Freight Forwarding Manager

About the Role

Pacific Island Express Services is looking for a Freight Forwarding Manager torun our international door-to-door operations across the China, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Australia trade lanes. This is a hands-on role thatcombines day-to-day operational ownership with commercial responsibility —you will manage a small operations team, analyse trade lane performance, andnegotiate rates directly with shipping line and carrier headquarters based inSingapore.

Key Responsibilities

Operations

• Manage end-to-end door-to-door freight forwarding operations across theChina, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Australia trade lanes, coveringsea freight, air freight and inland transport legs
• Coordinate with overseas agents, port agents, carriers, hauliers and customsbrokers to ensure shipments move on schedule and documentation is accurate
• Oversee shipping documentation including bills of lading, commercialinvoices, packing lists, certificates of origin and customs declarations
• Monitor shipment exceptions — rollovers, port congestion, customs holds,short-shipments — and drive resolution with the relevant parties
• Ensure compliance with Singapore Customs, IMDG/dangerous goods requirementsand destination-country import regulations

Commercial & Rate Negotiation

• Negotiate freight rates, space allocations and service contracts withshipping lines, airlines and co-loaders at their Singapore regional or headoffices
• Build and maintain the rate card across all trade lanes; benchmark carrierpricing and identify cost-saving opportunities
• Prepare quotations for customers and support the sales team on pricing fornew business and tenders
• Manage carrier relationships and conduct periodic service and rate reviews

Analysis & Reporting

• Analyse trade lane performance including volumes, gross margin per shipment,carrier cost trends and lane profitability
• Produce regular operational and commercial reports for management, withrecommendations on route optimisation and cost control
• Track and report on service KPIs such as on-time delivery, transit times anddocumentation accuracy

Team

• Supervise and develop a small operations team, allocating workload andreviewing work quality
• Establish and maintain standard operating procedures for each trade lane

Requirements

• Diploma or Degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Maritime Studies,Business, or a related discipline
• At least 3 years of hands-on international freight forwarding experience,covering both sea and air freight
• Practical knowledge of door-to-door shipment coordination, includingoverseas agent management and multi-leg movements
• Experience negotiating rates with carriers, co-loaders or shipping lines
• Familiar with Singapore Customs procedures, TradeNet permit declarations andIncoterms
• Proficiency in Mandarin (spoken and written) is required for this role, asthe successful candidate will handle daily correspondence, rate negotiationand shipment coordination with our port agents, suppliers and carriercounterparts in China who operate primarily in Mandarin
• Strong Excel skills for rate analysis and margin reporting; experience with afreight management or TMS system is an advantage
• Exposure to the Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Philippines or Australiatrade lanes is an advantage
• Prior supervisory experience, or readiness to take on team leadership
• Able to work under time pressure across multiple time zones and resolveoperational issues independently

What We Offer

• Full ownership of a defined set of international trade lanes, with visibilityof both the operational and commercial sides of the business
• Direct exposure to carrier negotiation at regional headquarters level
• A growing regional network with genuine scope to expand the role