Our client, an established mid-sized European freight forwarding company, is seeking an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking Country Head to set up and lead its Philippines business.
Misson
To launch, lead, and grow a new Philippines agency, ensuring operational excellence, full compliance, customer satisfaction and profitable growth.
Key Responsibilities
A. Country Leadership & Strategy
- Establish the new Philippines agency from the ground up: legal setup coordination, office setup, staffing, and operational readiness.
- Develop and execute the country's business plan aligned with APAC strategy and global corporate objectives.
- Build strong brand presence in the Philippines—positioning the agency as a premium, customer-centric freight forwarding partner.
- Represent the organization with authorities, partners, strategic clients, and industry bodies.
B. Operations Management
- Oversee all freight forwarding activities (Air, Ocean, Customs Brokerage, and Value-Added Services) ensuring high service quality and compliance.
- Implement global SOPs, standards, and systems (e.g., CargoWise, financial procedures, performance management tools).
- Ensure compliance with local regulations (e.g., BOC/PEZA), security standards, HSSE, and documentation accuracy.
- Build efficient workflows and ensure strong coordination with origin/destination offices.
- Set and monitor KPIs for productivity, file quality, billing accuracy, GP control, and service performance.
C. Team Leadership & Organizational Building
- Recruit, train, and manage a local team across operations, customer service, sales, and finance/admin.
- Foster a high-performance culture driven by accountability, professionalism, and customer excellence.
- Develop future leaders and ensure succession planning as the organization scales.
- Provide coaching, performance reviews, and continuous development.
D. Commercial Development
- Support business development in collaboration with APAC Sales Leaders and Global Account Managers.
- Engage key clients, participate in RFQs/RFIs, and support solution design and pricing.
- Develop a local sales strategy tailored to the Philippine market (import-driven high-value goods, FMCG, tech/electronics, aerospace).
- Drive retention and growth of strategic accounts.
E. Financial & Administrative Responsibility
- Deliver country P&L in line with budget: revenue growth, GP margin, cost control, and overhead management.
- Ensure accurate invoicing, WIP control, credit management, and reporting.
- Manage vendor relationships (carriers, co-loaders, brokers, trucking, warehousing).
- Identify profitability risks and implement corrective actions.
F. Governance, Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure adherence to quality, ethics, and governance standards.
- Maintain compliance with HSSE policies, data protection, anti-corruption, trade compliance, and sanctions guidelines.
- Lead crisis and escalation management at the country level.
- Ensure a safe, compliant, and efficient working environment.
Required Profile
Experience
- 10+ years in international freight forwarding, with at least 5 years in a leadership or branch management role.
- Proven track record in setting up, scaling, or transforming an agency/branch.
- Experience managing P&L and cross-functional teams.
Technical Skills
- Strong operational expertise across Air, Ocean, Customs, Domestic Distribution, and visibility systems.
- Familiarity with industry platforms (CargoWise preferred) and KPI-driven performance tools.
- Strong understanding of pricing, procurement, carrier negotiations, and margin management.
Soft Skills
- Entrepreneurial mindset with a hands-on leadership style.
- Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
- High resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving ability.
- Excellent communication skills in English.
