– Ocean Freight Product & Operations Manager

Position: Ocean Freight Product & Operations Manager-India

Department: Ocean Freight / Operations

Location: Mumbai

Reporting To: Director/Head of Ocean Freight & Commercial Director

Experience: 8–15 years in freight forwarding / NVOCC / shipping & logistics

Employment Type: Full-time

1. Role Purpose The Ocean Freight Product & Operations Manager will be responsible for managing and developing the company's ocean freight product across India, ensuring competitive pricing, solid carrier relationships, operational excellence, and profitable growth.

The role will oversee end-to-end ocean freight operations, including import, export, FCL, LCL, carrier management, vendor management, customer service, documentation, and operational performance.

The position will work closely with Sales, Pricing, Customer Service, Finance, Customs, Warehousing, and overseas offices/agents to deliver reliable and commercially competitive ocean freight solutions.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Ocean Freight Product Management

- Develop and manage the company's ocean freight product strategy for India.
- Build strong relationships with major shipping lines, NVOCCs, co-loaders, consolidators, and overseas agents.
- Work closely with Pricing team to attain competitive buying rates, service contracts, free days, credit terms, space commitments, and other commercial conditions .
- Monitor market trends, carrier capacity, blank sailings, GRIs/PSS, congestion, equipment availability, and schedule changes.
- Develop and maintain competitive trade-lane solutions for key import and export markets.
- Identify new trade lanes, services, carriers, and consolidation opportunities.
- Support the sales team with market intelligence, rate guidance, and product solutions.
- Review profitability by customer, trade lane, carrier, and shipment type.
- CFS Management,Transportation management

B. Ocean Freight Operations

- Manage the complete operational cycle of ocean freight shipments from booking to final delivery.
- Ensure timely execution of:
- Booking and space confirmation
- Shipping instructions
- Bill of Lading / Sea Waybill
- VGM
- Documentation
- Container release and pickup
- Customs coordination
- Gate-in / cut-off management
- Vessel sailing and arrival monitoring
- Transshipment management
- Arrival notices
- Delivery order and destination coordination
- Ensure smooth handling of both FCL and LCL shipments .
- Monitor shipment exceptions and proactively resolve operational issues.
- Establish SOPs and ensure adherence across branches and teams.
- Ensure accurate and timely system updates for all shipments.

C. Carrier & Vendor Management





- Maintain solid working relationships with shipping lines and NVOCCs.
- Negotiate and manage annual/quarterly service contracts along with Pricing teams .
- Track carrier performance on:
- Space availability
- Equipment availability
- Transit time
- Schedule reliability
- Documentation
- Detention/demurrage
- Claims and service issues
- Develop alternate carrier and routing options to mitigate operational risks.
- Evaluate and manage overseas agents, co-loaders, transporters, CFS/ICD operators, and other service providers.

D. Team Management

- Lead, mentor, and develop the ocean freight operations and product team.
- Allocate responsibilities and monitor team performance.
- Establish KPIs and productivity targets.
- Conduct regular performance reviews and training.
- Build a solid culture of ownership, customer service, accuracy, and operational discipline.

E. Customer Service & Escalation Management

- Act as the escalation point for critical ocean freight operational issues.
- Ensure prompt resolution of customer complaints and service failures.
- Work proactively with customers and internal teams to manage:
- Vessel delays
- Rolled cargo
- Port congestion
- Equipment shortages
- Customs/documentation issues
- Detention/demurrage
- Damage/claims
- Delivery delays
- Drive continuous improvement in customer experience.

F. Compliance & Risk Management

- Ensure compliance with applicable Indian customs, shipping, port, DG, and documentation requirements.
- Ensure proper handling of Dangerous Goods (DG) and other restricted cargo.
- Monitor documentation accuracy and minimize operational and financial risks.
- Ensure adherence to company SOPs, compliance policies, and audit requirements.

G. MIS, Analytics & Performance Management Prepare and review regular MIS covering:

- Shipment volumes – TEUs / CBM
- FCL / LCL volumes
- Revenue and gross profit
- GP per TEU / shipment
- Carrier performance
- Space utilization
- On-time sailing performance
- Detention/demurrage exposure
- Shipment exceptions
- Customer profitability
- Trade-lane performance
- Vendor performance

Use data and market intelligence to identify opportunities for volume growth, cost reduction, margin improvement, and operational efficiency . 3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)





- Ocean freight volume growth – TEUs / CBM
- Gross profit and GP/TEU
- Revenue growth
- Customer retention
- New customer / trade-lane development
- Carrier buying rate competitiveness
- Space and equipment availability
- On-time shipment execution
- Documentation accuracy
- Detention & demurrage control
- Claims ratio
- Customer complaint resolution time
- Productivity per employee
- SOP compliance

4. Candidate Profile

Education

- Graduate degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Commerce, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain / Logistics / International Trade is an advantage.

Experience

- 8–15 years of relevant experience in ocean freight forwarding, NVOCC, shipping, or logistics.
- Strong experience in FCL and LCL ocean freight operations .
- Experience dealing with major shipping lines and overseas agents.
- Experience in ocean freight pricing, procurement, carrier negotiations, and product management.
- Prior experience managing a team is preferred.

Required Skills

- Strong knowledge of Indian ocean freight and logistics operations.
- Valuable understanding of major global trade lanes.
- Strong carrier negotiation and procurement skills.
- Good understanding of Incoterms, BL procedures, customs processes, port operations, detention/demurrage, and freight surcharges.
- Strong commercial and analytical skills.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
- Strong customer-service orientation.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.
- Strong Excel/MIS and logistics-system skills.
- Leadership and people-management capability.

5. Preferred Trade-Lane Knowledge Experience in one or more of the following will be advantageous:

- India–USA
- India–Europe
- India–Middle East
- India–Far East / China
- India–Southeast Asia
- India–Africa
- India–Australia / New Zealand

6. Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate should combine solid ocean freight operational expertise with commercial/product-management capability. The person should be capable of managing the entire ocean freight product lifecycle—from carrier procurement and rate negotiation to shipment execution, customer service, profitability, and team performance. A strong understanding of the Indian forwarding market, excellent carrier relationships, commercial acumen, and the ability to build scalable processes will be critical to success.

7. Compensation

CTC: Competitive, based on experience and market standards.

Location: Mumbai

Travel: Domestic travel may be required for carrier meetings, customer meetings, overseas agent meetings, and industry events.

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