Capacity Planning Manager

. Crane Worldwide Logistics . • Irving, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Capacity Planning Manager develops and maintains air-freight capacity plans across North American inbound and outbound trade lanes. The role reconciles customer project pipelines—including data center builds, hardware refresh cycles, and decommission projects—with available cargo capacity, accounting for seasonality, general rate increases, and demand surges. It models weight- and volume-constrained utilization for rack and crate shipments, identifies capacity shortfalls, and recommends charter options for large or time-critical moves.

The position manages carrier capacity agreements and rate exposure, evaluates ground-handling capabilities at gateway airports, and translates customer shipment plans into booking instructions. It coordinates packaging and crating requirements for server hardware, plans for disruption, monitors performance and capacity utilization, and supports compliance, risk management, customer quoting, project timelines, and capacity-related financial forecasting. The role serves as a primary capacity liaison between the regional Control Tower, operational teams, and carriers.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in air-freight capacity planning, network planning, or carrier management.
• Experience in a forwarder, airline, GSSA, or shipper logistics team is preferred within the stated experience profile.
• Demonstrated fluency with spot rates, general rate increases, chargeable weight, load factor, and allocation or BSA structures.
• Experience managing capacity across North American inbound and outbound lanes.
• Strong analytical and forecasting skills.
• Ability to build and maintain capacity models in Excel or BI tools.
• Track record of negotiating directly with carriers and GSAs.
• Clear cross-functional communication with sales, operations, and compliance stakeholders.
• Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including using vision and adjusting focus for work on a standard computer screen, using audio-visual equipment, and maintaining punctual attendance and regular on-site presence at the assigned work location.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with oversized or out-of-gauge cargo planning or project and charter logistics.
• Familiarity with dangerous-goods regulations for lithium-battery-containing equipment.
• Exposure to data center, IT hardware, or high-value/high-tech vertical logistics.
• Working knowledge of export-control regimes affecting semiconductors or AI/HPC hardware.
• Experience establishing network capacity strategy for a new business line or trade lane.
• Professional certification may be required in some cases.

Responsibilities

• Develop rolling weekly, monthly, and quarterly capacity forecasts by lane, reconciling customer project pipelines with available cargo capacity.
• Develop and maintain capacity plans across North American inbound and outbound trade lanes, accounting for seasonality, general rate increases, and project-driven demand surges.
• Model weight- and volume-constrained load factors for rack and crate shipments to right-size ULD and pallet builds and reduce spoilage and stuck freight.
• Identify when scheduled freighter capacity is insufficient and recommend charter capacity for large or time-critical moves.
• Negotiate and manage Block Space Agreements and allocation agreements with freighter operators and combination carriers across core lanes.
• Track spot rates, general rate increases, and peak-season surcharges; advise commercial teams on rate exposure and contract timing.
• Assess ground-handling capabilities at gateway airports, including ramp equipment, forklift and crane capacity, and climate control.
• Translate customer shipment plans into booking instructions, balancing chargeable-weight optimization with transit-time and cost targets.
• Coordinate with packaging and crating teams on shock, vibration, and climate requirements for server hardware, and ensure cargo dimensions are compatible with available aircraft types.
• Build contingency plans for capacity disruptions, including mechanical issues, weather, and geopolitical events, with pre-cleared backup routings for critical lanes.
• Monitor and report load factors, on-time performance, and capacity utilization against plan.
• Maintain working knowledge of dangerous-goods regulations and ensure bookings reflect cargo-specific handling requirements.
• Stay current on export-control requirements and flag shipments requiring licensing or restricted routing.
• Partner with customs and trade-compliance teams on HS classification and import documentation across cargo types.
• Support insurance and security protocols aligned with cargo value and risk profile.
• Serve as the primary capacity liaison between the regional Control Tower, operational teams, and carriers.
• Provide capacity visibility and constraints for customer-facing quotes and project timelines before commitments are made.
• Partner with finance on capacity-related cost forecasting and carrier-contract economics.

Benefits

• Quarterly Incentive Plan.
• 136 hours of paid time off (17 days per year), usable for sick time or personal use.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Tuition reimbursement for education related to the job.
• Employee referral bonuses.
• Employee recognition and rewards program.
• Paid volunteer time.
• Employee discounts.
• Wellness incentives of up to $100 per year for completing challenges, in addition to a discount on contribution rates.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed