Director of International Transportation

YQN

$130K — $156K *
Transportation
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years in international logistics or freight forwarding
  • 3+ years of team or senior management experience
  • Strong knowledge of ocean and air freight processes
  • Experience in managing custom clearances and vendor performance
  • Proficient in negotiation and cost analysis
  • Experience with high-volume international shipments preferred
  • Bachelor's degree in a related field preferred
  • Bilingual in English and Mandarin is a strong advantage

Responsibilities

  • Lead international first-mile transportation operations primarily from Asia to the U.S.
  • Develop and manage logistics service provider resources
  • Manage carrier/vendor performance and contract negotiations
  • Oversee shipping schedules and customs clearance coordination
  • Optimize transportation routes to reduce costs and improve efficiency
  • Monitor freight rates and international logistics trends
  • Establish and improve SOPs and KPIs for the transportation process
  • Coordinate closely with internal and external stakeholders
  • Handle operational escalations like delays and customs issues
  • Build and lead the international transportation team

Benefits

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  • 401(K) Retirement Plan
  • Paid Time Off (PTO)
Full Job Description
About this role:

YQN is seeking an experienced Director of International Transportation to lead our first-mile and international transportation operations. This role will be responsible for managing international freight from origin to the U.S., including ocean freight, air freight, customs clearance coordination, port operations, carrier/vendor management, transportation cost control, and overall service performance.

The ideal candidate has strong experience in cross-border logistics, freight forwarding, international transportation, or 3PL operations, with the ability to manage both daily execution and strategic transportation resources.

Key Responsibilities:
  • Lead and manage international first-mile transportation operations, primarily covering shipments from Asia/China to the United States.
  • Develop and manage ocean, air, drayage, customs brokerage, and other logistics service provider resources.
  • Manage carrier/vendor performance, pricing, capacity, service levels, and contract negotiations.
  • Oversee booking, container allocation, shipping schedules, customs clearance coordination, port pickup, and delivery to U.S. warehouses.
  • Optimize transportation routes and logistics solutions to reduce overall transportation costs and improve delivery efficiency.
  • Monitor freight rates, market capacity, port conditions, and international logistics trends.
  • Establish and improve SOPs, KPIs, cost-control mechanisms, and exception-management processes.
  • Coordinate closely with warehouse operations, trucking, customer service, procurement, and overseas teams.
  • Handle major shipment exceptions, delays, customs issues, capacity shortages, and other operational escalations.
  • Build and lead the international transportation team and support the company's nationwide logistics expansion.

Qualifications:
  • 5+ years of experience in international logistics, freight forwarding, transportation, or 3PL operations.
  • 3+ years of team management or senior management experience preferred.
  • Strong knowledge of ocean freight, air freight, customs clearance, port operations, container transportation, and U.S. logistics networks.
  • Strong carrier, freight forwarder, NVOCC, customs broker, or transportation vendor management experience.
  • Strong negotiation, cost analysis, and transportation resource development skills.
  • Experience managing high-volume international shipments strongly preferred.
  • Strong problem-solving and cross-functional coordination skills.
  • Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, or related field preferred.
  • Bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese is strongly preferred.

Preferred Background:

Candidates with experience from international freight forwarders, NVOCCs, large cross-border e-commerce companies, 3PL providers, or global logistics companies are strongly preferred.

Work Location: On-site in Fontana, California.

Pay: Starts from 130K per year.

Benefits: Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance, 401(K), PTO

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