Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cargo Safety Manager
💰 $80,000 to $110,000
LogisticsAviation CargoSafety & Compliance
🎯 Role Definition
The Cargo Safety Manager is a senior safety professional responsible for leading and managing all aspects of safety, risk and compliance within cargo operations. This role ensures that the freight, air cargo, logistics or maritime cargo operations adhere to global regulatory standards, operational safety management systems (SMS), internal policies and industry best practices. The Cargo Safety Manager drives a proactive safety culture, oversees incident investigations, develops training and ensures continuous improvement in cargo safety performance.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Cargo Safety Coordinator / Safety Officer in cargo operations
- Logistics Safety Specialist / Operational Safety Analyst
- Aviation or Maritime Safety Technician supporting cargo operations
Advancement To:
- Senior Cargo Safety Manager / Regional Cargo Safety Director
- Head of Safety & Compliance for Cargo or Logistics Division
- Vice President – Safety, Security, and Compliance (Cargo & Logistics)
Lateral Moves:
- Compliance & Security Manager (Cargo/Logistics)
- Risk Management Director (Freight / Supply Chain)
- Quality & Safety Director – Aviation or Maritime Cargo
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Develop, implement and maintain a robust cargo safety management system (SMS) aligned with corporate goals, global regulations (IATA, ICAO, IMO), and operational standards.
- Lead risk identification, hazard assessments, safety audits and incident investigations across cargo operations, ensuring actionable follow‑up and monitoring of corrective actions.
- Monitor, report and analyse cargo safety performance metrics (KPIs), identify trends and provide senior leadership with insights and recommendations for improvement.
- Oversee the review and renewal of safety policies, procedures and cargo‑specific guidance (including dangerous goods, special loads and air freight) to ensure compliance with evolving regulations.
- Lead and deliver cargo safety training and awareness programmes for internal teams, ground handling agents (GHAs), contractors and third‑party logistics providers to embed a strong safety culture.
- Manage the integration of new cargo equipment, infrastructure or process changes into the safety framework — ensuring that new risks are assessed and mitigated before roll‑out.
- Coordinate safety assurance reviews, station audits, vendor and contractor compliance checks at regional or global outports to maintain consistent standards throughout the cargo network.
- Serve as the primary interface with regulatory authorities, auditors and industry bodies for cargo safety compliance, maintaining documentation, submissions and audit readiness.
- Collaborate with operational leadership in cargo, freight forwarding and supply chain teams to ensure safety considerations are embedded into operational decisions, change initiatives and business growth plans.
- Lead root cause‑analysis of cargo incidents, near‑misses or safety failures and drive the implementation of preventive actions and continuous improvement initiatives across the network.
- Develop budget, resource plans and business cases for safety‑related investments in cargo operations—such as monitoring tools, training platforms, safety innovations and infrastructure upgrades.
- Maintain a comprehensive safety documentation‑control system for cargo operations, including safety bulletins, procedural manuals, audit reports and training records.
- Lead the development and execution of emergency response and business continuity plans specific to cargo operations—including special/oversized loads, perishable goods, dangerous goods and high‑value shipments.
- Drive continuous improvement and safety culture transformation—influence leadership and frontline staff to proactively identify risks, challenge unsafe behaviours and champion best practices.
- Manage the safety integration of outsourced cargo handling partners (GHAs), freight forwarders and vendors—ensuring they operate under the company safety standard and monitor their performance accordingly.
- Monitor evolving cargo‑specific regulations (such as air cargo screening, dangerous goods, export/import controls) and ensure the safety framework remains up‑to‑date and compliant.
- Promote and support the deployment of safety‑technology solutions for cargo operations—such as incident‑reporting tools, data analytics platforms, wearables or automation systems—to enhance safety performance.
- Provide safety mentorship and capability development for the cargo safety team, assessing competency needs, appointing training and ensuring succession planning.
- Represent the cargo safety function externally—participating in industry forums, working groups or associations (e.g., IATA, AAPA) to stay abreast of best practices, network and benchmark performance.
- Ensure that all cargo operations comply with occupational health, environmental, security and safety regulations, working closely with HSSE, security and regulatory teams to maintain a holistic safety and compliance strategy.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad‑hoc data requests and exploratory safety analytics to identify emerging hazards, trending behaviours or safety gaps in the cargo supply‑chain.
- Contribute to the cargo safety team’s strategic roadmap by recommending process re‑engineering, digital tools, automation and global standardisation of safety systems.
- Collaborate with business units, engineering, operations and IT teams to translate cargo‑safety requirements into system enhancements, software workflows or infrastructure changes.
- Participate in shift‑handover planning, safety leadership forums and cross‑regional coordination meetings to enhance consistency of safety performance across the network.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Strong knowledge of safety management systems (SMS) applicable to cargo operations, logistics or aviation (e.g., IATA, ICAO, IMO standards).
- Competence conducting hazard identification, risk assessments, audits, incident investigations and corrective/preventive actions.
- Ability to interpret, develop and implement regulations, policies and procedures relating to cargo safety, dangerous goods, export/import and supply‑chain operations.
- Proficiency in analysing safety data and KPIs, generating reports, dashboards and trends to support leadership decision‑making.
- Experience managing third‑party safety performance, vendor compliance and outsourced operations in the cargo sector.
- Demonstrated capability in delivering training programmes, safety culture initiatives and behavioural safety campaigns across diverse teams.
- Knowledge of emergency response planning, business continuity, crisis management and cargo‑specific operational disruptions.
- Strong budgeting, resource planning and business‑case development skills for safety‑related projects and technology investments.
- Excellent documentation and control of safety systems: procedural manuals, audit records, training logs, incident files and regulatory submissions.
- Proficiency with MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), safety‑software tools and ideally data‑analytics platforms for safety monitoring.
Soft Skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills—able to engage with senior leadership, operational teams, regulators and external partners.
- Strong leadership and influence: able to drive culture change, hold partners accountable and lead cross‑functional teams without direct authority.
- Exceptional analytical and problem‑solving aptitude: able to translate safety data into actionable insights and implement meaningful improvement.
- High level of integrity, ethics and accountability: trusted to manage sensitive safety data, incident investigations and regulatory matters.
- Resilience and adaptability: able to operate in dynamic cargo environments, respond to emergencies, shifting priorities and global operations.
- Collaborative and team‑oriented mindset: works effectively with operational, engineering, compliance and vendor teams to achieve shared goals.
- Strategic orientation: able to align safety initiatives with business objectives, growth plans and operational expansion strategies.
- Attention to detail and organisational skills: ensures compliance, documentation integrity and reliable oversight of safety systems.
- Coaching and mentoring skills: able to develop safety capability in others, build safety champions and sustain long‑term culture improvement.
- Continuous learning and curiosity: actively keeps up to date with emerging regulations, technology, best practices and industry developments.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Safety Management, Occupational Health & Safety, Logistics, Aviation Operations or a related discipline.
Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s degree plus relevant certifications (e.g., CSP, NEBOSH, IOSH, SMS auditor) or a Master’s degree in Logistics/Operations/Safety Management.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Occupational Health & Safety / Safety Management
- Logistics / Supply Chain Management
- Aviation or Maritime Operations
- Risk Management
- Engineering (Industrial, Safety)