Branch Manager

Monroe Consulting Group, an Executive Recruitment firm, is partnering with an organisation in the Industrial sector to hire a Senior Operations Manager / Business Development Manager (Air & Ocean). This opportunity is based in Johor, Malaysia.

Position Overview
To lead operational performance for air and ocean freight forwarding, ensuring efficient, compliant import and export execution. The role drives service quality, team performance, and business growth while supporting financial and commercial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the execution of daily import and export freight operations across air and ocean modes, ensuring compliance with regulatory and customer-specific requirements.
• Lead, coach, and supervise the operations team to deliver service excellence, productivity, and adherence to SOPs and organisational standards.
• Ensure timely and accurate job costing, invoicing, accruals, and event management within operational systems to meet organisational dashboard and customer KPIs.
• Manage customer service delivery across operational activities, including issue resolution, shipment visibility, and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Branch Manager to maintain service levels and support customer retention through operational excellence.
• Work closely with airline, shipping line, and transport partners to coordinate freight movements, manage capacity constraints, and resolve service disruptions.
• Support the financial performance of the branch by monitoring supplier costs, controlling rework, and identifying opportunities for process optimisation.
• Lead weekly team meetings, manage shift planning and leave approvals, and oversee day-to-day workload balancing.
• Ensure all operational documentation is accurate, complete, and compliant with organisational and regulatory requirements, including bonded warehouse obligations (where applicable).
• Drive and support the successful transition of the new sales model and business model. Support station and BD leadership in identification, recruitment and hiring of top business development talent. Drive the inside sales and sales associate staffing model to ensure optimal sales force productivity.
• Ensure roles, responsibilities, goals, key performance indicators, BD incentives and expectations are clearly communicated and understood by the sales team. Reward performance and address lack of it in a timely and professional way. Ensure that career development opportunities through training, coaching and quality management activities are provided.
• Maintain measures to monitor sales performance towards goal and make necessary strategy adjustments to achieve new business wins target. This includes consistent review of MTA, opportunity pipeline, hit rate and conversion rates.
• Develop and implement business development strategy for all market segments in SME, LLA & MNC clienteles to maximise margins and increase revenue growth.
• Collaborate and align with the product leaders, sector leaders and trade lane managers to develop Go To Market strategies to support country sales force in order to increase new opportunities & incremental revenue.
• Develop new businesses for all product range - Freight Management & Contract Logistics.
• Retention of accounts through customer service excellence. Gathering and sharing of market intelligence.
• Design and structure the Sales Support team to ensure service excellence. Evaluate team performance and conduct performance assessments.
• Participate in management meetings to provide insights and updates on commercial performance. Develop and implement monthly business flash reports to monitor ongoing progress. Prepare budget reports in alignment with corporate financial cycles.
• Any other task that may be assigned from time to time by the Management.

Key Requirements

Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business Administration or a related discipline
Minimum 8–10 years of experience in freight forwarding (air and ocean), with at least 3–5 years in a managerial role
Proven experience managing operations teams and driving business development initiatives within logistics or supply chain environments

Technical / Functional Expertise
Strong knowledge of air and ocean freight forwarding operations, import/export procedures, and regulatory requirements
Experience with job costing, invoicing, accrual management, and operational KPI tracking systems
Familiarity with SOP compliance, QHSE standards, and bonded warehouse requirements
Demonstrated capability in sales performance management, including pipeline tracking, MTA review, conversion rates, and revenue growth strategies
Experience working with airline, shipping line, transport providers, and customs brokers
Proven exposure to Freight Management and Contract Logistics business development
Competence in Go To Market strategy development and sales force optimisation

Soft Skills & Leadership Competencies
Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to coach and develop high-performing teams
Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and interpersonal abilities
Strategic thinking with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining service excellence
Results-driven mindset with a focus on continuous improvement and operational optimisation.