Operations Associate

The opportunity:

As Flexport continues to scale its operations across LATAM, São Paulo is opening as our newest office in the region, and Flexport's first in Brazil. You’ll be one of the first local hires on the ground, part of the initial cohort that stands up this office from scratch. As an Operations Associate, you'll play a critical role in Flexport's mission: to make global trade so easy there will be more of it. Today, Flexport moves more than $175B in goods for over 13,000 clients across 135 countries, and in this role you'll focus on building that business in Brazil, working in a highly cross-functional environment alongside clients, local partners, ocean and air carriers, port and airport terminals, trucking providers, customs brokers, and teams across the company.

This is a role for someone who wants to bring automation and AI-driven tooling into Brazilian logistics operations, not just manage the status quo. Flexport is investing heavily in automating manual ops workflows across LATAM, and you'll be the person on the ground translating that into real operational leverage for the São Paulo team, reducing manual work and speeding up execution.

You will:

• Pre-insourcing operations:
• Oversee the coordination of import and export shipments across ocean, air, and road freight, managed by Flexport’s agent in Brazil, ensuring service levels, compliance, and operational efficiency throughout the process
• Map and structure import and export processes in Brazil, preparing the operation for the insourcing of activities in the short term
• Post-insourcing operations:
• Coordinate import and export shipments in Brazil with ocean carriers, airlines, trucking companies, and other local providers, ensuring operational efficiency and adherence to service levels
• Act as a trusted advisor and coach to the Flexport team worldwide for Brazil-related matters, working closely with local, regional, and global teams, including Sales, Account Management, Trade Lane Managers, and Operations, to develop logistics solutions, resolve issues, identify improvement opportunities, and support the acquisition and expansion of new business for Flexport
• Act as the point of contact for local customers in Brazil, providing operational support whenever needed
• Release cargo and approve release of documents (e.g., BL/AWB, delivery orders) for assigned shipments.
• Approve payments to carriers, customs brokers, truckers, and other vendors for assigned shipments.
• Verify invoices against quotes, bookings, and shipment documents before approving payment or releasing cargo.

You should have:

• Bilingual in English and Portuguese required; Spanish a plus
• Bachelor’s degree
• 2+ years of experience in freight forwarding, ocean carrier or co-loader operations
• Strong analytical skills, with experience building and refining dashboards to track performance
• Excellent communication, organizational, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Proven problem-solving skills, with the ability to run deep dives and identify root causes
• An entrepreneurial mindset, with a strong track record of driving results and innovation
• Passion for team success, with the ability to inspire and motivate others
• A can-do, roll-up-your-sleeves, results-oriented approach; approachable and accessible
• A compliance-first mindset, high integrity and ethics, with style and behavior that reflect Flexport's values
• Hands-on daily use of AI tools, or a strong affinity for picking them up fast

#LI-onsite