Head Special Cargo

Employment Type: Permanent
Contract Duration: 

Why you will love working here

At IATA, we represent over 350 airlines worldwide, striving to make aviation safer, smarter, more sustainable, and inclusive.

• Our Values are not just words on a page - they are the energy behind everything we do: ONE IATA - We collaborate across teams, TRUSTED - We do the right thing, INNOVATIVE - We make tomorrow better, INCLUSIVE - We embrace diverse perspectives.
• With over 30,000 courses available, we believe in continuous learning and support your growth in an ever-changing industry.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion are our priorities. We are certified by the Equal Salary Foundation, offering equal pay and family-friendly policies.
• We encourage community involvement through volunteering and strive to make tomorrow better for aviation and our communities. We offer time off so you can support causes important to you.
• We promote work-life balance with flexible work options, including remote and hybrid work, a generous 'work from abroad' policy, and you get your birthday off!

About the team you are joining

Airlines transport over 62 million metric tons of goods a year, representing more than 33% of global trade by value but less than 1% of world trade by volume. That is equivalent to $6.8 trillion worth of goods annually, or $18.6 billion worth of goods every day. 
The OSS Cargo team is responsible for ensuring the safe and secure transport of goods in cargo. Our top three priorities focus on Safety and Security, Digitalization and Sustainability.
You will report to the Head, E-Commerce and Cargo Operations, lead the development and delivery of the special cargo agenda, delivering standards, business processes and solutions for the air cargo supply chain related to the transport of live animals, perishables and temperature sensitive cargo.
This role is responsible for shaping industry standards, policies, and best practices, while fostering collaboration across stakeholders and ensuring alignment with long-term organizational goals.

What your day would be like

Act as Subject Matter Expert (SME) on all topics across the special cargo program.
Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for special cargo.
Lead the creation and evolution of global standards, such as the Live Animals Regulations (LAR), Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) and Temperature Control Regulations (TCR) and related services,
Lead the creation and evolution of special cargo policy positions and regulatory responses.
Secretary to the live animals and perishables board (LAPB), a Cargo Services Conference (CSC) subgroup, lead the development of the agenda, drafting standards, resolutions, regulatory responses, run the meetings efficiently and produce the required outputs.
Sponsor and guide working groups, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
Ensure relationships are developed with critical stakeholders (i.e. shippers, forwarders, regulators...) to ensure access to insights, key innovations and trends useful towards the continued improvement process in airfreight of special cargo.
Investigate partnerships and manage MoUs with multiple organizations and the associated workplans (including UNICEF, CITES, OIE, CCA, Pharma.Aero, ATA, IPATA).
Support commercial activities such as publications, events, products/solutions and CEIV with subject matter expertise and standards development.
Represent the organization in international forums, regulatory bodies, and industry coalitions.
Oversee community engagement strategies and ensure value delivery to members.
Collaborate with internal departments (e.g., safety, sustainability, digital and operations) to integrate Special Cargo initiatives.
Monitor global trends and regulatory developments to inform proactive strategies.
Manage and mentor the special cargo team.
Coordinate various ad-hoc project activities as required by the business.

We would love to hear from you if

10+ years in air cargo or logistics, with deep expertise in all special cargo areas (e.g., pharma, live animals, perishable cargo).
Proven leadership in policy, standards, and stakeholder engagement.
Strong strategic thinking and communication skills.
Experience working with international organizations and regulatory bodies.
Excellent stakeholder management skills, ability to collaborate with people in a multi-cultural environment in different regions across the globe and gain consensus
Excellent organizational skills, with a strong focus on quality and an eye for detail.
Dynamic personality, flexible, team-oriented, and able to show initiative and handle a variety of tasks simultaneously.
Excellent written and spoken English with additional languages being an advantage.

Travel Required: Y: 20%