Trade Manager - Ocean Freight Europe (m/f/d)

Voyfai; Hamburg; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days PTO

Monthly mobility budget via Navit

Flexible working arrangements

Equity options

Job summary

Voyfai, a fast‑growing logistics tech startup, seeks a Trade Manager Europe to own the Mediterranean side of the Asia–Europe trade. You will manage member relationships, steer volumes, and drive delivery against commitments, collaborating with Directors and Asia‑based teams.

Based in Hamburg or northern Germany, you’ll build pricing strategies, vendor relations, and help establish Voyfai’s Med presence while shaping a lean, high‑impact trade function.

Qualifications

• Solid experience in ocean freight trade management, freight buying, or procurement, with Asia–Europe exposure.
• Strong commercial orientation and ability to deepen relationships with forwarders and members.
• Hands-on with carrier contracts, allocations, pricing structures, and execution.
• Ability to influence long-term trade strategy across geographies.
• Based in Hamburg or northern Germany, with occasional travel to Berlin HQ.
• Proficient in English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary commercial contact for Voyfai members and group companies in Europe—understanding their needs, managing rate requests, influencing volume behaviour, and driving delivery against trade commitments.
• Own day-to-day trade management for the Asia–Mediterranean corridor from the European side—building the lane, managing allocations, and driving delivery against member commitments.
• Lead pricing execution for members and group companies—balancing short-term market opportunities with long-term carrier credibility and portfolio discipline.
• Manage carrier relationships within your scope—supporting negotiations, monitoring performance against allocations, and leading escalations where needed.
• Work closely with the Asia-based Trade Manager and Director to ensure origin and destination perspectives are aligned on pricing, allocations, and operational execution.
• Support onboarding of new members and group companies, and contribute to business development discussions with prospective members.
• Identify commercial opportunities, define new products through the base, and help members win larger end customers by leveraging Voyfai's carrier portfolio and pricing capability.
• Contribute to building the trade management function itself— processes, tools, reporting routines, and operating standards—in a lean, fast-moving environment.

Skills

Ocean freight trade management

Freight buying

Procurement

Carrier contracts

Pricing structures

Relationship management

English proficiency

Cross-border collaboration

Job description

Join Voyfai, a fast-growing Series A startup shaping the future of logistics and technology across Europe.

Headquartered in Berlin, we operate at the centre of a broader group of companies active across several European markets.

This is a unique opportunity to work directly with our Co-Founders from day one, drive meaningful impact and grow within a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Whether you're shaping how we run the company, leading strategic initiatives or building new organisational rhythms from scratch, your contributions will directly influence the success of Voyfai and the companies we support. If you're passionate about building from scratch and excited to be part of a company on the rise, we'd love to hear from you.

Your Role

As Trade Manager Europe (m/f/d), you will own the Mediterranean side of Voyfai\'s Asia–Europe trade — managing member relationships, steering volume, and driving delivery against trade commitments. You will work closely with the Director of Trades and Partnerships and our Hong Kong-based team to keep the full corridor aligned. In your first six months, success means members in the Med corridor trust you as their go-to trade contact, you own key carrier relationships on your lane, and you are building the commercial foundation for Voyfai\'s presence in the Mediterranean market.

What You Will Do

• Serve as the primary commercial contact for Voyfai members and group companies in Europe — understanding their needs, managing rate requests, influencing volume behaviour, and driving delivery against trade commitments
• Own day-to-day trade management for the Asia–Mediterranean corridor from the European side — building the lane, managing allocations, and driving delivery against member commitments
• Lead pricing execution for members and group companies — balancing short-term market opportunities with long-term carrier credibility and portfolio discipline
• Manage carrier relationships within your scope — supporting negotiations, monitoring performance against allocations, and leading escalations where needed
• Work closely with the Asia-based Trade Manager and Director to ensure origin and destination perspectives are aligned on pricing, allocations, and operational execution
• Support onboarding of new members and group companies, and contribute to business development discussions with prospective members
• Identify commercial opportunities, define new products through the base, and help members win larger end customers by leveraging Voyfai\'s carrier portfolio and pricing capability
• Contribute to building the trade management function itself — processes, tools, reporting routines, and operating standards — in a lean, fast-moving environment

What You Bring

• Solid experience in ocean freight trade management, freight buying, or procurement — ideally with exposure to Asia–Europe lanes
• Strong commercial orientation and the ability to manage and deepen relationships with forwarders, members, or customers — a farmer mentality, not purely a hunter
• Hands-on experience with carrier contracts, allocations, pricing structures, and operational execution
• Ability to influence independent companies and members around long-term trade strategy — including navigating situations where short-term rate gains conflict with strategic objectives
• Comfortable working across geographies and time zones, including close collaboration with Asia-based counterparts
• Based in Hamburg or the wider northern Germany area — we don\'t have a Hamburg office but our Berlin HQ is an easy train ride away and you\'d be expected to come in occasionally
• Self-directed and able to operate in a lean environment where processes are still being built and hands-on execution is expected
• Strong English, both written and verbal

Bonus If You Have

• Existing relationships with major ocean carriers
• Experience building a trade lane or commercial function from scratch

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and equity options
• A dynamic, fast-paced work environment with a mission-driven team
• Flexible working arrangements
• 30 days of PTO
• Regular team events and offsites
• Monthly mobility budget via Navit