Head of Ocean Freight - North America

Ocean Product Strategy and Performance

• Define and execute the North America ocean freight product strategy across FCL and LCL, aligned with global objectives and regional market dynamics.
• Develop and strengthen the regional core carrier strategy by evaluating carrier performance, setting clear expectations, and fostering long-term, sustainable partnerships at both local and regional levels.
• Drive strategic alignment between country and regional procurement teams, ensuring consistent execution of capacity, pricing, and carrier strategies.
• Lead and develop the regional Ocean Product team, creating a high-performance culture built on ownership, accountability, and transparency.
• Own the regional ocean P&L, working closely with commercial, procurement, and operations leaders to deliver volume growth, margin improvement, and budgeted performance.
• Oversee regional capacity management and carrier allocations to maximize profitability, ensure compliance with commitments, and optimize global leverage through incentives and cost-effective freight solutions.

• Build and maintain senior-level relationships with core carriers across North America and at the global level.
• Strengthening collaboration between local procurement teams and carrier partners, driving consistent engagement and relationship quality across all locations.
• Establish and enforce a structured carrier performance management framework, including regular reviews, KPIs, and action plans aligned with global standards.
• Act as the final escalation point in North America for critical carrier-related operational or commercial issues.

• Partners with regional sales leadership and other product heads to support strategic account development, tenders, and high-impact commercial opportunities.
• Drive a performance-driven procurement culture that delivers competitive tariffs, rates, and contracts through robust metrics, governance, and accountability.
• Lead rate negotiations for key and high-volume accounts managed regionally or through global key account structures.
• Oversee and continuously improve procurement planning processes across FCL and LCL, from rate and space negotiations through allocation and contract performance monitoring.

• Maintain regular strategic alignment with regional and country leadership, including Sales GMs, Commercial teams, Country Managers, and the Regional CEO.
• Actively support commercial teams through customer engagement, particularly for strategic, regional, or globally significant accounts.
• Promote a culture of disciplined, calculated risk-taking within product and commercial teams to improve win rates on strategic opportunities and tenders.
• Shape commercial focus through targeted initiatives such as lane strategies, product differentiation, and tailored sales campaigns.
• Support branches and operations by leading or facilitating carrier escalations when required.

• Collaborate with marketing to develop customer- and sales-facing materials that strengthen product positioning and market visibility.
• Establish standardized processes for collecting, analyzing, and sharing market intelligence across the region to support informed decision-making.
• Partner with HR, training, and commercial teams to deliver practical, user-focused product and systems training for sales and operations teams.

• Serve as a key member of the regional leadership team, providing clear direction and acting as a role model for product excellence and collaboration.
• Recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing Ocean Product team capable of delivering sustained growth and best-in-class results.
• Continuously monitor product performance, balancing volume growth and profitability to ensure long-term, sustainable development.
• Lead the implementation and consistent application of global ocean freight product policies and standards across North America.