Ocean Freight Operations Manager

The Ocean Freight Operations Manager owns the origin executionlayer that converts the global freight strategy into delivered containers. Thisrole leads a team of Coordinators to ensure bookings are placed against plan,carriers and forwarders perform to commitments, exceptions are resolved beforethey escalate, and the Container Log remains the trusted source of truth forshipment status across the organization. The Manager is the operational pointof accountability for all KPIs on the freight scorecard and the day-to-dayescalation point for Planning, Customer Service, Warehouse, and financepartners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Booking Execution & Allocation

• Translate the planning team's container forecast into executable bookings against contracted MQCs

• Ensure bookings are placed within carrier cut-off windows and rolls are mitigated proactively

• Monitor allocation utilization across carrier contracts and flag under- or over-pull risks weekly

•  Approve booking changes, prioritization calls, and expedites

Carrier & Forwarder Performance

• Lead operational performance reviews with carriers and forwarders at the regional level

• Track on-time performance, container utilization, and service reliability against contracted SLAs

• Escalate chronic underperformance to the Strategy & Commercial pillar for commercial action

• Partner with carriers on schedule recovery plans and capacity adjustments during peak windows

Cut-off, Dwell & Schedule Adherence

• Enforce operational discipline across the full booking-to-discharge shipping cycle

• Monitor cut-off compliance, terminal dwell, and vessel schedule adherence at the lane level

• Identify systemic delays and lead root-cause sessions with carriers, origin teams, and Planning

• Set and maintain operational SLAs by lane, origin, and carrier

Exception Management

• Own the exception playbook for rolls, blank sailings, origin customs holds, and port disruptions

• Make real-time prioritization calls when capacity is constrained

• Coordinate with Suppliers and Planning on supply-impacting events

• Run post-incident reviews on major disruptions and translate findings into SOP updates

• Identify lane- or carrier-level cost drift and escalate to Procurement for commercial response

Container Log Ownership & Data Distribution

• Own the Container Log as the single source of truth for shipment status

• Define and enforce input contracts with Planning, Procurement, Controls, and origin teams

• Distribute milestone and ETA updates to Customer Service and Planning on a defined cadence

• Lead continuous improvement of visibility tooling, data flows, and reporting

Documentation Compliance

• Ensure shipping documents are uploaded accurately and within target timing windows

•  Maintain compliance with origin export, customs, and destination clearance requirements

• Oversee SOP adherence for documentation handoffs between origin, brokerage, and destination

Team Leadership & Capability

• Manage, coach, and develop a team of Ocean Freight Operations Coordinators

• Build coverage models, on-call rotations, and time-zone handoffs across regions

• Maintain SOPs, training materials, and onboarding plans for the operations function

• Conduct performance reviews and identify career development opportunities for direct reports

Cross-Functional & System Ownership

•  Serve as the operational point of contact for Planning, Supplier, Carrier, Customer Service and Destination Logistics

• Own KN ESP configuration, master data integrity, and adoption within the Operations team

• Provide operational input on GoComet workflows for booking and milestone capture

•  Support audit, compliance, and finance reviews with operational data and documentation

PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Containers shipped and delivered vs. planned windows

• Allocation / MQC performance vs. carrier contract commitments

• Transit time adherence by lane

•  Containers per booking

•  Shipping document upload timing — within compliance window

•  Booking request timing — within compliance window

• Carrier operational performance score

• Container Log data completeness and timeliness

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, International Business, or related field

•  5+ years in ocean freight, international logistics, or import/export operations, with 3+ years managing teams

•  Strong working knowledge of Incoterms, ocean carrier contracts, and customs documentation

•  Experience with TMS platforms (KN ESP or equivalent) and freight visibility tools

•  Demonstrated ability to lead through disruption and make high-stakes prioritization calls

•  Proficiency in Excel and data analysis; comfort with Power BI or SQL a plus

• Strong written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting to senior leadership

• Experience in CPG, food & beverage, or other regulated import industries

• Multi-region exposure across Asia, Americas, and EMEA freight lanes

SYSTEMS & TOOLS

KN ESP (primary TMS) | GoComet (RFQ, milestones, invoice approval) | Microsoft Excel and Power BI | SAP | Carrier and forwarder portals