Air Logistics Gateway Operations Specialist

About the role

As a member of the Freight Forwarding team at Kuehne+Nagel, you will play a key role in transporting goods, optimizing processes, and fulfilling our customers' promises. By transporting medicines, toys, and important machine parts, you are not only delivering goods but also making small and big moments possible for people all around the world. The Air Logistics Gateway Operations Specialist is responsible for executing the operations of a local gateway, utilizing procured fixed capacity, optimizing cargo flows, and enhancing the commercial outcomes of gateway activities. This role is accountable for meeting agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), fulfilling customer demands, procuring spot capacity when necessary, and enabling growth.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily gateway operations for air import, air export, and transshipment shipments.
• Coordinate cargo movement through gateway facilities while ensuring compliance with company procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Plan, manage, and optimize shipment consolidations to maximize efficiency, service performance, and cost effectiveness.
• Monitor airline capacity and proactively secure space to support customer and operational requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with airline partners and other transportation providers.
• Ensure timely booking, routing, tracking, and exception management of shipments.
• Analyze shipment volumes, capacity utilization, and operational performance to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Resolve operational issues, shipment delays, and service disruptions through effective problem-solving and stakeholder coordination.
• Collaborate with customers, carriers, warehouses, customs brokers, transportation providers, and internal operational teams to ensure seamless execution.
• Monitor and achieve key performance indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), and operational excellence targets.
• Maintain accurate shipment records, reports, and documentation.
• Support process improvements and contribute to productivity, quality, and cost-saving initiatives.

Requirements

• 2-5 years of experience in Air Export, Air Import, or Gateway Operations within the freight forwarding/logistics industry.
• Strong knowledge of carrier management, including airline relationship management, rate negotiations, and performance monitoring.
• Experience with capacity planning, shipment forecasting, and cargo consolidation to maximize efficiency and meet service commitments.
• Proven ability to deliver operational results, achieve KPIs, and drive process improvements in a fast-paced environment.
• Skilled at managing high shipment volumes while maintaining accuracy, meeting deadlines, and ensuring service quality.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with airlines, customers, warehouses, transportation providers, and internal teams.
• Effective negotiation and problem-solving abilities to resolve shipment exceptions, capacity constraints, and operational challenges.
• Excellent organizational, multitasking, and time management skills with a strong attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word, for reporting, analysis, and communication.
• Strong communication skills, customer focus, and ability to work under pressure in time-sensitive logistics operations.

This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for current or future employer sponsorship.

Benefits

At Kuehne+Nagel, we offer a dynamic global work environment with opportunities for excellent training programs and career mobility. The total rewards package includes:

• Health and welfare benefits.
• A 401k retirement savings plan.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Incentive compensation for eligible roles.

Pay

The hourly wage for this role is between $27.00 and $31.00. Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by factors including experience, skills, job location, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations.