When you work in Freight Logistics and Operations at Kuehne+Nagel, you play a key role in optimising processes and ensuring that inventory and shipments move efficiently. But that is not all. Your work also helps ensure that vital medicines reach patients on time and supports other essential deliveries, from wind turbines to semiconductors. At Kuehne+Nagel, our contribution counts in more ways than we imagine.

Your Role

• Lead the national procurement strategy for Sea Logistics, drive end-to-end vendor management and delivering significant cost savings through strategic sourcing and negotiation.

• This role encompasses the full spectrum of procurement activities: strategic selection, contracting, and performance management of carriers, CFS warehouses, customers brokers, trucking and booking agents. To leverage deep market knowledge to optimize yield and service reliability through competitive RFQs, innovative procurement models (e.g., blending long-term tenders with spot sourcing), and multimodal transport solutions.

• Lead and develop a high-performing team while driving process improvement and digitalization initiatives to enhance procurement efficiency and data quality.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end procurement process for Sea Logistics vendors including carriers, CFS, tracking and booking agents.

• Negotiate and manage service contracts, ensuring alignment with global standards, compliance with customs laws, and accurate tariff classifications and valuations where applicable.

• Ensure contracts are compliant with free trade agreements and that Certificate of Origin documentation is verifiable.

• Monitor operational performance of carriers and vendors, addressing rate discrepancies or service failures immediately with direct reports and escalation where necessary.

• Conduct regular risk assessments for high-risk shipments or vendor markets to streamline customs procedures.

• Maintain and strengthen carrier relationships on operational levels to resolve allocation constraints and optimize proceedings.

• Develop and issue Requests for Quotes (RFQs) to secure competitive rates and capacity.

• Collaborate with Trade Management on pricing strategies and RFQ preparation to balance NAC (Name Account) and FAK (Freight All Kinds) shipments.

• Ensure data quality within transport management systems to support accurate service contract assignment.

• Provide leadership and direction to the procurement team, overseeing selection, professional development, and motivation of employees.

• Manage interfaces and information exchange between procurement, operations, and customer care to ensure optimized customer experience.

• Manage interfaces and information exchange between procurement, operations, and customer care to ensure optimized customer experience.

Your Skills and Experiences

Hard Skills

• Proven experience in Sea Logistics procurement or shipping line management.

• Deep knowledge of carrier contracting, CFS operations, and vendor negotiation.

• Strong understanding of customs laws, import/export regulations, tariff classification, and duty calculation.

• Proficiency in RFQ processes, data analysis, and yield management principles.

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.

• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to resolve operational disputes and conflicts with a solution oriented approach.

• Strategic mindset with attention to detail and compliance.

Good Reasons to Join

At Kuehne + Nagel, you get to grow your expertise, shape processes and deliver innovative solutions. We are continuously building our local and global network and our product portfolio, creating career opportunities in different fields of work worldwide. As a leader in the logistics industry, we provide a collaborative and IT driven environment where you will work with motivated and customer-centric colleagues across the world.

Logistics shapes everyday life - from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world.

As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life-saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine.

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