Cluster Product Manager - Air

The Cluster Product Manager (Air) is responsible for leading the air product team in Malaysia and Singapore to drive a high-performance environment that fosters trust, transparency, and accountability within Rhenus and with key suppliers. This role ensures alignment of product and commercial strategies to achieve measurable results and profitability while maintaining strong vendor and customer relationships.

This role can be based in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Airfreight Strategy

• Ensure that the airfreight products and strategy are properly set up and volumes are developing well within the respective country based on aligned trade lane, customer and vertical budgets.
• Alignment with the commercial head of the country on the commercial and product strategies to tie in, reviewing the pipeline to define the right trade lane focus after having a good understanding of the internal capabilities and resources as well as the market data in terms of market volume by lane and related commodities we want to engage in.

Carrier Relationship Management

• Build and maintain good relationships with core carriers` country level decision makers and GSAs.
• Monitor and control core carriers’ performance in alignment with operation and procurement team, enforce a methodology of performance reviews and action plans to be baseline for carrier negotiations.
• Ensuring the integration with all available carriers (or their appointed GSAs) in the country and support with taking all necessary steps in terms of contract and bank guarantees aligned with regional head.
• Comply with global core carrier policy for the top trade lanes by evaluating the carriers` performance and feasibility, establishing objectives on each carrier aligned with regional head.

Local Tariff, Main Haul Rates and Contract Management

• Maintain a high performing local procurement team in the country, by supporting and working together with the procurement team to deliver the best rates and services possible as well as ensuring elaboration of local tariffs provided with approved subcontractors including supplier management for that outsourced activities (including performance reporting and cross-checking for the provided costs at certain time intervals-not less than 2 times in a year together with joining into audit processes with respective departments)
• Based on the global airfreight strategy, coordinate with sales management and trade lane managers to ensure capturing or seeking out business opportunities including risk-taking decisions for G/R/C-KAM accounts and tenders aligned with product head of the region and managing director of the country whenever it is needed.
• Negotiate rates for key accounts and high-volume trade lanes with regional/global core carriers and ensure the beneficial soft/hard block space agreements, allotments or business-specific agreements with the carriers as well as quality service level agreements for certain verticals/customers.
• Ensure that the tariffs (buying & suggested selling) in your respective region are maintained by the respective PIC (e.g. CTS) for local charges, trucking charges and airfreight rates and be accountable for the competitiveness of these charges and rates

Procurement & Operational Efficiency

• Spearhead Leading the procurement team to adopt a consolidation-oriented approach for shipments and ensuring that shipment planning and pricing align with this mindset and goal.
• Leading the operations teams within the Airfreight Locations and ensure operational efficiency
• Maintaining open communication, sharing worksheets, and fostering collaboration between the procurement and operations teams during the booking phase to ensure harmony.
• Ensuring the efficiency of the procurement team by utilizing digital procurement and booking platforms.
• Continuously monitoring bookings and getting involved in specific cases to increase profitability through adjustments in planning or by addressing carrier-related issues, if any.

Business Development

• Supporting the commercial teams through joint visits to strategically important customers within the country/region or globally for specific products
• Demonstrating the ability to prepare and deliver company or product presentations/projects to the commercial team or directly to customers, including providing content support for marketing materials.
• Applying dynamic thinking and an open-minded approach to exploring alternative routings and service offerings.
• Actively monitoring business cases, assessing risks, and generating investment ideas in alignment with the global product growth strategy
• Supporting implementation for the new acquired business in collaboration with airfreight operation team and and all other stakeholders.
• Establishing the infrastructure for potential gateway setups within the country, considering capabilities, feasibility, and flexibility in collaboration with the regional head of product and the global gateway strategy manager.

Reporting & Market Intelligence Support

• Serve as an enabler to channel market intelligence to ensure a higher understanding of the actual businesses in the market. The information must be actionable and insightful and should be shared & handled with commercial head of the country, always within the frameworks set by the Regional Product Head.
• Continuously monitoring market trends, competitor activities, and regulatory changes affecting the airfreight industry in the region and initiating the required actions/changes within the organization.
• Organize a monthly summarizing report to provide the key information regarding the performance/effectiveness of local procurement and key commercial +/- impacts. (Monthly Airfreight Development Call with HoA)
• Measure in uplift performance and other specific KPIs (e.g., aimed at consolidation,volume cut) to be shared by Product Management.

People Management and Interaction

• Leading the training for the employees in airfreight division and collaborating with HR-Development Team for having a proper training needs analysis (TNA).
• Implementing Rhenus Excellence in all areas which is driven by people, customer centricity, innovation and bringing four core values to daily working life.
• Considering the vision of Rhenus Air and Ocean, each level of managers and employees should take the opportunity to help shape and impact the culture of the company. The statement of Rhenus Excellence should serve to encourage and guide our employees to make good decisions and work smarter.
• Providing leadership & direction, and serving as a role model within the global airfreight team as well as country organization, maintaining effective communication with other functional heads, and cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and collaboration.
• Encouraging and educating young talents within the organization.

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in Freight forwarding industry, with solid background in air freight operations or procurement role.
• Thorough understanding air freight market drivers
• Passion for service delivery and cost-effectiveness – and for identifying how to constantly improve
• Costumer Focused - able to anticipate and identify customers’ needs and expectations
• High degree of ownership
• Ability to balance operational priorities with commercial imperatives
• Effective change agent with the ability to adjust change approach based on circumstances
• Proactive and capable of handle responsibility without needing to be micromanaged
• Outgoing personality and the ability to communicate effectively in a diverse multicultural environment
• Able to communicate well in English both spoken and written.
• Strong analytical and negotiation skills
• Able to work under pressure.
• Strategic and innovative mindset
• Be results driven and is persistent in meeting day to day challenges and goals.
• Can multi-task in an intense, fast-paced, high-energy, environment.
• Demonstrate confidence as a performer and lead by example.
• Willingness to travel
• Minimum 5 years of experience in people management and leadership, including recruitment, training & development, coaching, conflict, and performance management.