Director, Global Ocean Freight

Director, Global Ocean Freight

Singapore

We are partnering with an international consumer products business to appoint a senior ocean freight leader based in Singapore.

About the Role

This role will take ownership of ocean freight strategy and procurement across a complex international supply chain, with responsibility for carrier negotiations, freight tenders, contract management, capacity planning, service performance and cost optimisation. The position will suit someone who combines strong commercial knowledge of the container freight market with a practical understanding of freight operations and the ability to lead a team in a fast-moving consumer environment.

Responsibilities:

Ocean Freight Procurement & Commercial Strategy

• Lead ocean freight sourcing activities, including RFQs, tenders, rate negotiations and contract renewals.
• Manage commercial relationships with ocean carriers and freight-forwarding partners.
• Develop carrier selection and volume-allocation strategies across key international trade lanes.
• Monitor freight rates, capacity and market conditions to support commercial decision-making.
• Balance cost, service reliability, capacity availability and supply-chain risk.

Carrier & Forwarder Performance

• Manage carrier and logistics-provider performance through KPIs, scorecards and regular business reviews.
• Track service levels, schedule reliability, capacity utilisation and operational performance.
• Lead escalation and service-recovery discussions with external partners when required.
• Identify potential disruptions and develop appropriate contingency plans.

Budgeting, Data & Reporting

• Manage ocean freight budgets, forecasts and cost-performance analysis.
• Monitor freight spend and explain key variances and market developments to senior stakeholders.
• Develop reporting and performance metrics across cost, capacity and service.
• Use data to identify potential issues early and recommend corrective actions.

Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Lead and develop a Singapore-based ocean freight team.
• Remain close to day-to-day operations while providing strategic direction.
• Work closely with Supply Chain, Planning, Finance and other international stakeholders.
• Improve processes, reporting and freight-management tools.
• Support digitalisation and automation initiatives across the logistics function.

Qualifications:

• Around 10+ years of experience across ocean freight, freight forwarding, international logistics or transportation procurement.

Required Skills:

• Strong hands-on experience in ocean freight tenders, carrier negotiations and contract management.
• Good knowledge of container freight markets, carrier allocation and capacity management.
• Experience managing ocean carriers and/or freight-forwarding partners across multiple international trade lanes.
• Strong analytical and commercial capability, including freight budgeting and performance reporting.
• Previous people-management experience within a regional or global environment.
• Comfortable working in a hands-on, fast-moving organisation.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience within FMCG, food & beverage, consumer products or another high-volume international supply chain would be highly advantageous.
• Candidates currently working within leading freight-forwarding organisations with strong carrier-management and procurement exposure are also encouraged to apply.