Job Description

Description

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.

Location

: Hybrid. As a global business, we work from wherever we are required to. This means a mix of at home working, travelling to our London HQ but, also, frequent international travel to Asia, US and Europe.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and leadership responsibilities

Develop strategy:

Define, articulate, and relentlessly drive the overarching strategic direction for all freight forwarding operations. This includes setting long-term goals for market expansion, service offerings, and technological integration, ensuring alignment with the company's global business objectives and anticipated market trends.

Operational blueprint:

Design and implement a robust, scalable operational blueprint that standardises processes across all global regions, leveraging best practices to maximize consistency, efficiency, and reliability in service delivery.

M&A integration management:

Oversee the complete process of merging operational functions, systems, and teams of an acquired business into the parent entity.

Financial stewardship and management

Financial ownership (P&L):

Assume full ownership of the function's P&L statement. This critical responsibility involves meticulous management of budgets, forecasting operational expenses, and driving cost-efficiency initiatives to consistently meet or exceed aggressive fiscal targets and enhance overall profitability.

Investment justification:

Lead the financial justification and business case development for major capital expenditures and strategic operational investments.

Team leadership and talent development

Build high-performing teams:

Recruit, mentor, and cultivate exceptional operations teams globally. Focus on fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Talent strategy:

Develop and execute comprehensive professional development plans, ensuring robust succession planning is in place for all key operational leadership roles to secure the long-term stability and growth of the function.

Performance management and accountability

KPI definition and governance:

Establish clear, measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all operational processes and team members. Implement rigorous tracking mechanisms and conduct regular performance reviews to ensure all operational goals are achieved consistently.

Data-driven decision making:

Champion the use of operational data and analytics to identify bottlenecks, measure success, and inform strategic decisions, driving continuous performance uplift.

Innovation and technological advancementDrive Innovation:

Proactively identify, evaluate, and lead the implementation of emerging technologies, such as AI, Machine Learning, and advanced logistics software, and innovative processes to dramatically improve operational efficiency, data accuracy, and the overall customer service experience.

Digital transformation:

Oversee the digital transformation roadmap for operations, ensuring all systems are integrated and future-proofed to support rapid global scaling.

Executive communication and stakeholder management

Executive relationships:

Serve as the primary operational liaison with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Board. This involves high-level, clear, and persuasive executive communication, effectively setting and managing expectations, presenting detailed operational findings, and making compelling, data-backed strategic recommendations.

Operational and compliance

End-to-end oversight:

Provide comprehensive oversight and management of all end-to-end freight services (Air, Ocean, Road, Rail). This includes meticulous management of cargo handling, documentation, customs brokerage, and transport logistics, ensuring efficiency, reliability, and full adherence to global logistics standards.

Process optimisation:

Continuously analyse and optimise complex operational workflows and processes to drive down delivery costs, accelerate transit times, minimize errors, and significantly enhance the overall customer experience through service delivery improvements.

Partner and carrier network management:

Strategically manage, negotiate, and optimize relationships with a global network of key logistics partners, including carriers, third-party logistics (3PL) providers, distribution centers, and customs agents, leveraging partnerships to secure optimal service levels and competitive rates.

Ensure compliance:

Institute a rigorous compliance framework to guarantee absolute adherence to all complex international shipping regulations, trade laws, customs tariffs, export controls, and stringent security standards (e.g., C-TPAT, AEO)

Risk mitigation:

Proactively develop and regularly test robust contingency plans, disaster recovery protocols, and business continuity strategies to effectively mitigate risks associated with geopolitical issues, natural disasters, cyber threats, and major operational disruptions, safeguarding continuous service delivery.

Customer Relationship Management

Customer relations escalation:

Act as the ultimate point of escalation for complex client issues, operational crises, and high-impact disputes. Lead resolution efforts with a focus on retaining client trust and demonstrating commitment to service excellence.

Customer first:

Foster a culture where operations understand the customer's business, build strong peer level relationships and accountability on each file.

Key account engagement:

Develop and nurture strong, strategic relationships with key clients and major accounts, regularly engaging with their executive teams to ensure their evolving logistics needs are fully understood and consistently exceeded through tailored operational solutions.

Client network development:

Actively participate in industry forums and client events to develop and maintain a strong professional network, enhancing the company's market reputation and identifying opportunities for new service offerings based on client feedback and market demands.

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, you might be surprised to know that 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.

Life at Zencargo

What's in it for me?

Zencargo is where you come to do something you're passionate about, and learn new things. We are in scale mode at Zencargo and we work to realistic growth targets and metrics. You will thrive here if you enjoy working in a scaling environment. As we grow we want you to grow with us. At Zencargo there is a huge opportunity to build your experience and grow your career. We want you to be part of the team for a long time to come, and we will focus on helping you get to where you want to be. We all have dreams and aspirations. As part of the Zencargo team, we ask you to deliver your optimum work and help us create real value for our customers and teams.

Work, Life and Balance

At Zencargo, we work hard! We do, however, realise that you have family, friends, interests and life outside the world of work. As a scaling business, we constantly evolve our reward and benefits approach.

Here are some highlights!

United Kingdom

Generous Annual Leave Flexible, Remote and Hybrid Working Home Equipment Allowance BUPA Private Medical Insurance Annual L&D Budget Paid Volunteering Days Pension Scheme Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave & Pay

Netherlands

33 days paid holiday annually, including statutory Dutch national public holidays Pension Scheme Flexible, Remote and Hybrid Working Home Equipment Allowance Annual L&D Budget Paid Volunteering Days Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave & Pay

United States

33 days paid holiday annually, pro rata, including national public holidays and Veteran's Day Home Equipment Allowance 401K Pension Scheme Private healthcare scheme Annual L&D Budget Paid Volunteering Days Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave & Pay




United States

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.