cargo quality manager

title: Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cargo Quality Manager
salary: $ - $
categories: [Logistics, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Aviation]
description: A comprehensive overview of the key responsibilities, required technical skills and professional background for the role of a Cargo Quality Manager.
Cargo Quality Manager — Experienced leader responsible for ensuring cargo operations meet regulatory, safety, and customer quality standards. This role oversees audits, corrective actions, continuous improvement, and stakeholder engagement across air, sea, and ground freight channels. Keywords: Cargo Quality Manager, cargo quality assurance, IATA DGR, ISO 9001, logistics quality, continuous improvement, KPI reporting.

🎯 Role Definition

The Cargo Quality Manager is a senior operational quality role accountable for developing, implementing and maintaining cargo quality systems, procedures and KPIs across cargo handling, acceptance, storage and transportation activities. This position ensures compliance with industry regulations (including IATA DGR, national aviation authorities, customs and hazardous materials rules), leads internal and supplier audits, drives root cause analysis and CAPA programs, and partners with operations, safety, commercial and customer service teams to sustain continuous improvement in cargo performance, safety and customer satisfaction.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Cargo Operations Supervisor or Team Leader with progressive operational experience.
Quality Assurance Auditor/Coordinator with logistics or aviation background.
Cargo Claims or Customer Service Manager focused on freight handling and damage prevention.

Advancement To:

Head of Cargo Quality or Global Cargo Quality Manager.
Director of Safety, Quality & Regulatory Affairs (Logistics/Aviation).
Senior Operations Director with enterprise-wide quality responsibility.

Lateral Moves:

Cargo Operations Manager
Safety & Compliance Manager
Regulatory Affairs Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, maintain and continuously improve the cargo quality management system, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions to ensure consistent, auditable compliance across all cargo handling locations and modes.
Lead and coordinate internal quality audits, operational inspections and vendor/supplier audits (including ground handling agents and third-party logistics providers), preparing audit plans, checklists and actionable findings reports.
Ensure compliance with IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), national civil aviation authority requirements and other applicable transportation regulations; act as the internal subject matter expert for hazardous cargo handling and training.
Manage investigation processes for cargo incidents, damage claims, loss and non-conformances — perform root cause analysis (5 Whys, Fishbone), determine corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and monitor implementation and effectiveness.
Create, maintain and report on cargo quality KPIs and SLAs (e.g., on-time delivery, damage rates, acceptance error rate, audit scores), using data-driven dashboards to drive executive reporting and operational decision-making.
Design and deliver cargo quality training programs for operations teams, ground handlers and partners, including DGR certification, acceptance procedures, screening, packaging requirements and human factors awareness.
Implement and oversee supplier quality programs, setting performance expectations, scorecards, remediation plans and contractual quality requirements for third-party handlers and logistics providers.
Coordinate cross-functional continuous improvement projects using Lean, Six Sigma and process mapping methodologies to reduce defects, shorten cycle times and improve throughput while maintaining safety and compliance.
Serve as primary point of contact for regulatory inspections and external audits, preparing documentation, coordinating site visits and ensuring timely closure of regulatory findings.
Manage quality documentation control, including version control of SOPs, audit records, training certificates, incident logs and CAPA evidence to maintain audit readiness and compliance with ISO or equivalent frameworks.
Partner with customer service, sales and commercial teams to investigate customer complaints, determine root cause, propose remediation and implement preventive actions to reduce repeat incidents and protect customer retention.
Oversee acceptance and screening process quality controls (including X-ray, physical inspections and paperwork verification) to minimize acceptance errors and ensure security and compliance standards are upheld.
Drive packaging and labeling standards, working with shippers and internal teams to reduce damage in transit, enforce packaging guidelines and support hazardous goods segregation and placarding compliance.
Lead cross-border compliance initiatives related to customs documentation, export controls, restricted goods and carrier liability rules to mitigate regulatory risk and claims exposure.
Monitor and analyze trends in cargo claims, damages and operational non-conformances; recommend policy, process and training changes to senior leadership based on trend analysis and risk assessment.
Develop business continuity and contingency quality plans that protect product integrity and customer service during disruptions, including diversion, re-handling and recovery procedures.
Establish and enforce acceptance quality gates and escalation paths for ambiguous or high-risk shipments, ensuring clear decision-making authority and audit trails for exceptions.
Work with IT and data teams to define requirements for quality monitoring tools, cargo traceability systems and incident management platforms, ensuring integrations support real-time visibility and reporting.
Drive implementation of new quality initiatives such as temperature-controlled cargo standards, specialized handling for pharmaceuticals, perishables or live animals, and quarantine controls where applicable.
Facilitate cross-functional quality forums, steering committees and weekly operational quality reviews to ensure alignment between quality objectives and operational targets.
Oversee the management of cargo damage and loss claims processes to ensure timely investigation, root cause attribution and consistent financial reconciliation and recovery strategies.
Ensure continuous alignment of quality processes with corporate ESG and sustainability goals, including initiatives to reduce waste from damaged goods, recyclables from packaging and emissions from rework.
Mentor and develop a high-performing quality team, establishing competency matrices, succession plans and continuous learning pathways to build internal capability.
Maintain a proactive risk-based approach to quality assurance by conducting risk assessments, FMEA exercises and applying preventive controls to high-impact cargo flows.

Secondary Functions

Provide ad-hoc analytical support and produce deep-dive investigations for senior leadership on major cargo incidents or emerging quality risks.
Contribute to the organization’s quality strategy and roadmap by identifying technology gaps, staffing needs and investment priorities.
Collaborate with operations, safety, commercial and IT teams to translate quality requirements into system specifications, process designs and technology enhancements.
Participate in project planning, change management and agile delivery processes to implement quality system upgrades or new cargo products.
Represent the company in industry working groups, trade associations and regulator consultations related to cargo quality and compliance matters.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Cargo quality management and operational auditing — demonstrated experience developing audit programs, checklists and corrective action tracking.
In-depth knowledge of IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) and practical application to cargo acceptance and handling.
Regulatory compliance expertise (national aviation authorities, customs, transport security and hazardous material regulations).
Root cause analysis methodologies (5 Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa) and CAPA program management.
Experience with ISO 9001 quality systems, documentation control and audit readiness.
KPI development, performance measurement and dashboarding using Excel, Power BI, Tableau or equivalent BI tools.
Data analysis and trend reporting skills — extracting insights from claims, incident and operational data to drive improvements.
Process improvement methodologies: Lean, Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred) and continuous improvement program leadership.
Operational knowledge of cargo acceptance systems, screening technologies (X-ray, ETD), handling equipment and warehouse management systems (WMS).
Supplier and vendor quality management: contract requirements, scorecards and remediation planning.
Project management and change management skills to deliver process or system implementations.
Experience managing temperature-sensitive cargo and specialized product requirements (pharma, perishables, live animals) is highly desirable.
Claims handling workflows and financial reconciliation related to cargo damage and loss.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management — ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.
Excellent written and verbal communication for clear reporting, training, and regulator engagement.
Customer-focused mindset with the ability to translate operational issues into service recovery and prevention plans.
Analytical thinker with attention to detail and a systematic approach to problem solving.
Resilient under pressure — capable of managing high-priority incidents and multi-site escalations.
Effective collaborator who builds relationships across operations, commercial and regulatory stakeholders.
Coaching and training ability to upskill operational teams and embed quality best practices.
Strategic mindset to align quality initiatives with business objectives and customer expectations.
Ethical judgment and integrity when managing incidents, investigations and regulatory matters.
Adaptability to work in a fast-paced, regulatory-driven environment with competing priorities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Aviation Management, Business Administration or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Supply Chain, Quality Management, Business Administration, or related discipline.
Professional certifications such as IATA DGR Instructor/Validator, ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, or Certified Quality Manager credentials.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Aviation and Airline Operations
Industrial or Mechanical Engineering
Quality Management and Safety
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5 to 12 years of progressive experience in cargo operations, quality assurance, or regulatory compliance roles.

Preferred:

7+ years of hands-on cargo quality or operations experience with at least 2–3 years in a managerial or supervisory role.
Demonstrated track record of leading audit programs, implementing CAPA, and delivering measurable quality improvements in a logistics or aviation environment.
Experience working with multinational teams and managing external vendor relationships across multiple geographies.