Cargo Business Development Specialist

RwandAir Ltd is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda. It operates domestic and international services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East from its main base at Kigali International Airport. Our mission is to provide unsurpassed, safe, and reliable services in air transportation, including strategically linking Rwanda with the outside world while ensuring a fair return on investment. As part of the expansion strategy, we are looking for interested, qualified, and competent candidates to fill the following position:

Job Title: Cargo Business Development Specialist

Reports to: Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing

Department: Cargo

Location: Kigali International Airport – Town Office

Job Purpose

The Cargo Business Development Specialist is responsible for driving the growth, profitability, and market presence of RwandAir’s cargo business. The role focuses on identifying new cargo opportunities, enhancing existing cargo products, expanding revenue streams, strengthening relationships with industry stakeholders, and ensuring operational alignment between commercial initiatives and cargo handling processes.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Operational

• Conduct detailed cargo market analysis to identify emerging trade lanes, high-demand commodities, and new revenue generating opportunities for the airline’s belly-hold and freighter operations.
• Monitor competitor strategies, including capacity deployment, pricing trends, partnerships, and product offerings to benchmark RwandAir’s positioning.
• Develop route-specific cargo forecasts by analyzing historical tonnage, yields, load factors, and cargo mix.
• Build comprehensive business cases for new cargo products such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, express freight, perishables, and special commodities.
• Prepare cargo revenue forecasts, profitability analyses, and annual commercial budget inputs.
• Support cargo pricing decisions by evaluating market conditions, competitor rates, cost structures, and customer demand patterns.
• Conduct route and fleet scenario modeling to assess the impact of network changes, aircraft swaps, frequency adjustments, or new route launches.
• Analyze performance of key customer segments and develop segmentation-based commercial strategies.

• Identify and quantify opportunities for additional revenue streams such as charter flights, interline partnerships, and value-added cargo services.
• Produce monthly and quarterly cargo market intelligence reports with actionable insights for sales, network planning, and senior cargo leadership.
• Analyze trucking and road feeder service (RFS) contributions to assess network connectivity and recommend optimizations.
• Prepare revenue forecasts, budget inputs, and financial models for cargo commercial planning and annual business cycles or new business cases.
• Conduct scenario modeling for cargo network changes, including aircraft type changes, new station openings, or frequency adjustments.
• Track customer demand patterns, including freight forwarders, shippers, e-commerce platforms, and consolidators, to inform sales strategies.
• Identify opportunities to improve business development processes and methodologies
• Evaluate performance of existing cargo routes and recommend improvements in capacity utilization, pricing, product mix, and cargo acceptance processes.
• Analyze end-to-end cargo operational efficiency by identifying bottlenecks in handling, documentation, warehousing, or logistics flows.
• Support digital cargo initiatives, including e-AWB adoption, e-freight readiness, and integration of digital booking platforms.
• Track and assess special cargo segments (aviation spares/AOG, dangerous goods, perishables, valuables, live animals) and ensure operational readiness for each category.
• Develop dashboards and performance reports (cargo KPIs, SLA adherence, transit times, load factors, etc.) for senior management.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on operational disruptions or service failures and recommend actionable solutions.
• Evaluate cargo handling performance at each station using data-driven insights and propose efficiency, cost-reduction, or quality improvement initiatives.
• Provide capacity and operational analyses to support planning for peak seasons, charter demand, or special event-driven cargo volumes.
• Work closely with station managers, cargo operations, and ground handling agents to ensure alignment between commercial commitments and operational capabilities.
• Mentor new hires to ensure they understand company business developments strategies and processes
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions and workshops to promote continuous learning.
• Develop and update business development manuals and training materials for internal stakeholders
• Collaborate with GSAs/GSSAs by providing data-driven insights on market performance and improvement areas.
• Assess partnerships and interline/codeshare cargo opportunities, preparing due diligence assessments and potential revenue impact.
• Monitor regulatory and industry developments (IATA standards, customs rules, security regulations) that could impact cargo operations or commercial opportunities.
• Work with sales teams to analyze key customer accounts and develop tailored incentive programs, pricing proposals, and volume commitments.
• Prepare analytical reports and presentations to support interline, codeshare, and strategic cargo partnership negotiations.
• Prepare executive presentations and strategic insights to support cargo leadership in decision-making and long-term planning.
• Provide insights and recommendations to senior management based on data analysis
• Collaborate with the cargo sales team to develop business development proposals for key clients and contracts.
• Evaluate cargo handling partners’ performance (e.g., terminal operators, warehouse providers) using SLA data and recommend improvements.
• Support senior leadership with executive-level dashboards, Board reports, and presentations summarizing commercial and operational performance.
• Facilitate coordination between operations, finance, network planning, marketing, and sales teams to ensure seamless cargo strategy execution.
• Engage with freight forwarders, shippers, and logistics partners by providing data-driven insights and understanding evolving customer requirements.
• Support the development of RwandAir’s cargo contracts, SLAs, and GSA/GSSA performance review frameworks through data and evidence-based evaluations.
• Participate in industry forums, trade events, and cargo working groups to gather market intelligence and strengthen RwandAir’s cargo industry presence.
• Partner with the marketing team to ensure business development strategies are effectively communicated to customers
• Develop relationships with key customers to understand their key business needs and preferences.
• Conduct customer surveys and feedback sessions to refine business development strategies.

• Participate in training and development programs to enhance business development skills and knowledge.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation of business development policies, strategies, and decisions for audit queries.
• Lead and participate in special projects related to business development.
• Develop project plans, set milestones, and track progress to ensure timely and successful completion.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement project initiatives and achieve desired outcomes.
• Provide training and support to junior analysts/staff and other team members
• Share knowledge and best practices to enhance the overall capabilities of the business development team and sales team.

About You – Minimum Standard Qualifications;

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Business, Logistics or Aviation Management.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in market development, revenue analysis, or commercial planning, preferably in the airline or logistics industry.
• Familiarity with airline pricing or revenue management systems and data analysis tools

About You – Other Desired Competencies & Skills;

Job Specific Skills:

Essential

• Ability in analysis and reporting, preferably in revenue management, financial reporting, pricing or related areas;
• Ability to understand and interpret trends as reviewed in key performance indicators (KPIs);
• Ability to independently identify problem areas or revenue opportunities and generate quick, solid directional analysis for department leadership;
• Superb technical skills in depth knowledge of MS office suite specifically Excel;
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision;
• Strong initiative and excellent communication skills;
• Experience in airline cargo revenue management, market development and/or pricing will be an added advantage;
• Understanding of SPA’s (Special prorate agreement) and impact on pricing and revenue management will be an added advantage.

How to Apply:

• An application letter addressed to the Chief HR & Administration Officer;
• Recent Curriculum Vitae;
• Copies of Notarized Degree/Diploma certificates
• Relevant certificates;
• Copies of academic papers;
• A photocopy of the Passport/National ID;
• Three referees

The deadline for submitting application documents (Only PDF Format) is September 18th, 2026. Please apply via the link: https://erecruitment.rwandair.com/