Inland Steering Manager, Area West Africa

Position Overview: As the Manager, you will act as the bridge function between Area Sales and Operations with the aim to increase profitable Inland volume and optimize Inland product portfolio. You will help develop the Area Inland strategy and define Area-level Inland ambition for the next budget year (volumes, profitability, Inland share, etc.) based on the Regional Inland target in alignment with Sales, Operations, and Trade Management

Key Responsibilities:

Commercial Inland Steering

• Develop the Area Inland strategy and define the Area-level Inland ambition for the next budget year (volumes, profitability, Inland share, etc.) based on the Regional Inland target in alignment with Sales, Operations, and Trade Management
• Align the commercial and the operational perspective to improve the Area’s Inland ambition and result
• Develop the Inland pricing strategy with the goal of end-to-end Inland profitability including the evaluation of the Inland Tariff tool as well as Inland related surcharges
• Actively manage the sales funnel for Inland opportunities in own Area
• Develop campaigns and initiatives in alignment with stakeholders in order to achieve Area goals and communicates these globally and actively manage hinterland imbalances.
• Identify customers with untapped Inland potential and forward those to the relevant commercial teams for action.
• Collect market and competitive insights (ambitions and product developments of competitors) and compile market feedback from Area Sales to develop market-based pricing approach and participate in Area Sales meetings.
• Forecast Inland volumes based on sales and booking history to anchor target mindset.
• Take responsibility for KPI achievement and compile the monthly Inland performance report for the Area incl. respective follow-up actions.
• Track progress towards the Inland strategy of the Area and define actions to ensure strategic measures are implemented.
• Define countermeasures where target achievement is at risk
• Report regular performance updates to Area Sales Director and Regional Inland Centre
• Actively participate in Area Inland budget and Forecasting process

Inland Product Owner

• Gather feedback on the market (from other Area Inland functions) including potential transport solutions for different modes and include product needs in the final product offering
• Identify Inland value propositions and support Sales with tangible product information
• Act as main PoC for the Account Managers on product-related Inland questions
• Drive the identification and development of relevant Inland products and define the Inland network strategy by conducting required analysis on underserved/overserved locations, equipment levels etc.
• Own the capacity demand forecasting reports and engage in active management of capacity availability and utilization.
• Analyze fixed capacity requirements based on operations and commercial data
• Support procurement on vendor negotiations and SLA definition to continuously improve and extend the vendor base.
• Plan and manage strategic vendor relationships

 Qualifications:

• At least 5 years’ experience in shipping/container steering
• Strategic thinker who is customer centric
• Experience in sales and operations of trucking industry will be an advantage.
• Experience working in Ghana and Senegal will be an advantage
• Worked in a trucking or forwarding industry with hands on experience in product development for trucking corridors 
• Assertive negotiator
• Attention to detail.
• Team player with a proactive attitude
• Ability to work under pressure, goal and deadline driven.
• Very good written English skills (French is an added advantage)
• Good understanding of Microsoft applications.
• Thorough knowledge of port-based applications (Navis, ICUMS etc.) and documentation procedures.
• Ability to work on several systems simultaneously and interpret the data
• Successfully completed commercial training or comparable studies in Business, Commerce, Sales, Engineering, Logistics or similar
• Several years of professional experience in shipping, forwarding or logistics, preferably in sales or operations
• Excellent understanding of Inland transport, as well as ocean shipping markets
• Deep understanding of Inland transport performance measurement
• Well-developed analytical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with high level of initiative, ability to work in a team and assertiveness.
• Strong communicator with experience in management level communications

Why Join Us:

• Be a part of a global leader in the logistics industry.
• Opportunity to make a significant impact on our business in a rapidly growing region.
• Work with a diverse and talented team of professionals. 

If you meet the profile and are excited about the opportunity to contribute to Hapag-Lloyd’s success in Central Africa, we encourage you to apply.