International Freight Network Manager

Hybrid | Queens, NY

A high-growth distributor serving thousands of restaurants and retailers nationwide is ready to re-engineer its international freight program, and they need a proven logistics leader to take the helm. As the International Freight Network Manager, you will design and execute the company’s ocean-import strategy, steer multimillion-dollar carrier negotiations, and build the KPIs that keep product flowing from port to plate. If you thrive on turning data into cost savings and enjoy rolling up your sleeves in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture, this hybrid role in Queens could be your next big move.

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Direct Impact: Your initiatives will immediately influence company margin and customer satisfaction.
• Executive Visibility: Present strategy and results directly to the C-suite; clear path to director-level growth.
• Investment in Tools: Leadership is committed to funding technology that eliminates friction and scales with demand.
• People-First Culture: A privately owned company that reinvests in its people through training, recognition, and competitive benefits.

What You’ll Tackle

Strategic Network Design

• Architect and continually refine a global, multi-modal freight network that balances cost, reliability, and speed for frozen, fresh, and general-merchandise SKUs.
• Lead annual RFP cycles for ocean carriers, NVOCCs, and dray partners, securing industry-leading rates and service-level agreements.
• Serve as the organization’s import-compliance authority, ensuring all programs remain audit-ready under FDA, USDA, FSVP, and FSMA rules.

Operational Excellence

• Own day-to-day performance of transportation partners, using real-time dashboards and root-cause analysis to drive on-time departures, container visibility, and demurrage-free releases.
• Direct customs programs—HTS classification, first-sale valuation, drawback, and periodic internal audits—to keep landed costs in check.
• Benchmark internal freight spends against public indices; surface savings opportunities and quickly renegotiate where gaps appear.
• Collaborate with buying, finance, and DC teams to model total-landed-cost scenarios and optimize port pairings and dray strategies.

Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Build and mentor a nimble, high-performing import logistics team grounded in data-driven decision making.
• Develop a multi-year roadmap of process automations and visibility-tech integrations that will scale with double-digit volume growth.
• Present monthly KPI packs to senior leadership, highlighting cost-per-container trends, variance drivers, and corrective actions.

The Expertise You Bring

• Bachelor’s in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, or related discipline.
• 5+ years managing international logistics (ocean import focus) for food, CPG, or other high-velocity distribution environments.
• Demonstrated success negotiating carrier contracts that deliver year-over-year savings.
• Working knowledge of customs brokerage, FTAs, duty-reduction programs, and U.S. import regulations.
• Advanced analytical skills—Excel, BI tools, or similar—and a knack for translating numbers into operational wins.
• Eligible to work in a hybrid schedule: 2–3 days on-site in Queens, remainder remote.

Ready to steer a nationwide importer toward world-class logistics performance? Apply today or reach out to Blue Signal Search for a confidential conversation.

About Blue Signal: 

Blue Signal is a leading executive search firm, specializing in logistics & supply chain recruitment. Our logistics & supply chain recruiting team has a proven track record of finding top-performing talent in areas such as logistics leadership, supply chain technology, and operations. Lean more at bit.ly/44lDvL4