Director, Business Development – International Freight (Ocean & Air)
This position is salary + commission
Work Location
In-person at our HQ in Belmont, NC (full-time in-office initially), transitioning to a hybrid schedule over time. Travel for customer meetings is required.
About Link Logistics
Link Logistics is a fast-paced, and even faster growing, full-service logistics provider headquartered in Belmont, NC, with offices in Knoxville, TN; Columbus, OH; Arlington, VA; and Jacksonville, FL. We specialize in Freight Forwarding, Drayage, Domestic FTL, Expedited, LTL, Cross-Border, Drop Trailer Pools, and Consulting.
Position Summary
The Director, Business Development — International (Ocean & Air) is responsible for driving new revenue growth through strategic international freight opportunities, both import and export. This role operates as a senior commercial leader, partnering with leadership and international operations to win, develop, and expand high-value customer relationships.
Selling international freight at this level is not about handing someone a number on a piece of paper. It is about presenting a real solution — the right carrier, the right routing, the right balance of cost, speed, and reliability for that customer’s supply chain — and being able to stand behind it with confidence. You will be supported by customer operations and account management for day-to-day execution, while you remain focused on growth, relationships, and cross-selling across our full service offering.
What Selling Here Actually Means
You own the strategy and the close. You are leading complex sales cycles — discovery, solution design, pricing strategy, and contract close — for high-value international accounts.
You have to know which carrier actually makes sense. Anyone can read a rate sheet. This role requires knowing which carrier is reliable on a given lane, which one is more likely to delay, and being able to explain those trade-offs to a customer so they understand why you are recommending what you are recommending.
You need a holistic view of the supply chain. Ocean freight, air freight, trucking, drayage, warehouse charges, port charges, customs — you need to understand how all of it connects well enough to design a solution that genuinely works for the customer’s business, not just a quote that looks good on paper.
You have to be able to defend your recommendation. When a customer comes back with a lower quote from someone else, you need to respond with confidence — not defensiveness. That might mean matching the rate and explaining the difference in service, or holding your position and laying out exactly why your recommendation protects them better.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
· Develop and execute a strategic business development plan focused on International Ocean and Air Freight
· Travel to customer sites to present proposals, rates, and creative solutions to supply chain needs
· Lead complex sales cycles including discovery, solution design, pricing strategy, and contract close
· Coordinate with internal teams to develop executable solutions for FCL/LCL and Air (standard and expedited as applicable)
· Participate in customer RFQs, RFPs, and bid events; drive the commercial strategy through close
· Maintain insight on current market trends through research and internal networking with sales and operations teams
· Maintain accurate activity and pipeline updates in CRM; forecast opportunities and revenue
· Drive account expansion by identifying additional lanes, services, and value-added opportunities
What Your Day Looks Like
This is an active, hands-on role. No two days look exactly the same, but a typical day will involve a mix of the following:
· Working overseas agents for bookings and rates. Reaching out to agents and partners abroad to secure bookings, confirm routings, and pull the rates you need to put together a strong, competitive proposal.
· Following up with new and prospective customers. Staying on top of conversations already in motion — checking in, answering questions, and moving opportunities forward rather than letting them go cold.
· Chasing down leads. Working through leads as they come in and following up persistently until you get a real answer one way or the other.
· Cold calling and outreach. Reaching out to new prospects who do not know us yet — this is still very much a relationship-building business, and direct outreach is part of how new accounts get started.
· Working your network. Tapping into relationships you have built over your career to identify opportunities and bring on new business. Your existing network and transferable book of business are real assets here.
· Checking in with existing customers. Having regular conversations with your customers to make sure things are actually going well — not waiting for a problem to surface. That feedback comes back to the team and helps us get better. If you see an email or a tone that suggests a customer is frustrated, you jump in personally before it becomes a bigger issue.
Speed and Availability Win Business
This industry is built on service, and the fastest, most responsive person in the conversation tends to win — consistently, not just occasionally.
· Respond quickly, every time. Customers remember who got back to them first and who they could count on. Being consistently fast and available is one of the clearest ways we differentiate from competitors.
· Work across time zones. International freight does not run on a single time zone. There will be times you need to be available early in the morning to catch Asia before their day ends, or later in the evening to catch Europe. This is a real and regular part of the role, not an occasional exception.
· Balance your time deliberately. Being available outside normal hours only works if you also manage your time well during the day. Sustainable performance in this role depends on discipline, not just hustle.
Support & Resources
You are not building this alone.
· Leadership support for complex deals. Supported by the SVP and VP of International for RFQs, RFPs, bids, carrier strategy, pricing alignment, and complex solution design — as well as spot quoting when needed.
· Account managers cover for you. Assigned accounts are supported by an Account Manager/Customer Operations teammate who handles day-to-day workflows, including tracking and tracing, proactive daily customer updates, and responding to customer emails.
· Eventually, you will have quoting support too. Once an account is long-term and well-established enough that you have a clear SOP in place, you do not have to carry the quoting alone forever. Your account manager can take that on day-to-day, with you guiding the account behind the scenes. The customer stays confident and stays put — they know you are still steering the relationship.
· You are still the relationship owner. Account managers support the account — they do not replace your role as the primary point of contact for strategy, pricing conversations, and the trust you have built with the customer.
· You do not have to know everything on day one. You will have access to resources and guidance from leadership to keep building your knowledge as you go — this role is as much about growth as it is about what you already know.
Required Cross-Selling
While this role has a primary focus on International Ocean and Air, you are required to actively sell and cross-sell all Link Logistics service offerings based on customer needs:
· Drayage / Port & Intermodal
· Domestic Truckload (FTL) / Expedited
· LTL
· Cross-Border
· Drop Trailer Pools
· Consulting / Supply Chain Solutions
Candidate Competencies
· Strategic, consultative selling with executive-level presence
· Strong understanding of carrier operations as well as customer operations
· Clear communication, follow-up discipline, and relationship-building
· Ability to problem-solve in a fast-paced logistics environment
· Proficiency in Microsoft Office and comfort using CRM tools
Minimum Requirements
· High school diploma or equivalent (Bachelor’s preferred)
· 2+ years of customer-facing logistics experience (international sales strongly preferred)
· Proven ability to develop and close new business
Preferred Requirements
· Experience selling international ocean and/or air freight solutions
· Understanding of international shipping processes and documentation (Incoterms awareness a plus)
· Transferable book of business or warm leads (preferred)
What Success Looks Like
· A growing book of business built on customers who trust your recommendations, not just your pricing
· Consistent, fast responses that make you the easiest person to work with in your customers’ eyes
· The ability to walk a customer through a genuinely complex international move and have them feel confident in the plan
· Long-term account retention, because customers do not leave salespeople who actually understand their business
Working Conditions
We are a performance-based team. Here is what that looks like in practice:
· Results over hours: We do not manage by the clock. We manage by results. You have the freedom to work in a way that makes you effective, with the understanding that customer meetings, site visits, and travel are a regular and expected part of building this kind of business.
· A team that genuinely covers for you: Everyone at Link Logistics is cross-trained on each other’s responsibilities. When you are out, someone steps in for real — not just acknowledges messages. That is how we are built.
· Direct access to leadership: You will work closely with the SVP and VP of International. There are no unnecessary layers between you and the people who can make decisions. Leadership is always accessible to you.
· No micromanagement: We set clear expectations and trust our people to meet them. Feedback and guidance are always available, but we respect that everyone has their own style and we are not looking over your shoulder.
· Travel as needed: Customer meetings and site visits are part of how this role builds and closes business. We support that travel as a core part of the job, not an inconvenience to it.
We are building something real: Link Logistics is growing fast across multiple divisions and service lines. The people who come in now are the ones who will shape what this becomes.
Reporting to: SVP, International Division
Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- How many years experience do you have selling international freight forwarding services?
- Which services have you sold?
- Have you worked for a freight forwarder, NVOCC, or international logistics provider?
- Which industries have you primarily sold into?
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Belmont, NC 28012
