Operations Manager (Freight Forwarding)
Location: Brea, CA
Work Arrangement: Full-Time, Onsite
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Operations Manager to oversee daily logistics and freight forwarding operations while leading a lean, highly collaborative operations team supporting domestic and international freight forwarding activities. This role is responsible for ensuring operational efficiency, maintaining service quality, resolving issues proactively, and supporting the continued growth of the organization.
The ideal candidate is a dependable leader with strong freight forwarding experience, excellent decision-making skills, and the ability to independently manage complex operational challenges. This position requires full-time onsite presence and close collaboration with ownership and team members across multiple locations.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee day-to-day freight forwarding and logistics operations.
- Manage and support the U.S.-based operations team, ensuring productivity, accountability, and service excellence.
- Coordinate with overseas outsourced teams and their supervisors to ensure smooth workflow execution and timely completion of documentation and operational tasks.
- Monitor shipment activities, customer requirements, and operational performance metrics.
- Identify operational issues and implement effective solutions to prevent disruptions.
- Make sound operational decisions based on industry experience and business needs.
- Develop and improve processes to increase efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
- Collaborate with leadership on operational planning, staffing needs, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, industry regulations, and customer requirements.
- Serve as a reliable resource for troubleshooting complex logistics and service issues.
Qualifications
Required Experience
- Minimum 5 years of operations experience within the freight forwarding, logistics, or transportation industry.
- Proven experience leading and managing operational workflow across multiple functions.
- Strong understanding of freight forwarding processes, documentation, and logistics operations.
Required Skills
- Freight forwarding and logistics operations expertise
- Decision-making and problem-solving abilities
- Process improvement and operational efficiency
- Strong communication and coordination skills
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
- Excellent troubleshooting and organizational capabilities
- Proficiency with GoFreight or similar freight forwarding platforms
Preferred Traits
The successful candidate will be:
- Responsible and dependable
- Comfortable working onsite full-time
- Self-motivated and highly independent
- A confident decision-maker
- Detail-oriented and proactive
- Effective at managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Collaborative while maintaining accountability
- Bilingual in Mandarin or Spanish is a huge plus
Compensation & Benefits
Benefits Include:
- 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
- 401(k) with company matching: 100% match on the first 3%; 50% match up to 4%
- Life insurance
- Paid Time Off (PTO) eligibility upon completion of probation; 10 PTO days annually, with additional accrual based on tenure
- Annual Bonus: Performance base
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical leadership role within a growing logistics organization. You will have direct impact on operational success, work closely with company leadership, and help drive improvements that support long-term growth and efficiency.