National & Cross-Border Road Freight Manager – FMCG / Cold Chain Logistics / Frozen Food Commodity Trading

Contact person for this position:

Amori Prinsloo

amori@joblinkplacement.co.za

Website: www.joblinkplacement.co.za

We are seeking an experienced and result-driven National & Cross-Border Road Freight Manager to oversee and manage all National and Cross-border road freight operations.

Department: Logistics & Operations

Base: Gqeberha

Reports to: Operations and Logistics Director

Job Summary:

The Road Freight Manager directs, optimises, and executes all local, intermodal (port), and cross-border road transport operations for the company. This role is responsible for dual-model network execution: maximizing the efficiency of their internal asset fleet while strategically leveraging third-party (3PL) transport providers.

The role directly oversees the Fleet Manager to ensure internal vehicles are optimally maintained, compliant, and utilized, while leading a team of controllers to guarantee the seamless, cost-effective, and legally compliant movement of frozen food commodities and dry manufacturing ingredients. Crucially, the role demands hands-on expertise in navigating cross-border road freight exports, customs regulations, and agricultural health authorities.

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 neighbouring 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:

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.

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 behaviours 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.

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.

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:

• Over sign, 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.

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.

Specialized Functional Execution

Local Logistics (LLT)

Route Monitoring:

• Monitor daily loadouts, 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.

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.

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.