Ocean Freight Operations Manager

Role overview

The Ocean Freight Operations Manager is responsible for the execution layer at origin that turns the company’s global freight plan into containers that move on time. In this position, you will guide a team of coordinators, keep bookings aligned to the plan, ensure carriers and forwarders meet service commitments, resolve issues before they grow, and maintain the Container Log as the organization’s trusted shipment-status record. You will also act as the main operational owner for freight KPIs and the daily escalation contact for Planning, Customer Service, Warehouse, and Finance.

Core responsibilities

Booking execution and allocation

• Convert the planning team’s container forecast into bookings that match contracted MQCs.
• Make sure reservations are completed before carrier cut-off times and take action early to reduce rollovers.
• Track how carrier allocations are being used, and surface weekly risks of under-pull or over-pull.
• Approve booking revisions, priority decisions, and urgent shipment expedites.

Carrier and forwarder performance

• Run operational review discussions with carriers and forwarders across the region.
• Measure on-time delivery, container fill efficiency, and service reliability against agreed SLAs.
• Escalate repeated performance issues to the Strategy & Commercial team for commercial action.
• Work with carriers on recovery plans and capacity changes during peak periods.

Cut-off, dwell, and schedule control

• Maintain discipline across the full shipping cycle from booking through discharge.
• Monitor cut-off adherence, terminal dwell, and vessel schedule performance by lane.
• Identify recurring delay patterns and lead root-cause discussions with carriers, origin teams, and Planning.
• Define and sustain operating SLAs by lane, origin, and carrier.

Exception handling

• Own the response playbook for rolls, blank sailings, origin customs holds, and port disruptions.
• Make rapid prioritization decisions when capacity is limited.
• Coordinate with Suppliers and Planning on events that affect supply.
• Facilitate post-incident reviews for major disruptions and convert the findings into updated SOPs.
• Spot lane- or carrier-level cost drift and escalate it to Procurement for commercial follow-up.

Container Log ownership and data distribution

• Own the Container Log as the single reliable source for shipment status.
• Set and enforce data-input expectations with Planning, Procurement, Controls, and origin teams.
• Share milestone and ETA updates with Customer Service and Planning on a set schedule.
• Drive ongoing improvements in visibility tools, data flow, and reporting quality.

Documentation compliance

• Ensure shipping documents are uploaded accurately and within required timelines.
• Keep operations aligned with origin export, customs, and destination clearance rules.
• Oversee SOP compliance for documentation handoffs between origin, brokerage, and destination teams.

Team leadership and capability building

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Ocean Freight Operations Coordinators.
• Design coverage structures, on-call rotations, and cross-time-zone handoffs.
• Maintain SOPs, training resources, and onboarding plans for the operations function.
• Conduct performance reviews and support growth planning for direct reports.

Cross-functional and system ownership

• Act as the operational contact for Planning, Supplier, Carrier, Customer Service, and Destination Logistics.
• Own KN ESP setup, master data accuracy, and adoption within the Operations team.
• Provide operational guidance for GoComet workflows related to bookings and milestone capture.
• Support audit, compliance, and finance reviews with the required operational documentation and data.

Performance measures

• Containers shipped and delivered versus planned windows.
• Allocation and MQC performance versus carrier commitments.
• Transit-time performance by lane.
• Containers per booking.
• Shipping document upload timing within the compliance window.
• Booking request timing within the compliance window.
• Carrier operational performance score.
• Container Log completeness and timeliness.

Qualifications

This position calls for a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, International Business, or a related discipline, along with 5+ years of experience in ocean freight, international logistics, or import/export operations. Candidates should also bring at least 3+ years of team management experience. Strong knowledge of Incoterms, ocean carrier contracts, and customs documentation is essential. Experience using TMS platforms such as KN ESP or similar systems, together with freight visibility tools, is required. The role also requires the ability to manage disruption, make high-stakes prioritization decisions, work confidently with Excel and data analysis, and communicate clearly with senior stakeholders. Experience in CPG, food & beverage, or other regulated import environments is preferred, as is exposure to freight lanes across Asia, the Americas, and EMEA.

Systems and tools

KN ESP is the primary TMS for this role. Additional tools and platforms include GoComet for RFQs, milestones, and invoice approval, Microsoft Excel, Power BI, SAP, and carrier and forwarder portals.