Ocean Planning Manager

At Flexport we believe global trade can move the human race forward. Thats why its our mission to make global commerce so easy there will be more of it. Were shaping the future of a $10T industry with solutions powered by innovative technology and exceptional people. Today companies of all sizesfrom emerging brands to Fortune 500suse 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 Ocean Planning Manager plays a critical role in Flexports mission to make global trade easy for everyone. Flexport today connects almost 10000 clients and suppliers across 109 this role your direct customers are the partners within your region account management customs teams subcontractors carriers terminals and trucking providers and your work directly supports Flexports end customers in achieving their logistics goals.

This role is designed to hire coach and develop a team of planning and booking experts while navigating the complex world of freight forwarding. Youll work cross-functionally to establish a world-class planning and booking function balancing tactical execution with adaptive strategic leadership as Flexport builds its next operational model.

Team Leadership

• Hire coach and develop a 510 person team responsible for end-to-end planning and booking of ocean freight shipments (imports and exports including intermodal movements)
• Manage team performance and evaluation guiding the team to meet OKRs and SLAs
• Provide direction on training and onboarding for new team members
• Empower the team to prioritise key initiatives and maintain strong on-the-job motivation

Planning & Booking Operations

• Oversee execution of end-to-end planning and booking across Ocean FCL and LCL imports and exports
• Manage and optimise overall allocation and SO (Shipping Order) utilisation
• Design and maintain scalable operational infrastructure and procedures to ensure the team delivers the highest levels of efficiency and productivity for customers
• Manage the Fulfilment Management Tool (FMT) and support feature development and enhancement

Partner & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for internal and external partners in your region including ocean intermodal and drayage vendors Account Management Ocean Execution Allocation and Procurement
• Act as the primary point of contact for major carrier and client escalations
• Maintain long-term relationships with carriers and gateway carrier offices across Sales Booking Customer Service and Documentation functions
• Collaborate with Procurement Allocation and ROM teams to inform carrier strategy and drive revenue maximisation

Strategic & Cross-Functional Contribution

• Work with gateway and global management to ensure the right metrics and data are in place to empower the team
• Monitor and improve overall cost-to-serve while maintaining high client satisfaction
• Act as a strategic consultant to global counterparts product and engineering and the operations excellence team on ocean planning and booking processes
• Represent Flexports value proposition by recommending planning solutions for new clients and opportunities to the account management team
• Identify and execute on process improvement opportunities contributing to the development of technology and systems that differentiate Flexports operations from the industry
• Live and act with integrity guided by Flexports values maintaining a high bar for operational quality and service

• Bachelors degree with a strong track record of success
• 7 years of experience in logistics freight forwarding supply chain or ocean carrier operations; experience in a startup or top consulting firm NVOCC pricing procurement or hands-on experience with main ocean trade lanes is a plus
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams in day-to-day execution and process improvement
• Hands-on process-oriented structured thinker with strong problem-solving capabilities
• Strategic vision paired with ground-floor execution ability
• Excellent communication interpersonal and organisational skills
• A client-first mindset with a strong focus on both client and team satisfaction
• Courage to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful change when needed
• A genuine desire to lead train and develop the next generation of industry talent

• The opportunity to build and lead a team from the ground up shaping Flexports next-generation operational model
• Deep cross-functional experience working with global teams to execute quickly and optimise for scale in an ambiguous fast-growing environment
• A path toward becoming a leader of leaders developing the coaching skills to apprentice future team leads
• The chance to build deep expertise in a specific area of supply chain management positioning you as a go-to advisor for clients partners and internal teams
• Exposure to client advisory and account management with the potential to lead a team of advisors as Flexport grows its book of business