Logistics & Freight Manager

About Origin

Origin (previously 10xConstruction) is building general-purpose autonomous robots for US construction to tackle rising costs, safety risks, and labour shortages. Our modular, multi-trade platform combines purpose-built hardware with real-time site intelligence to navigate complex environments and execute tasks with precision. Trained in high-fidelity simulation and already deployed on live sites, our robots deliver 5x faster execution, 250%+ margin expansion, and significant cost savings. Join India's most talent-dense robotics team consisting of individuals from IITs, Stanford, UCLA, etc.

About the role

The Logistics & Freight Manager will build and run Origin's global import and export operations to enable production as per the manufacturing plan and the movement of finished robots to live construction sites across the countries in Pipeline. The role owns end-to-end freight execution across air, ocean, and in-land modes - inbound components, sub-assemblies, and capital equipment from suppliers across India, China, Taiwan, South-East Asia, the US, and Europe; outbound robots, spares, and RMA units to customer sites and overseas entities. It also owns the customs, documentation, and trade compliance layer beneath both flows, along with forwarder and customs-broker management, freight rate negotiation, and freight spend. This role acts as the commercial and compliance bridge between Supply Chain, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Production, Finance, and the US deployment team.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end import operations - shipment planning, booking, document validation, customs clearance, and final delivery to plant or warehouse - for components, sub-assemblies, tooling, and capital equipment.
• Own end-to-end export operations including shipping bill filing, certificates of origin, and destination-specific certification for US and other markets.
• Manage customs clearance through CHA partners - bill of entry filing, duty assessment, examination, out-of-charge - and drive clearance cycle time to under 3 days from document handover, with zero avoidable holds.
• Own HS classification for all BOM items and finished goods; maintain a governed, auditable classification master and ensure correct duty determination (BCD, IGST, cess, anti-dumping, FTA preferential rates with valid origin documentation).
• Maintain regulatory registrations and filings - IEC, AD Code registration at all working ports and ICDs, DGFT and ICEGATE transactions, licences and authorisations - and keep an audit-ready record set for every consignment.
• Evaluate and administer duty-saving and deferment schemes - Advance Authorisation, EPCG, MOOWR bonded manufacturing, RoDTEP, duty drawback - and track benefit realised against entitlement.
• Own dangerous goods movement for lithium-ion battery packs and battery-powered equipment - UN 38.3 test summaries, IATA DGR and IMDG documentation, packing instructions, and DG-certified forwarder selection.
• Define export packaging and crating standards for high-value, fragile, and oversized equipment - lashing, shock and tilt indicators, moisture protection - and drive zero transit damage on robot dispatches.
• Build and manage the partner panel across all modes - 3-5 evaluated freight forwarders, customs house agents, transporters, and courier partners per mode - through structured RFQs, rate benchmarking, and negotiated rate cards, contracts, and SLAs.
• Drive freight cost optimization (15-20% opportunity) through consolidation, mode shift, lane redesign, packaging optimization, and duty-scheme utilization, with savings quantified and validated with Finance.
• Maintain a live shipment tracker, lead-time master, and logistics risk dashboard - lane, port, carrier, regulatory, and geopolitical exposure - with alternate routing and backup partners identified for every critical lane.
• Implement forwarder and CHA performance scorecards (on-time performance, clearance turnaround, documentation accuracy, damage rate, billing hygiene) and run quarterly business reviews.
• Manage cargo insurance coverage and drive damage, shortage, and loss claims to closure.
• Write and maintain SOPs, escalation matrices, and checklists; support the scale-up to 200 units per year without logistics appearing as a cause of build or deployment schedule slip.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics, Commerce, or a related field.
• 4-8 years of experience in international logistics, freight forwarding, or shipper-side EXIM operations.
• Hands-on ownership of both import and export operations - not one side only - with demonstrated experience across all three modes: air, ocean, and in-land freight.
• Strong working knowledge of Indian customs procedure and documentation - bill of entry and shipping bill filing, HS classification, duty structure, ICEGATE, and Incoterms 2020.
• Proven track record of negotiating freight rates and managing forwarder, CHA, and transporter relationships across multiple lanes.
• Hands-on global lane exposure (mandatory exposure beyond India - China and US preferred).
• Working knowledge of trade compliance obligations - licences, registrations, product certification, and audit requirements.
• Ability to build and defend a freight and landed-cost model in Excel or Google Sheets, and to run the function from data rather than instinct.
• Clear written and verbal communication in English, with the confidence to escalate and negotiate with carriers, brokers, and customs authorities.

Preferred Experience

• Previous experience in logistics or EXIM at Automobiles, Electric Vehicles, Automation, Industrial Equipment, Capital Goods, Robotics, Drones, or Aerospace organizations.
• Experience shipping dangerous goods, particularly lithium-ion batteries, and handling over-dimensional or high-value cargo.
• Familiarity with duty-saving and bonded schemes - MOOWR, EPCG, Advance Authorisation, SEZ, or FTWZ operations.
• Exposure to China, Taiwan, South-East Asia, US, and EU trade lanes and their supplier ecosystems.
• Exposure to ERP or logistics management systems (SAP, Oracle, Zoho, Odoo, Tally) and shipment visibility platforms.
• Certification such as CHA, IATA DGR, CSCP, or an equivalent trade-compliance qualification.
• Comfortable with low-volume / high-mix shipping rhythm and startup environments where the process has to be built, not inherited.

Preferred Skills

• Freight rate benchmarking and negotiation
• Customs documentation and HS classification
• Multi-modal routing and mode-shift analysis
• Trade compliance and duty-scheme management
• Dangerous goods and export packaging standards
• Landed-cost and freight spend modeling
• Logistics risk management and contingency planning
• Vendor score carding and quarterly business reviews
• Strong Excel and data management skills