Location: Malaysia
Employment Type: Full-Time
Department: Logistics / Supply Chain
Job Summary
We are looking for an experienced Shipping Manager to manage and optimise the company's ocean freight activities, with a strong focus on freight procurement, shipping line management, cost optimisation and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate should have hands-on experience in ocean freight procurement and preferably have worked directly with a shipping line, freight forwarder or NVOCC.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage and oversee the company's ocean freight procurement activities.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with shipping lines, carriers, freight forwarders and logistics partners.
- Negotiate ocean freight rates, contracts, service terms and capacity commitments.
- Monitor market freight rates, capacity, surcharges and market trends to identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Evaluate and select suitable shipping lines and logistics service providers.
- Manage RFQs, tenders and freight rate negotiations.
- Monitor shipping performance, including transit time, schedule reliability, space availability and service quality.
- Work closely with Sales, Operations, Warehouse, Finance and Customer Service teams to ensure smooth shipment execution.
- Review freight costs and identify opportunities to improve transportation efficiency.
- Monitor supplier performance and conduct regular performance reviews.
- Support resolution of operational issues, including delays, rollovers, equipment shortages and documentation issues.
- Ensure shipping activities comply with relevant customs, trade and company requirements.
- Prepare regular reports on freight spend, supplier performance, savings and key shipping KPIs.
- Identify and implement process improvements to improve efficiency and reduce logistics costs.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Business Administration or a related field.
- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in shipping, ocean freight, freight procurement or logistics.
- Strong hands-on experience in Ocean Freight Procurement is essential.
- Experience working with or directly managing relationships with shipping lines is highly preferred.
- Experience in freight rate negotiation, tender management and carrier selection.
- Good understanding of international shipping processes, Incoterms, freight charges and shipping documentation.
- Strong negotiation, analytical and communication skills.
- Good understanding of the Malaysia logistics and ocean freight market.
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and logistics / ERP systems.
Key Skills
- Shipping Line Management
- International Shipping
- Logistics Operations
- Stakeholder Management
Preferred Experience
Candidates with experience from shipping lines, freight forwarders, NVOCCs, 3PL providers or companies with significant import/export volumes will be advantageous. Experience in managing ocean freight procurement across multiple trade lanes and negotiating annual or long-term freight agreements would be an added advantage.