Job Title: Ocean Freight Tender Manager
Job Purpose
The Ocean Freight Tender Manager drives the strategic and operational management of global Ocean Freight RFQs as a trusted subject matter expert and consultant to strategic customers in collaboration with the Commercial team. This role ensures competitive, profitable, and timely tender responses by defining bid strategies, steering global and regional stakeholders, and continuously improving pricing and processes.
At its core, the position acts as the vital connector, bringing Ocean Freight product experts closer to customers to deliver tailored solutions that secure RFQ success, fuel profitable growth, and strengthen our market leadership.
Typical Business Titles
- Ocean Freight Tender Manager
Differentiator
- Subject matter expert who applies advanced knowledge of the job area, typically obtained through advanced education and work experience.
- Manages projects/processes, working independently with limited supervision.
- Problems faced are difficult and complex.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Engagement & Commercial Enablement
- Act as the Ocean Freight subject matter expert, serving as a connector between product experts and the Commercial Team to drive RFQ processes and customer engagements.
- Collaborate with Commercial Owners to understand requirements and develop winning strategies.
Bid Strategy & Solution Design
- Define bid strategy for assigned global RFQs, including target trade lanes, competitive pricing, solution design, and technical value proposition.
- Align strategy with Commercial Owners, Trade Managers, LCL teams, and other relevant stakeholders.
Global Tender Steering
- Steer Regional Trade, LCL, and Country OCC teams to focus on strategic global tenders involving significant lanes, volumes, and complexity.
- Ensure proactive solution development and generation of end-to-end competitive and profitable pricing.
Pricing Leadership
- Drive competitive pricing aligned with customer targets and market developments.
- Facilitate walk-away pricing decisions with senior decision-makers.
- Coach and train regional and country teams on Ocean Freight pricing principles.
Risk & Competitiveness Analysis
- Summarize competitiveness levels and quantify risk exposures.
- Provide fact-based recommendations to support investment decisions and secure management approval.
Rate Card Loading & Maintenance
- Review pricing instructions applied to rate cards, ensuring accuracy and confirming that awarded business rate cards are delivered to the Rate Card Loading team in a format ready for direct upload into RMS/CW1, supporting accurate auto-rating and timely invoicing.
- Issue clear pricing instructions to the Pricing Specialist to enable consistent, competitive, and timely submission of quotations for additional lanes, PSS levels, and surcharge updates in the rate cards, ensuring all necessary information is accurate, up-to-date, and properly filed.
- Rate Extensions and Refreshes: Issue clear pricing instructions to the Pricing Specialist in coordinating rate extension and refresh processes, ensuring updates are accurately recorded and communicated to stakeholders promptly.
- Drive continuous process improvements to enhance quality, reduce turnaround times, and increase hit rates.
Post Award
- Lead the post-award review process for all tender announcements, ensuring thorough analysis of outcomes, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities.
- Communicate key findings and actionable insights with relevant stakeholders to strengthen tender strategy and execution.
Profitability & Yield Management
- Drive Shipment to Profile (STP), monitor GP, and steer yield management activities with regions/countries.
- Ensure profitable growth of customers quoted through the global RFQ process.
Stakeholders
Internal
- Global and Regional OFR Management
- Trade Managers
- LCL Teams
- Country OCC Teams
- Commercial Owners
- Pricing Teams
External
- Customers during RFQ and strategic engagement phases
Skills
- Collaborative mindset with the ability to steer and influence cross-functional teams in a multicultural environment.
- Deep understanding of ocean freight markets, trade dynamics, and carrier pricing structures.
- Strong analytical and commercial acumen with the ability to interpret data and translate it into actionable strategies.
- Advanced proficiency in pricing systems, Excel, and data tools.
- Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
- Capable of managing complexity, prioritizing under pressure, and driving decisions.
- Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving skills.
- Detail-oriented and capable of delivering under time pressure.
- Action-oriented and results-driven.
Qualifications & Key Requirements
Experience
- Minimum 6 years in the Ocean Freight forwarding industry.
- At least 4 years in tender management or pricing leadership roles.
Technical Skills
- Deep understanding of RFQ processes and Ocean Freight end-to-end operations.
- Advanced analytical and conceptual skills.
- Strong Excel proficiency.
Commercial Acumen
- Ability to negotiate and influence internally and externally.
- Strong stakeholder management and customer engagement capabilities.
Other
- Excellent English communication skills (written and oral).
- Ability to work effectively across cultures and regions.
- International travel (approximately 20%).
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