National & Cross-Border Road Freight Manager

SUMMARY:
Our client in the FMCG industry is looking for a National & Cross-Border Road Freight Manager to join their logistics department in Port Elizabeth

POSITION INFO:
Minimum Qualifications and Experience: Bachelor's Degree or Advanced Diploma in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, or Transport Economics (Highly Preferred). Matriculation certificate is a baseline minimum. Minimum 5-7 years of experience in road freight management, specifically within high-volume FMCG, cold chain logistics, or ambient\/frozen food commodity trading. Export-Specific Experience: Minimum 3 years of direct experience specializing in road freight exports, moving commercial cargo across South African borders into neighboring territories. Proven experience dealing directly with Customs authorities (SARS) and the State Veterinarian (DALRRD) for the inspection, documentation, clearance, and release of animal and plant products. Proven track record in managing an internal commercial fleet of trucks (own assets) as well as the direct leadership and performance management of an internal Fleet Manager. Proven proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (Syspro experience highly advantageous), Transport Management Systems (TMS), vehicle telematics\/satellite tracking platforms, and Advanced Microsoft Excel. Soft Skills: Ability to rapidly resolve operational bottlenecks, vehicle breakdowns, port congestion, Customs interventions, and border delays under high-pressure conditions. High commercial acumen to interpret transport data, track cost per ton\/pallet, optimize fleet running costs, and identify cost-saving leakages. Clear, decisive leadership style to manage decentralized controller teams and hold both internal fleet staff and third-party logistics (3PL) providers accountable. Main Duties\/Key Results Areas: 1. Export Compliance, Customs & State Vet Management State Vet Coordination: Oversee the scheduling, preparation, and presentation of frozen and dry food commodities for mandatory State Veterinarian inspections. Ensure all health certificates, import\/export permits, and veterinary clearances are accurate and valid. Customs & Border Clearance: Manage road export clearance processes through SARS Customs and destination country authorities. Ensure correct tariff classifications, valuation declarations, and manifest submissions to eliminate border delays. Regulatory Liaison: Act as a key point of contact for clearing agents, border officials, and health inspectors to resolve administrative queries, detentions, or border stop-and-search procedures. Sealing & Detention Protocols: Ensure strict compliance with vehicle sealing procedures post-inspection by State Vet or Customs officials to maintain regulatory and cold chain integrity. 2. Internal Fleet Governance & Leadership Direct Fleet Manager Oversight: Manage, mentor, and hold the internal Fleet Manager accountable for daily vehicle availability, fuel efficiency, driver performance, and asset protection. Maintenance & Roadworthiness: Oversee the Fleet Manager's execution of preventative maintenance schedules, COF (Certificate of Fitness) renewals, licensing, and immediate resolution of mechanical breakdowns. Driver & Fuel Management: Review fleet metrics compiled by the Fleet Manager, including driver behavior logs, speeding alerts, idling times, and fuel consumption\/siphoning audits. Asset Utilization: Balance cargo allocation between the internal fleet and 3PL providers, ensuring the company fleet is continuously fully utilized to maximize return on asset investment. 3. Strategic Departmental Leadership & Team Management Direct Line Management: Provide daily leadership, strategic direction, and performance tracking for Local Logistics (LLT) Controllers, Intermodal Controllers, Cross-Border Controllers, and Admin Assistants. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Develop, implement, audit, and continuously update all departmental SOPs across both internal fleet movements and outsourced freight to ensure operational continuity. Capacity Planning: Forecast and secure sufficient national and cross-border transport capacity to meet fluctuating seasonal import and export volumes. 4. Financial Governance, Rate Negotiation & Risk Management Rate Management: Maintain, update, and distribute accurate transporter rate sheets to the administrative team; eliminate unauthorized rate variances. Commercial Negotiation: Continually source new transport providers and negotiate competitive freight rates with existing and new operators to reduce overall logistics spend. Financial Reconciliation: Oversign, verify, and resolve queries relating to transport recons, internal fleet running costs, diesel rebates, and demurrage claims before final financial sign-off. Goods in Transit (GIT) & Asset Insurance: Ensure the central GIT spreadsheet is updated in real-time for 3PLs, and verify that the internal fleet insurance policies are fully compliant and active to eliminate corporate liability. 5. Cold Chain Integrity & Claims Management Cold Chain Safeguarding: Enforce strict temperature control protocols across all transit legs, ensuring reefer units maintain specified temperatures for poultry, beef, pork, fish, and vegetables. Cold Store Synergy: Oversee seamless communication with internal and commercial cold storage facilities to guarantee loading\/offloading bookings are secured timeously, preventing vehicle standing time. Incident & Claims Resolution: Manage the end-to-end resolution of transport claims resulting from product damages, shortages, temperature deviations, theft, or road accidents. Root Cause Analysis: Investigate all transit failures, implement corrective actions, and enforce financial recoveries from transport suppliers or internal disciplinary protocols where fault is established. 6. Specialized Functional Execution A. Local Logistics (LLT) Route Monitoring: Monitor daily load-outs, dispatch schedules, and vehicle routes across all regional delivery zones. Asset Maximization: Maximize commercial vehicle utilization and reduce empty running through intelligent route planning and scheduling. On-Site Resolution: Resolve on-site commercial loading, offloading, and scheduling issues at client facilities instantaneously. B. Intermodal (Port & Depot) Traffic Tracking: Track daily container delivery reports and container moves to maintain continuous visibility over port traffic. Demurrage Mitigation: Guarantee the rapid removal of containers from major ports to avoid expensive port storage and carrier demurrage penalties. Pre-Arrival Booking: Secure commercial cold store intake slots and bookings well prior to vessel arrival dates to minimize staging delays. C. Cross-Border (Export Region) Status Monitoring: Monitor regional cross-border status reports daily to track transit milestones and truck coordinates. Delay Mitigation: Proactively mitigate border crossing delays via direct liaison with clearing agents, Customs officials, and State Vet offices. Regulatory Enforcement: Ensure strict customs documentation compliance and absolute adherence to all SADC transport regulations. All and any other related duties as expected by the Employer from time to time.