Ocean Planning Manager

About Flexport: At Flexport, we believe global trade can move the human race forward. That’s why it’s our mission to make global commerce so easy there will be more of it. We’re shaping the future of a $10T industry with solutions powered by innovative technology and exceptional people. Today, companies of all sizes—from emerging brands to Fortune 500s—use Flexport technology to move more than $19B of merchandise across 112 countries a year. The recent global supply chain crisis has put Flexport center stage as we continue to play a pivotal role in how goods move around the world. We are proud to have the support of the best investors in the game who believe in our mission, solutions and people. Ready to tackle global challenges that impact business, society, and the environment? Come join us. The Opportunity The Ocean Planning Manager plays a critical role in Flexport's mission to make global trade easy for everyone. Flexport today connects almost 10,000 clients and suppliers across 109 countries. In this role, your direct customers are the partners within your region — account management, customs teams, subcontractors, carriers, terminals, and trucking providers — and your work directly supports Flexport's end customers in achieving their logistics goals. This role is designed to hire, coach, and develop a team of planning and booking experts while navigating the complex world of freight forwarding. You'll work cross-functionally to establish a world-class planning and booking function, balancing tactical execution with adaptive, strategic leadership as Flexport builds its next operational model. What You'll Do Team Leadership • Hire, coach, and develop a 5–10 person team responsible for end-to-end planning and booking of ocean freight shipments (imports and exports, including intermodal movements) • Manage team performance and evaluation, guiding the team to meet OKRs and SLAs • Provide direction on training and onboarding for new team members • Empower the team to prioritise key initiatives and maintain strong on-the-job motivation Planning & Booking Operations • Oversee execution of end-to-end planning and booking across Ocean FCL and LCL imports and exports • Manage and optimise overall allocation and SO (Shipping Order) utilisation • Design and maintain scalable operational infrastructure and procedures to ensure the team delivers the highest levels of efficiency and productivity for customers • Manage the Fulfilment Management Tool (FMT) and support feature development and enhancement Partner & Stakeholder Management • Serve as the primary relationship manager for internal and external partners in your region, including ocean, intermodal, and drayage vendors, Account Management, Ocean Execution, Allocation, and Procurement • Act as the primary point of contact for major carrier and client escalations • Maintain long-term relationships with carriers and gateway carrier offices across Sales, Booking, Customer Service, and Documentation functions • Collaborate with Procurement, Allocation, and ROM teams to inform carrier strategy and drive revenue maximisation Strategic & Cross-Functional Contribution • Work with gateway and global management to ensure the right metrics and data are in place to empower the team • Monitor and improve overall cost-to-serve while maintaining high client satisfaction • Act as a strategic consultant to global counterparts, product and engineering, and the operations excellence team on ocean planning and booking processes • Represent Flexport's value proposition by recommending planning solutions for new clients and opportunities to the account management team • Identify and execute on process improvement opportunities, contributing to the development of technology and systems that differentiate Flexport's operations from the industry • Live and act with integrity guided by Flexport's values, maintaining a high bar for operational quality and service What You'll…