Freight Forwarder (Business Development and Ops Manager)

Shree Shipping Services Pvt. Ltd.; Ahmedabad District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Shree Shipping Services Pvt. Ltd. is seeking a seasoned Ocean Freight Forwarding leader to drive growth across EXIM lanes. You will price competitively, secure freight space, onboard customers, and manage end-to-end shipments from Gujarat ports.

You will build strong liner relationships, lead commercial pricing strategies, and ensure profitable volumes while maintaining service quality and industry standards. This role reports to Head - Global Logistics.

Qualifications

• 7-12 years of experience in Ocean Freight Forwarding.
• 3-5 years in commercial or pricing leadership.
• Experience across Gujarat and Maharashtra ports.
• Established customer portfolio and liner connections preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and expand Ocean Freight Forwarding business.
• Develop competitive pricing for Export and Import shipments.
• Onboard new customers and achieve a monthly target of 100 TEUs.
• Maintain relationships with shipping lines and negotiate rates.
• Coordinate with operations, documentation, and customs teams.
• Monitor shipments, vessel schedules, and profitability.

Skills

Ocean Freight Forwarding

Pricing Negotiation

New Customer Acquisition

Liner Relationships

Market Analysis

Commercial Leadership

Education

Graduate in any discipline

Logistics / Supply Chain / International Trade

Job description

Reporting To: Head - Global Logistics / Business Head

Experience: 7-12 Years in Ocean Freight Forwarding

Business Target: Minimum 100 Containers per Month

1. Job Objective

To lead and expand the Ocean Freight Forwarding business by developing competitive ocean freight pricing, leveraging strong relationships with shipping lines, acquiring new customers, and driving profitable container volumes across EXIM trade lanes.

The candidate will be responsible for building a strong commercial pipeline, securing competitive rates from liners, onboarding new customers, and achieving a minimum monthly business target of 100 containers.

• Develop competitive ocean freight pricing for Export and Import shipments from Kandla, Mundra and Nhava Sheva ports.
• Maintain strong relationships and negotiate competitive freight rates with major shipping lines.
• Obtain and negotiate spot rates, contract rates, nominated rates and special equipment rates.
• Maintain updated pricing databases covering FCL.
• Analyse market freight trends, rate fluctuations, surcharges, and competitor pricing.
• Ensure timely submission of quotations and follow-up for conversion.
• Protect gross margins while maintaining market competitiveness.

B. Business Development & Customer Acquisition

• Identify and develop new customers for Ocean Freight Forwarding services.
• Generate leads through market research, industry networks, references, digital platforms and direct customer engagement.
• Target exporters, importers, manufacturers, traders, CHA networks and EXIM customers.
• Conduct customer meetings and present end-to-end ocean freight solutions.
• Negotiate commercial terms and successfully onboard new customers.
• Develop existing accounts to increase monthly container volumes.
• Build a sustainable sales pipeline to ensure continuous business generation.

C. Liner & Shipping Line Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with major shipping lines and their commercial teams.
• Negotiate preferential rates, space allocations, free days and equipment availability.
• Ensure priority booking support during peak seasons and capacity constraints.
• Coordinate with liner representatives for rate validity, rollovers, documentation and operational issues.
• Build strategic partnerships with liners to secure long-term commercial advantages.

D. Business Execution & Operational Coordination

• Coordinate with operations, documentation, customs clearance and transport teams to ensure smooth shipment execution.
• Monitor shipment bookings, vessel schedules, cut-offs and container movements.
• Ensure timely customer updates and resolution of shipment-related escalations.
• Work closely with internal teams to deliver reliable end-to-end freight forwarding solutions.
• Ensure customer retention through service quality and proactive communication.

E. Revenue & Profitability Management

• Achieve the assigned monthly container volume and revenue targets.
• Monitor customer-wise and trade-lane-wise profitability.
• Ensure healthy gross profit margins on every shipment.
• Track outstanding payments and coordinate with accounts for timely collections.
• Prepare monthly business development, pricing and profitability reports.

3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance Parameter

Target

100 TEUs/Containers

New customer acquisition

New customer business contribution

Ocean freight pricing turnaround

Within 24 hours

Customer conversion ratio

Gross profit margin

As per management-approved targets

Within agreed credit terms

Monthly sales pipeline

Minimum 3x monthly volume target

Note: The 100-container target should be measured on actual executed and revenue-generating shipments, not merely quotations or bookings.

• Strong expertise in Ocean Freight Forwarding - Import and Export.
• Excellent knowledge of freight pricing from Kandla, Mundra and Nhava Sheva.
• Established professional network with major shipping lines and liner representatives.
• Strong negotiation skills for ocean freight rates and commercial agreements.
• Proven track record of new customer acquisition and business development.
• Knowledge of EXIM documentation, Incoterms, FCL/LCL, customs processes and shipping procedures.
• Understanding of international trade lanes and freight market dynamics.
• Strong customer relationship management and commercial acumen.
• Ability to independently generate business and achieve volume targets.

5. Experience & Qualification

• Graduate in any discipline; a qualification in Logistics, Supply Chain or International Trade is preferred.
• 7-12 years of experience in Ocean Freight Forwarding.
• At least 3-5 years in a commercial/business development or pricing leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience in handling ocean freight business across Gujarat and Maharashtra ports.
• Candidates with an established customer portfolio and strong liner connections will be preferred.