Sea Freight Forwarding Manager

About the Role

Afaq Alnama is seeking a Sea Freight Forwarding Manager to oversee and develop the company's sea freight import and export operations. This full-time position is based in Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and involves managing shipments from initial customer request through to final delivery and financial closure. The role focuses on driving sales growth, achieving profitability targets, maintaining high service quality, and ensuring documentation accuracy and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement departmental business plans, operational objectives, and sales targets, monitoring performance against established goals.
• Acquire new customers, grow existing accounts, and develop new markets and shipping trade lanes.
• Assess customer requirements and provide appropriate shipping solutions, including FCL, LCL, and related logistics services.
• Prepare and follow up on quotations through to contract confirmation, detailing scope of services, pricing, exclusions, validity, and payment terms.
• Establish and maintain relationships with shipping lines, freight forwarders, and international agents, evaluating their service quality.
• Negotiate competitive buying rates and commercial terms, securing alternative booking options and service providers.
• Calculate total shipment costs and determine selling prices and profit margins in accordance with company policies.
• Oversee bookings, sailing and arrival schedules, and cut-off deadlines for container deliveries and documentation.
• Monitor shipment execution and coordinate with relevant stakeholders including shipping lines, ports, customs brokers, and transport providers.
• Review shipping instructions, draft Bills of Lading (B/Ls), and related documentation for accuracy before approval or submission.
• Monitor free-time allowances, demurrage, detention, and storage charges, taking action to minimize additional costs.
• Keep customers informed of shipment updates and obtain written approval for additional services and associated costs.
• Resolve operational issues, customer complaints, and claims, coordinating with stakeholders until closure.
• Review shipment costs and supplier invoices, ensuring accurate recording and timely customer invoicing.
• Monitor profitability by shipment, customer, and trade lane, analyzing causes of margin erosion or cost overruns.
• Coordinate with the Finance Department on customer credit facilities, collections, and overdue receivables.
• Allocate workloads, develop team capabilities, evaluate employee performance, and improve operational procedures and data quality.
• Prepare regular reports covering sales, shipment volumes, profitability, collections, operational issues, and business development opportunities.

Authority and Decision-Making

The Sea Freight Forwarding Manager will have the authority to negotiate with customers and service providers within approved commercial policies. This includes approving pricing and operational expenses within delegated financial authority limits. The role also involves allocating departmental workloads and evaluating team members' performance. Credit, contractual, and financial exceptions are to be escalated to relevant management authorities for approval.

Qualifications and Experience

• 5-10 years of experience in sea freight forwarding operations and management.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and develop sea freight import and export operations.
• Proven track record in sales growth, profitability achievement, and service quality maintenance.
• Strong understanding of shipping documentation, compliance, and logistics services (FCL, LCL).

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, requiring active management of sea freight operations and team leadership within Afaq Alnama.