This role requires the candidate to work in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Client Overview:

The client is a newly established subsidiary under a long-standing diversified holding group with roots in natural resources, logistics, and energy. Backed by strong capital reserves, established infrastructure, and decades of operational experience, the Group is expanding into downstream sectors as part of its long-term diversification strategy. One of its major business units operates across agriculture, construction, and machinery manufacturing, reflecting the Group’s broad industrial footprint.

As part of this expansion, the Group has launched a new business unit focused on frozen-food importation, trading, and distribution, sourcing raw and processed frozen products from overseas suppliers. The business is positioned to serve B2B segments such as HORECA, food manufacturers, distributors, modern trade, traditional trade (UMKM), and large-volume buyers—excluding consumer retail channels. The strategic objective is to build a scalable, compliant, and efficient frozen-food operation to support rapid nationwide growth.

Job Role:

The COO will lead the full operational build-out and daily execution of a frozen-food import and distribution business. This role is entirely ground-up and requires a senior leader who has previously built or scaled operations within the frozen-food or cold-chain sector. Because the business focuses on importing and trading rather than manufacturing, the position demands deep expertise in frozen-food supply chains, import processes, cold-chain logistics, regulatory compliance, and B2B distribution networks.

The COO will design and implement the operational backbone of the business, overseeing supply chain structure, cold-chain systems, warehousing, quality control, and vendor partnerships. The role is responsible for ensuring product integrity, meeting regulatory standards, and driving commercial efficiency across all operational functions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement end-to-end workflows for importation, trading, and distribution, covering procurement, supplier coordination, import documentation, cold-chain storage, inventory management, warehousing, and B2B delivery execution.
• Build and manage cold-chain systems including temperature control, hygiene standards, shelf-life management, and mitigation of thawing or quality risks.
• Develop operational SOPs and food-safety standards for handling raw and processed frozen products, ensuring full compliance with regulatory and import requirements.
• Coordinate closely with freight forwarders, 3PL cold warehouses, customs brokers, and distribution partners to ensure smooth logistics and reliable service to B2B customers.
• Maintain accurate stock control, healthy inventory turnover, and on-time delivery performance across all customer segments.
• Ensure all products meet food-safety standards, certification requirements, and labeling regulations while implementing QA/QC processes such as sampling, defect monitoring, cold-chain audits, and product traceability.
• Lead internal audits and corrective actions aligned with HACCP, GMP, and cold-chain hygiene standards.
• Build operational budgets, oversee profitability, and manage KPIs including landed cost efficiency, logistics cost, waste from temperature deviations, on-time delivery rate, and inventory turnover.
• Forecast demand, optimize working capital tied to frozen inventory, and support pricing and cost-management strategies for B2B markets.
• Build and lead a cross-functional operations team, develop organizational structure, SOPs, recruitment plans, and performance frameworks from the ground up.
• Foster a professional, disciplined, results-oriented, and compliant operational culture.

Candidate Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Food Technology, Business, or a related field.
• Experience: 10+ years in operations or supply chain within food manufacturing, cold-chain distribution, logistics, frozen/chilled FMCG, seafood/meat/processed food trading, or HORECA/food-supply distribution.
• Operational Background: Proven hands-on experience building or scaling operations in a new business line, startup, or early-stage trading/distribution environment.
• Market Exposure: Strong understanding of B2B frozen-food markets.
• Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of cold-chain logistics, temperature-controlled warehousing, import permits and documentation, food-safety and regulatory compliance, and inventory/distribution control.
• Financial Skills: Strong financial acumen including cost control, budgeting, and KPI-driven performance management.
• Professional Skills: Strong leadership capability, solid vendor management skills, and proficiency in project and operational management.
• Personal Attributes: High integrity, hands-on and decisive, comfortable operating in ambiguous build-up phases, structured yet adaptable, with strong communication abilities.
• Language: Professional fluency in English.

Job Code: #518