Manager, Regional Procurement (Asia) Ocean Freight

Job Purpose

Drive ocean freight procurement and carrier strategy across Asia and Greater China leveraging strong relationships with regional shipping lines to secure competitive capacity, optimize contracts, and support commercial growth.

Act as the key link between Singapore carrier networks and China origin offices, ensuring effective contract execution, rate competitiveness, and alignment with business objectives.

Job Roles and Responsibilities

Carrier Strategy & Procurement

• Lead ocean freight procurement strategy across Singapore and regional markets, with strong engagement of shipping lines

• Own and manage carrier contracts, rate agreements, and space allocation across key trade lanes

• Leverage existing relationships with regional carrier representatives in Singapore to secure competitive rates and priority space

• Negotiate long-term and short-term agreements, including resolving disputes and managing performance

• Drive carrier portfolio optimization (cost, reliability, allocation mix)
  
  

Greater China Coordination & Capacity Alignment

• Act as primary interface with China origin offices on pricing, capacity planning, and contract utilization

• Ensure alignment between China export volumes and secured carrier capacity

• Support China teams with competitive rate access and escalation on capacity constraints

• Coordinate execution of carrier agreements across origin and destination markets

Asia Pricing & Commercial Support

• Oversee pricing support across Asia markets, including South East Asia

• Translate procurement outcomes into competitive pricing for RFQs, tenders, and spot quotes

• Work closely with Sales to support customer acquisition and retention

• Balance cost competitiveness with margin and service reliability

 Market Intelligence & Cost Optimization

• Monitor market trends, freight indices, and carrier behaviour impacting Greater China export flows

• Identify opportunities for cost savings, consolidation, and improved buying strategies

• Provide regular insights to management on rate movements and procurement strategy

Stakeholder Management and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with company policies, procurement standards, legal requirements, and Delegation of Authority

• Ensure pricing activities align with corporate ESG, ethics, and confidentiality policies

• Lead, coach, and develop the Ocean Pricing team to build strategic pricing capability and succession readiness

• Foster cross-functional collaboration with Product, Sales, Operations, and Finance to achieve common goals

• Observe and uphold responsibilities outlined in the TSS-QIMM-01.6 Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities (QIM Manual)
  

Job Holder Requirements

·       Diploma / Degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management or equivalent

·       10 - 12 years in Freight Forwarding Industry with strong ocean procurement and carrier management experience

·       Proven relationships with shipping lines in Singapore and regional offices

·       Experience working with Greater China origin markets and SEA trade flows

·       Strong negotiation and contract management skills with carriers

·       Deep understanding of ocean freight procurement, capacity planning, and trade lanes

·       Strong commercial acumen (cost vs margin balance)

·       Ability to coordinate across Asia and China teams

·       Experience with CargoWise or similar freight systems

·       Strong stakeholder management and communication skills