Senior Commercial Manager
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Key skills for this role
Role Overview
The role requires marine and offshore shipping experience with hands-on commercial and chartering exposure.
The successful candidate will develop the African market, acquire customers, negotiate commercially, and manage stakeholder relationships.
The role includes leadership of a commercial chartering team.
Key Skills for This Role
Full Job Posting
Role Overview
The role requires marine and offshore shipping experience with hands-on commercial and chartering exposure.
The successful candidate will develop the African market, acquire customers, negotiate commercially, and manage stakeholder relationships.
The role includes leadership of a commercial chartering team.
Commercial and Chartering
- Develop and execute chartering strategies aligned with business and financial objectives.
- Identify market opportunities, cargo requirements, vessel positions, and potential fixtures.
- Lead negotiations for voyage, time-charter, and other relevant chartering contracts.
- Maximize vessel utilization, freight earnings, and commercial returns.
- Review and approve commercial terms within risk appetite and delegated authority.
- Monitor fixture performance, freight rates, market trends, and competitor activity.
Market Intelligence and Development
- Monitor global and regional shipping markets, freight rates, supply and demand trends, and geopolitical and economic developments.
- Provide market intelligence and recommendations to senior management.
- Develop new customer relationships and expand the commercial portfolio.
- Support new trade routes, cargo segments, and commercial opportunities.
- Prepare commercial proposals, tenders, and business cases where required.
Financial and Risk Management
- Ensure chartering decisions support revenue, profitability, and margin targets.
- Analyze voyage economics, freight profitability, demurrage or despatch, and associated commercial costs.
- Identify and mitigate contractual, credit, and market risks.
- Work with Finance, Operations, Legal, and Technical teams to execute fixtures successfully.
Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop the commercial chartering team.
- Establish objectives, KPIs, and performance expectations.
- Review team performance and guide complex commercial negotiations.
- Promote compliance with company policies, procedures, and governance requirements.
Key Competencies
- Strong chartering and commercial negotiation skills.
- Strong knowledge of dry bulk and shipping markets.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen.
- Market analysis and business development capability.
- Contractual and risk-management knowledge.
- Strong stakeholder and relationship-management skills.
- Leadership and people-management capability.
- Strong communication, negotiation, and decision-making skills.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Maritime Studies, Shipping, Business, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline.
- Typically 10–15 or more years of relevant experience in shipping, chartering, or commercial operations.
- Proven track record negotiating and executing chartering contracts and generating profitable fixtures.
- Strong established network within the shipping and chartering industry.
- Experience managing a commercial team is preferred.
- Strong knowledge of charter-party terms, shipping regulations, and commercial practices.
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