Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of experience in international air freight, control tower, or supply chain roles.
Proven leadership of managers and complex customer portfolios.
Strong knowledge of air freight operations and exception management.
Experience with Engineering & Manufacturing or production-critical supply chains preferred.
Expertise in performance analytics and control tower systems.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Responsibilities
Set the strategy and governance for NORAM air freight control towers.
Ensure reliable execution and visibility for production-critical shipments.
Lead performance reviews and service-risk management for key accounts.
Direct major escalations and service recovery actions.
Implement cross-functional improvement programs for operational excellence.
Enhance data quality and digital solutions for customer engagement.
Develop and coach control tower leaders and senior managers.
Benefits
Competitive base salary with performance-based incentives.
401(k) match of $1-for-$1 up to 4% quarterly plus 2% annual contribution.
Discounted stock purchase plan for Deutsche Post AG shares.
Comprehensive medical plans covering various healthcare needs.
Optional vision and dental coverage.
Generous paid time off including holidays and vacation days.
Full Job Description
Job Title: Director of Air Freight Control Tower - Engineering & Manufacturing
Job Location: Peoria or Chicago, Illinois
Job Purpose
Lead the NORAM Air Freight Control Tower for Engineering & Manufacturing customers, ensuring consistent execution, visibility, and service quality across complex and time-critical supply chains. Direct regional governance, customer performance, escalations, operational improvement, and team development while aligning control tower delivery with global standards and commercial priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Control Tower Leadership: Set the NORAM strategy, governance, operating standards, and capability roadmap for Engineering & Manufacturing air freight control towers.
Service Execution: Ensure reliable end-to-end air freight execution, milestone visibility, exception management, and delivery performance for complex, production-critical shipments.
Customer Governance: Lead performance reviews, customer health assessments, service-risk management, and improvement plans for strategic and multinational accounts.
Escalations & Recovery: Direct major escalations, contingency plans, service recovery, and corrective actions across countries, stations, gateways, and partners.
Operational Excellence: Convert performance gaps and recurring failures into measurable cross-functional improvement programs.
Data & Digital Performance: Strengthen EDI quality, milestone compliance, dashboards, predictive risk indicators, and adoption of digital customer solutions.
People Leadership: Lead and develop control tower leaders and senior Customer Program Managers through clear goals, coaching, accountability, and succession planning.
Commercial Partnership: Support strategic RFQs, solution design, renewals, and growth opportunities by validating operational feasibility, capacity, and service commitments.
Voice of Customer: Translate customer feedback and sector requirements into regional operational, product, and digital priorities.
Authority & Decision Making
Set regional control tower priorities, governance standards, and performance expectations.
Authorize escalation, recovery, alternate routing, capacity, and service-upgrade actions within approved guidelines.
Assign ownership and corrective actions for customer, operational, and data-quality failures.
Recommend investments, operating-model changes, and resource priorities through regional governance.
Key Interfaces
Engineering & Manufacturing customers and global account teams
DHL Air Freight Product, Stations, Gateways, Operations, and Control Towers
Sales, Pricing, Solutions Design, Country Management, and Process Excellence
Carriers, ground handling, trucking, security, and compliance partners
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-time pickup, departure, arrival, and delivery performance
Milestone and EDI timeliness, completeness, and accuracy
Exception aging, recovery cycle time, and escalation closure
Customer satisfaction, SQI performance, and corrective-action effectiveness
Reduction in repeat incidents, service failures, and operational cost leakage
Team capability, retention, succession readiness, and control tower maturity
Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of progressive international air freight, control tower, customer operations, or supply chain experience.
Demonstrated leadership of managers, senior professionals, and complex regional or multinational customer portfolios.
Strong knowledge of air freight operations, gateways, carriers, capacity, customs interfaces, trucking, and exception management.
Experience supporting Engineering & Manufacturing, automotive, industrial, or other production-critical supply chains preferred.
Proven ability to lead customer governance, major escalations, continuous improvement, and cross-functional change.
Strong command of performance analytics, EDI and milestone quality, control tower systems, and executive reporting.
Executive-level communication, commercial judgment, and stakeholder-management skills.
Pay Range: $130,011.75 - $174,349.00+ (Based on Experience)
Benefits (All Non-Union Employees)
Compensation: Competitive base salary plus role dependent performance-based incentives.
401(k) Match: $1-for-$1 match up to 4% quarterly + 2% annual base contribution.
Stock Purchase Plan: Ability to purchase Deutsche Post AG shares at a discounted rate.
Medical: Comprehensive plans covering preventive care, inpatient/outpatient services, and prescriptions.
Vision: Optional coverage for exams, frames, and contacts.
Dental: Optional coverage for preventive, basic, and major services.
Paid Time Off: 7 major holidays, 8 floating holidays, and accrued vacation/sick days.
About DHL Group
DHL Group is a German multinational package delivery and supply chain management company. It is part of the larger Deutsche Post DHL Group. DHL operates in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, making it the most international company in the world. With a workforce exceeding 550,000 employees, DHL is one of the largest employers in the world.
