Ocean and Air Operations Associate

The Opportunity:

The Operations Associate role, based in Melbourne, is a rare opportunity to be at the ground floor of Flexport Australia’s growth. As one of our earliest team members in the region, you will wear many hats and play a defining role in shaping our operations, culture, and client experience. This is a career-defining role with a clear path forward. 

You will develop a deep understanding of global logistics end-to-end, from operations and process design to client management and commercial strategy, working alongside country leadership, operations management, and sales teams. This breadth of exposure is intentional: we want to develop the next generation of logistics leaders.

What You Will Do:

The role is anchored in operations, with a strong bent towards process improvement and automation. 

Core tasks:

• Execute end-to-end shipments across all modes (FCL, LCL, Air, import and export), including bookings, documentation, and milestone tracking.
• Communicate directly with clients, carriers, trucking providers, CFS/warehouse operators and customs teams to keep shipments on time and on spec.
• Troubleshoot shipment exceptions proactively and escalate issues with clear context and a recommended path forward.
• Maintain data accuracy across Flexport systems to meet KPIs and client SLAs.
• Support account managers and customs teams to deliver an exceptional client experience.

Process Improvement & Automation

• Identify operational bottlenecks and design scalable solutions anchored in AI, code, and automation.
• Build or contribute to internal tools, dashboards, and workflows that reduce manual effort and improve data quality.
• Leverage AI tools proactively in your daily work—from drafting client communications to analysing shipment data—and share learnings with the team.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement; if you see something broken, fix it.

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work directly with country management, operations leads, and sales teams to align on priorities and client needs.
• Build trusted relationships with clients, external partners including carriers, customs brokers, and freight vendors.
• Contribute to regional strategy discussions and bring an operator’s perspective to commercial decisions.

What we’re looking for

The four A’s

• Agency: You don’t wait to be told. You identify problems, take ownership, and drive solutions without prompting. You treat Flexport’s business like your own.
• Adaptability: You thrive in ambiguity and change your approach when circumstances demand it. You stay calm when things go sideways and help others do the same.
• AI & Data Fluency: You are comfortable using AI tools and working with data. You ask good questions of datasets, build basic automations, and continuously seek to do more with less.
• Ability to make judgements in ambiguity: You can make sound, well-reasoned decisions with incomplete information. You know when to escalate and when to act.

What you will need:

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to generate data-driven insights that inform decisions and strategy
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills
• Commercial acumen with the ability to identify win-win operational and business opportunities
• Courage to challenge existing processes and drive meaningful change
• Experience in freight forwarding, supply chain, or logistics operations welcome, but not a hard pre-requisite

Skills & Mindset:

• Hands-on, process-oriented, structured thinking with strong problem-solving capabilities
• Keen interest in technology adoption
• Courage to challenge the status quo when logic and reason require it. See something broken? Fix it!
• Excitement to manage relationships and create a best-in-class operational structure
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Client service mindset - obsessed with client and employee happiness

What’s in it for you:

• The chance to help build something from the ground up in a high-growth market.
• Broad exposure to country leadership, operations management, and commercial teams from day one.
• A genuine understanding of how global logistics works; end to end, across all modes and geographies.
• A culture that rewards ownership, creativity, and a bias for action.
• International expatriation opportunities for high performers who deliver great results.