Head of Air Freight RDM, Asia Pacific
Summary
Leads air freight trade lane strategy in Asia Pacific, balancing demand, capacity, and yield to grow DHL’s network and profitability across key corridors.
Job Purpose
To drive profitable growth and network optimization across Asia by developing and executing trade lane strategies that balance demand, capacity, and yield performance. The role is responsible for identifying and unlocking new route opportunities, strengthening partnerships with carriers and internal stakeholders, and ensuring competitive positioning across key corridors to support the overall air freight growth strategy.
Key Responsibilities
1.Trade Lane Strategy & Development
o Develop and execute growth strategies for priority Asia and intercontinental trade lanes
o Identify new route opportunities and expansion corridors based on demand, capacity, and market trends
o Define lane-specific targets (volume, revenue, yield) in alignment with regional growth objectives
2.Commercial Performance Optimization
o Drive yield improvement by balancing volume growth with profitability targets
o Monitor key KPIs (e.g., revenue/kg, load factor, market share) at trade lane level
o Identify underperforming lanes and implement corrective actions
o Identify underperforming lanes and implement corrective actions
3.RFQ & Strategic Pricing Support
o Provide route-level input into strategic RFQs and large bids (capacity availability, rate benchmarks, lane strategy)
o Partner with Pricing teams to ensure competitive and sustainable rate positioning
o Support “walk-away” decisions with route economics and network impact analysis
4.Stakeholder Collaboration
o Work closely with Country Heads of Growth, ACCs, and Sales teams to drive lane-level execution
o Align with Global Route Development and Product teams on network priorities
o Act as the key interface between commercial teams and capacity/procurement functions
5.Market Intelligence & Competitor Analysis
o Track market trends, competitor capacity moves, and rate developments across key corridors
o Provide regular insights on shifts in supply/demand dynamics and emerging opportunities
o Recommend proactive adjustments to maintain competitive positioning
6.Pipeline & Opportunity Management
o Build and maintain a pipeline of strategic opportunities by trade lane
o Support countries in developing targeted growth plans for focus lanes
o Track conversion of opportunities into secured business
7.Performance Reporting & Governance
o Establish regular reporting on trade lane performance and growth initiatives
o Provide updates to leadership on progress against targets and strategic priorities
o Ensure alignment and accountability across regions and countries
Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• More than 5 years related experience and knowledge of the Air Freight forwarding business and carrier/supplier landscape
•Proven track record in people management role (leadership, motivation and people skills)
•Demonstrates strong communication capabilities
•Excellent negotiation skills
•Strong problem-solving mentality
•Strong ability to understand, calculate and persuasively present pricing techniques and analytics