Manager, Ocean Freight

About Flexport: 

At Flexport, we believe global trade can move the human race forward. That’s why it’s our mission to make global commerce so easy there will be more of it. We’re shaping the future of a $10T industry with solutions powered by innovative technology and exceptional people. Today, companies of all sizes—from emerging brands to Fortune 500s—use Flexport technology to move more than $19B of merchandise across 112 countries a year. 

The recent global supply chain crisis has put Flexport center stage as we continue to play a pivotal role in how goods move around the world. We are proud to have the support of the best investors in the game who believe in our mission, solutions and people. Ready to tackle global challenges that impact business, society, and the environment? Come join us.

The Opportunity: 

To support our continued global expansion and enhance our ocean freight operations, we are seeking a Manager of Regional Ocean Management to oversee a multi-million dollar Ocean P&L for their district. This role is crucial for scaling volume, increasing yield, and driving profitability through expert market knowledge and strategic interfacing with customers. The position requires designing tailored products, managing tenders and RFQs, and collaborating with procurement and pricing teams to identify growth opportunities. By improving operational and financial processes and leveraging data for decision-making, the Manager will ensure financial health and drive the growth of the book of business. 

You will:

• Manage a sizeable Ocean P&L for your region through scaling volume and increasing yield
• Be the market expert and support the commercial organization with market-specific intelligence, trade idiosyncrasies, and directly interfacing with customer
• Help design products and generate customized go-to-market strategies for customers
• Own tenders and RFQs for your district to secure regional and global customers 
• Interface with procurement and pricing teams to drive profitable business, identify growth opportunities, and capture market-specific knowledge
• Identify and drive improvement in go-to-market, operational, and financial processes 
• Build and own P&L review and actively participate in book of business growth rhythms
• Help drive near and long term regional volume forecasting
• Participate and engage regularly in customer facing conversations
• Drive all financial health levers for your district including quoting, invoicing, and dispute escalation
• Build and maintain strong local relationships with ocean carriers and their Mexico-based commercial and operations teams, including regular local business reviews
• Negotiate local charges in Mexico directly with carriers and service providers, including THC, documentation fees, free time, and demurrage and detention terms
• Own day-to-day carrier management in the Mexico market: space and equipment availability, booking performance, rollovers, blank sailings, and escalation of service failures
• Benchmark local charges and carrier performance across Mexican ports and use the data to drive better rates and terms
• Align local carrier agreements with global and regional contract strategy so Mexico-specific terms complement the global Flexport procurement strategy

 

You should have:

• 5+ years of prior Ocean Freight experience at a top freight forwarder or carrier or 5+ years of supply chain experience and a BA/BS Degree;
• Strategic vision and ground floor execution;
• Bias to Action, Process, Structure and Data;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills;
• An obsession with client happiness. You succeed when they succeed;
• Ability to travel regionally;
• Courage to challenge the status quo when logic and reason require it. See something broken? Fix it;
• The desire to lead, train, and develop up-and-coming talent in the future
• Proven experience managing ocean carrier relationships in Mexico, with a track record of negotiating local charges
• An established network among carrier and port-side contacts in the Mexican market
• Deep understanding of how local charges, free time, and D&D structures work in Mexico
• Fluency in Spanish and English, with the ability to negotiate and escalate in both

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