Sr. Manager, Trade Lane Management

S.F. EXPRESS CO. LTD; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

S.F. EXPRESS CO. LTD is seeking a senior network planning and capacity management professional to develop short- and medium-term plans for assigned trade lanes, including port rotation, weekly frequency, and hub-and-spoke connectivity.

The role focuses on designing standardized ocean products, refining pricing strategies, and building revenue models for strategic customers. You will manage capacity procurement, space management, and tender design, collaborating with global sales teams, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Shipping/Maritime Studies, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, International Trade, Business Administration, Economics or related disciplines.
• Master’s degree or industry certifications (CILT, FIATA, PMP) are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop short- and medium-term network plans for the assigned trade lane(s), including port rotation, string structure, weekly frequency, hub-and-spoke connectivity, transshipment hubs and inland延伸 solutions.
• Design and continuously refine standardized ocean products (direct / transshipment, premium fast service, fixed-day weekly sailings, slot charter, reefer and specialty equipment services), defining product positioning, transit time and schedule reliability commitments, and target customer segments.
• Assess feasibility of new lane launches, string adjustments or suspensions, and build the supporting cost/revenue models and recommendation papers.
• Own space sourcing and allocation: negotiate annual service contracts, slot charters and capacity leases with carriers and vessel operators, and balance them against spot procurement.
• Manage the carrier portfolio, including alliance participation, vessel-sharing agreements (VSAs) and space-swap arrangements, ensuring capacity backup and risk diversification.
• Allocate and control space against forecast and booking trends; optimize load factor, container positioning and detention/demurrage exposure.
• Set the trade lane pricing strategy and governance: GRI, PSS, BAF/FAF, LCS, peak-season surcharges, as well as free time and demurrage/detention policies.
• Establish revenue management discipline: cargo and customer value segmentation, space release and bidding cadence, and daily/weekly tracking of TEU margin and lane revenue attainment.
• Review trade lane P&L on a regular basis and lead initiatives on cost structure optimization and margin improvement.
• Monitor freight rate indices (SCFI, FBX, Drewry WCI), fleet expansion and blank sailings, port congestion, alliance network shifts and geopolitical impacts; publish weekly and monthly market assessments.
• Benchmark competitor strings, transit times, service levels and pricing to support tenders and key account strategies.
• Partner with global sales and key account teams on annual tenders (RFP/RFQ) and long-term contract (CLS) design, ensuring offers are both competitive and margin-protective;
• Support customized lane solutions and commercial negotiation for strategic customers and project cargo (industrial projects, automotive, energy, retail/FMCG, e-commerce);
• Decide on lane-level escalations: rolled cargo, re-routing, schedule disruption and claims, balancing customer service against cost impact.
• Work closely with shipping operations, documentation, ports/terminals, agents and inland transport teams to secure sailing execution, transshipment connectivity and end-to-end visibility.
• Build and drive the lane KPI set — schedule reliability, average transshipment time, booking conversion, roll-over ratio, cargo damage claims and customer satisfaction — and continuously improve service performance.
• Ensure lane operations comply with liner shipping antitrust/consortium regulations, export control, customs and maritime legal requirements.
• Track and implement decarbonization obligations — IMO CII/EEXI, EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, green fuel and biofuel surcharge mechanisms — and contribute to sustainable lane product design and cost modeling.
• Drive adoption of trade lane analytics dashboards, demand forecasting and space management tools to improve decision quality and speed.
• Codify lane management methodologies and SOPs, deliver internal training and knowledge transfer, and provide guidance to junior lane analysts/specialists.
• Native-level Mandarin Chinese; English as a full working language (fluent in listening, speaking, reading and writing), able to lead commercial negotiation and contract discussions independently;
• A second language (German, French, Spanish, Japanese or Arabic) is an advantage.

Skills

Liner shipping operations

Pricing & revenue management

Excel & data analysis

TMS/shipping ERP systems

Mandarin Chinese

English (working proficiency)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Shipping/Maritime Studies

Master's degree or certifications (CILT, FIATA, PMP)

Tools

Power BI

CargoSmart

INTTRA

EDI/API integration

Job description

Develop short- and medium-term network plans for the assigned trade lane(s), including port rotation, string structure, weekly frequency, hub-and-spoke connectivity, transshipment hubs and inland延伸 solutions;

Design and continuously refine standardized ocean products (direct / transshipment, premium fast service, fixed-day weekly sailings, slot charter, reefer and specialty equipment services), defining product positioning, transit time and schedule reliability commitments, and target customer segments;

Assess feasibility of new lane launches, string adjustments or suspensions, and build the supporting cost/revenue models and recommendation papers.

2. Capacity Procurement & Space Management

Own space sourcing and allocation: negotiate annual service contracts, slot charters and capacity leases with carriers and vessel operators, and balance them against spot procurement;

Manage the carrier portfolio, including alliance participation, vessel-sharing agreements (VSAs) and space-swap arrangements, ensuring capacity backup and risk diversification;

Allocate and control space against forecast and booking trends; optimize load factor, container positioning and detention/demurrage exposure.

Set the trade lane pricing strategy and governance: GRI, PSS, BAF/FAF, LCS, peak-season surcharges, as well as free time and demurrage/detention policies;

Establish revenue management discipline: cargo and customer value segmentation, space release and bidding cadence, and daily/weekly tracking of TEU margin and lane revenue attainment;

Review trade lane P&L on a regular basis and lead initiatives on cost structure optimization and margin improvement.

Monitor freight rate indices (SCFI, FBX, Drewry WCI), fleet expansion and blank sailings, port congestion, alliance network shifts and geopolitical impacts; publish weekly and monthly market assessments;

Benchmark competitor strings, transit times, service levels and pricing to support tenders and key account strategies.

Partner with global sales and key account teams on annual tenders (RFP/RFQ) and long-term contract (CLS) design, ensuring offers are both competitive and margin-protective;

Support customized lane solutions and commercial negotiation for strategic customers and project cargo (industrial projects, automotive, energy, retail/FMCG, e-commerce);

Decide on lane-level escalations: rolled cargo, re-routing, schedule disruption and claims, balancing customer service against cost impact.

6. Operations Collaboration & Service Quality

Work closely with shipping operations, documentation, ports/terminals, agents and inland transport teams to secure sailing execution, transshipment connectivity and end-to-end visibility;

Build and drive the lane KPI set — schedule reliability, average transshipment time, booking conversion, roll-over ratio, cargo damage claims and customer satisfaction — and continuously improve service performance.

Ensure lane operations comply with liner shipping antitrust/consortium regulations, export control, customs and maritime legal requirements;

Track and implement decarbonization obligations — IMO CII/EEXI, EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, green fuel and biofuel surcharge mechanisms — and contribute to sustainable lane product design and cost modeling.

8. Digitalization & Capability Building

Drive adoption of trade lane analytics dashboards, demand forecasting and space management tools to improve decision quality and speed;

Codify lane management methodologies and SOPs, deliver internal training and knowledge transfer, and provide guidance to junior lane analysts/specialists.

Requirements

Education

Bachelor's degree or above in Shipping / Maritime Studies, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, International Trade, Business Administration, Economics or related disciplines; Master's degree or industry certifications (CILT, FIATA, PMP) are a plus.

Experience

Minimum 8 years of experience in international ocean freight and logistics, with at least 3 years in trade lane management, capacity procurement, space management or pricing/revenue management;

Experience with a container shipping line (trade, network planning or commercial department), or within the ocean freight division of a large freight forwarder, integrated logistics provider or 3PL is strongly preferred;

Demonstrated ownership of full trade lane business targets (revenue, margin, load factor) for at least one mainline or intra-regional lane.

Professional Skills

Comprehensive understanding of liner shipping operations: booking, space allocation, bill of lading (MBL/HBL), container and equipment control, port and transshipment handling, and multimodal connectivity;

Strong pricing and revenue management mindset, able to independently model lane network options — TEU-mile cost, per-TEU margin, breakeven analysis;

Advanced Excel and data analysis capability (Power BI or equivalent), able to convert data into decisions and drive execution; experience with TMS/shipping ERP systems and platforms such as CargoSmart, INTTRA, EDI/API integration is a plus;

Working knowledge of liner shipping compliance, Incoterms, letter of credit and cargo insurance practice, and of IMO/EU maritime regulatory frameworks.

Languages

Native-level Mandarin Chinese; English as a full working language (fluent in listening, speaking, reading and writing), able to lead commercial negotiation and contract discussions independently;

A second language (German, French, Spanish, Japanese or Arabic) is an advantage.