DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

The Director of Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for export and transshipment activities, port operations, and stakeholder partnerships. This role ensures safe, compliant, and efficient end to end vessel operations; drives service performance and cost stewardship; and strengthens relationships with terminals, port authorities, and regulatory bodies. The Director builds and leads a high performing team, enables data driven decision making, and fosters a collaborative, high accountability culture that consistently meets service, quality, and financial objectives. 

Level of Responsibility  

Ownership of short to mid-term (1-3 years) execution of functional strategy and operational direction of area. Decision-making with broad and strategic implications. Problems faces are often complex and may require extensive investigation / analysis.   

Key Tasks 

• Build and sustain constructive business relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to advance organizational priorities. 
• Develop, establish, and maintain executive-level relationships with port terminals, port captains, port authorities, vendors, and other strategic partners. 
• Ensure transparent, proactive communication of priorities, regulatory changes, and operational impacts across stakeholder groups. 
• Provide strategic oversight of import, export and transhipment operations to ensure alignment with organizational goals, service reliability, and regulatory compliance. 
• Define workforce strategies (staffing plans, prioritization of roles) and secure key talent to meet long-term business objectives. 
• Set performance frameworks, KPIs, and review cadences; ensure continuous monitoring and course correction against strategic objectives. 
• Communicate an inspiring, enterprise-aligned vision that drives accountability, operational excellence, and cross-functional alignment. 
• Oversee port operations expense governance, ensuring TSA contracts/rates are strategically negotiated, validated, and applied consistently. 
• Review and approve high-value/complex invoices and exceptions to safeguard financial accuracy and contractual compliance. 
• Optimize utilization of financial and material resources to drive cost efficiency and long-term value creation. 
• Lead high-level analysis of complex operational, financial, and regulatory scenarios to identify systemic risks, trends, and strategic opportunities. 
• Anticipate significant impacts and obstacles; set contingency strategies and guide decision-making in ambiguous or adverse conditions. 
• Resolve multi-party issues at an executive level by aligning competing priorities and securing win–win outcomes across stakeholders. 
• Additional responsibilities may be added or modified to meet changing business requirements.