales on quotes/tenders with real operational costings, not guesswork. Own client KPIs: OTIF, spend, volume trends. Join QBRs and talk like an owner.
Operations Executive in Portsmouth employer: Headford Group
As a leading UK freight forwarder, our Southampton office offers an exceptional work environment where innovation and service excellence are at the forefront. Employees enjoy competitive salaries, hybrid working options, and a culture that fosters professional growth through hands-on experience in a dynamic operations role. Join us to be part of a team that values your insights and empowers you to drive commercial success while building lasting client relationships.
