Head of Asia Operations CastleGate Forwarding

CastleGate Forwarding (CGF) is a fast growing digital freight forwarding organization within Wayfair's broader CastleGate Logistics network. We offer a full suite of shipping services (consolidation and deconsolidation, Ocean freight, Drayage, Customs Brokerage, Cargo Insurance, etc.) that aims to provide Wayfair suppliers with turn-key Freight Forwarding services that are predictable and reliable, so they can scale their business. 

In order to maintain our high level of delivery standards and meet our customer’s needs, the Castlegate Asia Logistics team plays a key role in enabling an efficient supply chain from upstream - driving speed, reliability, quality and accuracy, from origin in Asia to the right destinations in North America and Europe.  

As the CGF Head of Asia Operations, you will be responsible for all activities associated with freight movement in Asia, including booking, agent management, carrier allocation, carrier management, operation of consolidation warehouses, and outbound customs/documentation management.  This role will also be responsible for the identification, development, and launch of new service offerings (some of which are in flight today). Transformation, operations innovation, change management, and vendor management are at the heart of the role. You will be a senior leader within CGF and your work will be highly visible and cross-functional; regularly engaging directly with senior leaders across Wayfair. The ideal candidate for this role is someone with deep Supply Chain and Logistics experience and one that enjoys tackling new challenges in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. This is a unique opportunity for a highly motivated and entrepreneurial individual to contribute in a very significant way to Wayfair’s rapid growth and leadership in eCommerce and Logtech. This role reports to the Global Head of Operations for Castlegate Forwarding.

What You'll Do

• Lead a team of c. 30 (and growing) that is responsible for all aspects of CGF Operations in Asia. 
• Origin Operations: Responsible for providing Origin related services, such as ocean booking services, managing origin agents and export and import documentation out of several Asia locations
• Container Freight Station (CFS) Operations: Responsible for providing cargo splitting and consolidation services out of Asia locations.
• Origin Business Incubation: responsible for the development of new service offerings in Asia 

• Through your team of directs, performance manage 8 third party consolidation facilities (and growing), 100+ third party origin agents, and 50+ third party data entry associates
• Lead Operations improvement & innovation across processes, tools and procedures 
• Develop a close understanding of our supplier’s businesses, ensuring we deliver on our commitments for a low cost, high NPS operating model. Through negotiation, process improvement and developing strategic 3rd party partnerships you will work to improve cost structure.
• Lead voice in the leadership team in Boston for your area 
• Collaborate and strengthen relationships with business leaders across the organization to get support to drive the change needed 
• Lead the vision definition for the team, with a clear articulation of the pillars of work and high priority initiatives.
• Maintain industry expertise; keep abreast of trends and new ideas while developing relationships with new partners.
• Provide direct input into the development, implementation and reporting of partner provider KPI/metrics to monitor all aspects of the transportation process.
• In partnership with technology & business intelligence teams, manage & drive a diverse roadmap of tech initiatives aimed at building the foundation of this supply chain solutions business for future scale.

What You'll Need

• Full professional proficiency in both English and Mandarin is essential for this role. Experience living & working in both China and the United States is a plus
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills leveraging both words and data to engage with audiences ranging from C-suite level executives to junior associates and labor
• 10+ years’ experience in Supply Chain & Logistics 
• 5+ years’ management experience with a consistent track record of leadership and taking ownership that leads to exceptional results with the ability to lead and prioritize projects and delegate tasks appropriately.
• Senior presence, ability to clearly and consistently work side-by-side across functions and departments synthesizing multiple points of view into a coherent action plan.
• Ability to manage through ambiguous and subjective situations, including balancing operational efficiency and data analysis with high quality standards and a sense of what is “right” for the customer.
• Ability to think both creatively and critically. Willing to think outside the box and challenge the status quo, while also fairly evaluating all possible solutions in making strategic decisions.
• Experience managing and executing large projects from start to finish including project management, data gathering, problem-solving and communicating recommendations.
• Value-obsessed strategic GM-mindset: you monitor KPIs and state-of-the-business, and perform ad hoc analysis or recommendations to figure out what’s next, always keeping in mind the overarching strategy and business goals.
• Very persuasive, with strong ability to articulate complex ideas simply and relationship- building skills.
• Proficiency with analyzing  large data sets to deliver clear, actionable insights.
• MBA preferred with 5+ years post MBA experience

Last updated on Jul 17, 2024