SHIPPING OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Job Description : SHIPPING OPERATIONS DIRECTOR APAC A leading global organisation is seeking a Shipping Operations Manager for the Asia Pacific region, based in Kuala Lumpur. This role offers you the opportunity to lead operational vendor management across Maritime ships and vessels, including 3PL and forwarders ensuring resilient and future-ready maritime logistics that support an integrated supply chain. You will oversee operational vendor management for Shipping, 3PL and freight forwarders throughout the Asia Pacific region by ensuring seamless integration with global logistics strategies. You will operationalise global liner contracts to guarantee their alignment with broader logistics objectives while driving contract execution excellence including onboarding, governance, compliance monitoring, and operational optimisation. You will act as the regional focal point for maritime crisis management initiatives such as business continuity planning and shipping operations escalation. You will implement robust service management frameworks that adhere to global standards for cost efficiency, quality assurance, and sustainability within shipping operations. You will manage contracted carrier performance by analysing KPIs, cost benchmarks, allocation fulfilment rates, compliance issues, and providing actionable insights for improvement. You will serve as the primary escalation contact for all shipping operations including freight carriers, TCOs, and Flexitank providers to ensure swift resolution of operational challenges. You will collaborate extensively with internal stakeholders across countries to resolve service deviations and lead effective service recovery processes. You will spearhead regional and global structural improvements in import/export processes by identifying trends, performance gaps, root causes and developing SOPs that embed best practices. You will lead risk assessment activities at a regional level including contingency planning and implementation of preventive or corrective measures to mitigate supply chain disruptions. You will strengthen cross-functional collaboration among 3PLs (Third Party Logistics) and LLPs (Lead Logistics Providers) through alignment with logistics stakeholders, procurement teams, and business units. What you bring: A degree in Business Administration or equivalent qualification such as Logistics/Supply Chain/Business Management or related field is required. You have a minimum of 5-8 years’ experience in Logistics Operations or Service Provider Management within Supply Chain Management. Your expertise covers Supply Chain Management principles including Operational Logistics processes such as Import-Export procedures (Incoterms), regulatory compliance issues and non-conformance management. Excellent written and verbal English communication skills enable you to interact effectively across intercultural teams; additional language skills are advantageous. Intercultural competence combined with strong interpersonal abilities makes you adept at navigating diverse stakeholder environments while being solution-oriented in issue handling. Proficiency in Business Intelligence Tools (such as Excel), Word, PowerPoint is essential; familiarity with SAP implementation or project management methodologies is preferred. Knowledge of International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG), International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations plus transportation management (air/maritime/surface) enhances your suitability for this role. Experience in developing SOPs that embed governance structures alongside transparency mechanisms demonstrates your commitment to best practice adoption. Your analytical skills allow you to assess carrier performance metrics (KPIs/cost benchmarks/allocation fulfilment/compliance) effectively while driving continuous improvement initiatives. Ability to lead risk assessment activities including contingency planning showcases your dependability in safeguarding supply chain resilience.

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