Travel Desk Lead - Offshore

Oceanic Catering; Gdynia; On-site; PLN 260,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Oceanic Catering is seeking a seasoned Travel Desk Offshore Coordinator to lead day-to-day crew change operations across a global offshore fleet. You will coordinate workloads, champion standardized processes, and provide mentorship to a high‑performing team.

You will monitor SLAs and KPIs, manage complex travel plans and budgets, escalate issues, and collaborate with Fleet Managers, travel providers, and regional partners to ensure safe, compliant, and cost‑efficient crew movements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years in maritime, with 3–5 years in leadership or team lead roles.
• Proven ability to lead global/multi-regional operational teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations for the Travel Desk Offshore Coordinators across the global offshore fleet.
• Coordinate capacity and workloads to meet SLAs, KPIs, and budgets.
• Act as SME for crew change planning and travel coordination, standardizing processes.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Stakeholder management

Operational leadership

Cost management

Analytical skills

Communication

Problem solving

Coaching

Budget control

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Maritime Studies or Logistics

Supply Chain Management or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Crew management software

Operational systems

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the Travel Desk Offshore Coordinators, ensuring the timely, accurate, and cost-effective execution of end-to-end crew change operations across the global offshore fleet.
• Coordinate team capacity, allocate workloads, and prioritize operational activities to ensure service levels, crew change schedules, and business priorities are consistently achieved.
• Act as the functional Subject Matter Expert (SME) for crew change planning and travel coordination, ensuring the consistent application of standardized, simplified, and digitalized processes, procedures, and governance across the global operation.
• Provide operational leadership, coaching, mentoring, and technical guidance to Travel Desk Offshore Coordinators, fostering a high-performing, customer-focused, and continuously improving team.
• Monitor team performance against agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), quality standards, and productivity targets, driving performance improvements and addressing operational gaps.
• Review and oversee complex crew change plans, travel arrangements, operational exceptions, and high-risk cases, providing direction to ensure efficient execution while remaining within approved crew change budgets.
• Serve as the primary operational escalation point (L1/L2) for complex crew change and travel-related issues, ensuring timely resolution and escalating significant business risks to the Travel Desk Offshore Operations Manager where appropriate.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with key global stakeholders, including Fleet Managers, Crew Management Partners, Regional Crew Management Partners, Masters, port agents, travel providers, and other internal functions, ensuring alignment, collaboration, and consistent delivery of crew change services.
• Represent the Travel Desk Offshore function in operational meetings with stakeholders, providing expert advice, addressing operational challenges, and driving collaborative solutions to improve service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with established crew change, travel, and operational procedures, identifying process gaps and recommending improvements to enhance operational efficiency, customer experience, and governance.
• Support the implementation of new processes, systems, digital solutions, and continuous improvement initiatives, driving consistent adoption across the Travel Desk Offshore team.
• Monitor crew change travel costs and expenditure, identifying opportunities to improve cost efficiency while maintaining operational effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and service quality.
• Analyse operational performance, prepare management reports, and provide insights on trends, risks, service performance, and improvement opportunities to support informed decision-making.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, capability development, succession planning, and performance management of Travel Desk Offshore Coordinators, ensuring the team possesses the skills required to meet current and future business needs.
• Foster effective communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across the Travel Desk Offshore function and with internal and external stakeholders to promote operational excellence and a consistent customer experience.
• Deputise for the Travel Desk Offshore Operations Manager, as required, ensuring continuity of leadership, decision‑making, and operational service delivery.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned by management.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Maritime Studies, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, or a related discipline. Equivalent relevant industry experience will also be considered.
• Minimum of 10 years' experience in the maritime industry, including significant experience in crew management, crew logistics, travel operations, or end-to‑end crew change coordination, with at least 3–5 years in a leadership or team lead capacity.
• Proven experience leading operational teams within a global or multi‑regional environment, with the ability to coach, develop, and drive high performance.
• Strong knowledge of end‑to‑end crew change planning, travel coordination, crew logistics, maritime operations, and applicable industry regulations and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience managing operational performance through Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and quality standards.
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders,
• Experience managing operational escalations, resolving complex issues, and making sound decisions in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment.
• Strong understanding of cost management principles, with the ability to balance operational efficiency, budget control, and service delivery.
• Demonstrated experience supporting process standardization, governance, continuous improvement, and the implementation of new systems or digital solutions.
• Excellent leadership, people management, coaching, and mentoring skills, with the ability to motivate teams and foster collaboration across diverse cultures and geographies.
• Highly developed analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills, with the ability to interpret operational data and identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build credibility across all organizational levels.
• Strong customer focus with a proactive approach to delivering high‑quality service and achieving operational excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, perform effectively under pressure, and meet demanding operational deadlines.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and operational systems relevant to crew management, travel coordination, and reporting.

Preferred Additional Experience

• Sailing and maritime experience, having served onboard in a Junior Officer rank or equivalent capacity.