Director, Trade Management (Intra Asia)

Job Title: Director, Trade Management (Intra-Asia)

Job Scope:

A leading international container shipping line is seeking a seasoned and strategic commercial leader to oversee and optimize its Intra-Asia trade portfolio. Reporting directly to the Head of Trade, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in driving profitability, yield management, and capacity utilization across the region.

This role demands a deep understanding of the Intra-Asia maritime landscape, with specialized expertise in Carrier-Owned Container (COC) business models. The individual will lead a high-performing team to design competitive pricing strategies, optimize vessel utilization, and enhance network cost-efficiencies.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Trade & Commercial Strategy

• Formulate and execute comprehensive commercial strategies for the Intra-Asia trade lanes to maximize revenue, volume, and market share.
• Monitor, analyze, and respond to macroeconomic trends, competitor movements, and market demand/supply dynamics within the Intra-Asia network.
• Identify and implement yield maximization initiatives, ensuring the optimal balance of cargo and customer mix.

2. Pricing & Yield Management

• Establish, maintain, and enforce robust pricing guidelines specifically tailored to the COC business segment.
• Drive the evaluation and structuring of complex spot requests and major regional Tender/RFQ exercises generated by global and regional sales teams.
• Perform continuous yield management analysis to prioritize high-yield cargo and minimize low-margin positioning costs.

3. Capacity & Network Optimization

• Collaborate closely with Network Planning and Vessel Operations to optimize vessel utilization and manage slot allocations efficiently across the service strings.
• Manage the trade-offs between laden cargo commitments and empty container repositioning, ensuring maximum asset velocity and cost-efficiency.
• Review service profitability (P&L) at the service loop level, initiating corrective operational or commercial actions when necessary.

4. Stakeholder Management & Leadership

• Coordinate with network offices, regional agents, and external feeder partners to ensure alignment with corporate trade objectives and seamless service delivery.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to the pricing and trade execution teams, fostering a performance-driven culture.
• Act as the primary escalation point for trade exceptions, service recovery plans, and commercial contingencies.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Maritime Studies, Shipping & Logistics, Business Administration, Economics, or a related discipline.
• More than 10 years of commercial/trade management experience within a Container Shipping Line (Liner) environment.
• Proven track record and deep, nuanced knowledge of the Intra-Asia trade lanes.
• Robust experience managing COC (Carrier-Owned Container) operations, pricing structures, and yield management frameworks.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen with demonstrated experience managing or analyzing trade P&Ls, cost-benefit trade-offs, and data-driven forecasting.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and cross-cultural stakeholder management skills, with experience leading supervisory or managerial-level teams.

Morgan McKinley Pte Ltd

Senjoo Khong

EA Licence No: 11C5502

EA Registration No.: R21101216