Ocean Freight Operations Manager

Who is DHL Global Forwarding?

DHL Global Forwarding (DGF) is part of the DHL Group. While the DHL Group employs more than 580,000 people globally, DGF has around 31,000 freight forwarding experts in more than 190 countries around the world, with around 1,000 of us based in the UK across 15 Sites. As the experts in Freight Forwarding since 1815, we are the global specialists in Air, Ocean and Rail Freight.

You name it, we’ve shipped it - from brown bears to aircraft engines, to lifesaving medicines and luxury cars! We are also proud to partner with some of the well‑known global sporting series, movie franchises and music tours. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we’re committed to helping our Forwarders to realise their full potential, supported by our own development journey
- Certified International Forwarder (CIF).

Every day we are guided by our values:
Passion
, Entrepreneurship
, Excellence and Teamwork
. We are extremely passionate about our people and what we do, which is why DHL Global Forwarding is recognised as a Top Employer and a Great Place to Work, because we are specialists in providing Excellence, Simply Delivered. In addition to our values, we promote an open and honest feedback culture based on Respect & Results, whereby our employees embrace diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, while ensuring that we never compromise our integrity and compliance.

As an Ocean Freight Operations Manager, you’ll manage, coach and drive performance of a team to achieve KPIs and a high level of customer service as well as being directly responsible for the management of the department ensuring a consistently excellent delivery of our Ocean Freight forwarding services including the core operations and full service management for our customers.

• To take ownership and responsibility of the division and its departments including full responsibility for the Ocean Freight team and P&L
• Implement DGF UK people processes in a consistent manner to ensure development and retention of talent (Performance Reviews, IDPs, EOS, MTW, Succession Planning)
• Manages and drives performance of OFR teams, providing leadership across areas of responsibility inspiring people to engage with the business to deliver key results
• Drive the implementation and culture change through DGF’s 10 Commitments
• Support, drive and commit to the Company’s overall Strategy
• Directs and controls activities performed to effectively manage end-to-end for OFR
• Ensures optimisation of end-to-end process in the Import and Export Department
• Responsibility for file level GP, cost allocation and operations control delivered through empowerment of your teams
• Review key trade lanes based on recent MBL/HBL level data to identify improvements, opportunities (e.g. improved spot rates, sell rates new business …)
• Re-negotiation with customers (rates, volume trends, BAF, surcharges logic, rate validity)
• Administration and management control of the operational data i.e. Ocean review file, work flow review and door-to-door global profit share to ensure compliance and the maximisation of profitability
• Set and monitor objectives in terms of profitability maximisation and volume growth
• Creates, develops and maintains good relationships with customers and service providers, while facilitating negotiations of best rates (carriers and internal product teams)
• Support Sales in interaction with key customers
• Ensure the team understand and comply to the DGF 10 Ground Rules
• Drives implementation of OFR strategy in branch (translates requirements, implements, ensures realisation of strategy and monitors)
• Escalates carrier performance issues when required to Carrier directly/OFR Product
• Fully ensures compliance with varying countries…