Manager, Ocean Freight

Flexport; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 106,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

Flexport is seeking a Manager for Ocean Freight to lead carrier procurement for assigned tradelanes from our San Francisco office. You will own carrier selection, negotiate allocations, and help shape the global strategy to optimize spend and service levels across regions.

You will guide partnerships with carriers, build scalable procurement processes, and collaborate with Technology to advance next‑gen procurement systems.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of ocean freight experience or equivalent supply chain leadership.
• Proven ability to develop carrier strategies and optimize spend.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive all ocean carrier procurement for assigned tradelane(s).
• Coordinate and negotiate annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly allocation procurement activities.
• Help decide global carrier strategy aligned to tradelane goals.
• Develop long-term partnerships with ocean carriers to showcase Flexport’s advantages.
• Drive procurement costs down and provide supply forecasting to meet demand.
• Build scalable procurement rhythms and tools; partner with Tech to develop systems.
• Lead and develop procurement associates; conduct regular cross-team meetings.
• Initiate system and process improvements for the team.
• Educate the organization with carrier and tradelane intelligence for better client engagement.

Skills

Ocean freight procurement

Strategic planning

Negotiation

Leadership

Data analysis

Education

BA/BS Degree

Job description

• Bellevue, Washington, United States
• San Francisco, California, United States
• #LI-Onsite

Manager, Ocean Freight

You will:

• Drive all things ocean carrier procurement for a particular tradelane and take direct responsibility for one or multiple carriers
• Coordinate and negotiate annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly allocation procurement activities
• Help decide the global carrier strategy and align your tradelane’s carrier strategy to help the global team hit their goals
• Help develop long term partnerships with ocean carriers, demonstrating Flexport’s competitive advantages
• Drive procurement costs down
• Provide supply forecasting so that we ensure we can satisfy demand
• Build scalable procurement operating rhythms and tools
• Partner with Technology teams to develop next generation procurement systems
• Drive process standardization and improvement initiatives globally
• Educate and enable the broader Flexport organization with carrier and tradelane intelligence to foster better decision making and client engagement
• Manage a team of procurement associates that will drive initiatives
• Lead regular cross team meetings
• Initiate system and process improvements for the team
• Up-level the future ocean procurement experts of Flexport
• Work across Procurement, Pricing, Planning, and District Management teams to deliver globally optimized results to the Ocean P&L

You should have:

• 7+ years of prior Ocean Freight experience at a top freight forwarder or carrier or 7+ years of supply chain experience and a BA/BS Degree;
• Strategic vision and ground floor execution;
• Bias to Action, Process, Structure and Data;
• Strong negotiation skills
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills;
• An obsession with client happiness. You succeed when they succeed;
• Ability to travel regionally, nationally, and internationally;
• Courage to challenge the status quo when logic and reason require it. See something broken? Fix it;
• The desire to lead, train, and develop up-and-coming talent

The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire base salary for the position in the posting's respective region. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range displayed, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and / or training. Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at Flexport, which also includes bonus, equity, and comprehensive benefit offerings such as medical, dental, and flexible time off.

The US base salary range for this position (this does not include bonus, equity and benefits):

$105,600 - $132,000 USD