Hiring Director - Operations (QSC Mumbai)

Main Objectives of this position:

Lead Operations in QSC Mumbai for Area MIN, MAG, MSA. Direct and oversee area’s Operations department including Port Terminal, TD, ED, OPS steering, transshipment, M&R and other functionalities pertinent to smooth running of operations. To oversee cost management, vendor management and protecting Hapag Lloyd interests and service quality are some of the other key goals/targets. Record and report on regular basis the operations activities of the area’s including meeting the departmental KPI’s.

Function and duties:

To oversee overall Operations department including the execution of the Ops strategy across the Area ensuring strategic initiatives and daily tasks are carried out as directed and completed within company guidelines.

General Tasks and Responsibilities

Port/Terminal Operations – oversee Area Port Operations functions. Monitoring port operations on a daily basis ensures the work is flowing in accordance with defined processes and analyzing operations identifies opportunities for cost reductions and cost control. This is accomplished through Ops department:

·       Arranging Vessel, Port and Cargo Operations in accordance with local rules / regulations and safety/security procedures

·       Tracing shipments to assure that all containers load as booked

·       Checking information at the terminal and Hapag-Lloyd systems against actual documentation and for indications of hazardous cargo

·       Providing forecasts to terminals and vessel planners on cargo set to sail

·       Preparing, coordinating and supervising transshipment activities

·       Making sure vessels are loaded and unloaded in a timely fashion

·       Being the initial point of contact for claims, notifying the proper parties of damaged equipment/cargo and arranging for surveys to be conducted

·       Preparing hazardous manifests and collecting hazardous dock receipts; hazardous dock receipts are combined with the information contained within the booking

·       Providing Terminal Departure Report to vessel planners after vessel sailing

·       Maintaining all vessel arrival and departure information as required

·       Validating invoices for storage, reefer monitoring and various terminal costs

·       Reconciling cargo booked for vessels at cut off dates to avoid imbalances at the terminal

·       Arranging and providing cost estimates for special shipments (ie: out-of-gauge, stowage, lashing, securing)

·       Solving terminal booking problems, updating systems and assisting customers and drivers with issues

 Transport Dispatch/Transshipment – arrange timely and cost efficient transport of containers by rail, truck and feeder vessel to/from locations within an Area of Operation. This is accomplished through:

·       Producing fast and accurate documentation/delivery instructions

·       Coordinating moves in the most cost effective manner possible

·       Booking and arranging transshipments at Area including related tasks

·       Creating work orders to and from rail/port for import and export cargo

·       Tracing cargo to final destination to ensure prompt delivery

·       Researching and resolving issues that occur between the customs broker and the trucking vendors

·       Issuing weekly statements to trucking vendors for all work completed and adjusting work orders and statements as needed

·       Monitoring trucker and equipment accessibility to determine the availability of one-way transports for cost saving opportunities

·       Clarifying invoice and work order discrepancies, and correcting them when needed

·       Evaluating carriers performance and issuing service exceptions when needed

·       Performing various inland pricing duties (quoting rates, tendering, and other functions)

 Equipment Dispatch – ensure customers obtain equipment that meets their shipping needs in a timely manner. This is accomplished through:

·       Daily tracking and releasing of equipment for all depots/terminals to ensure accurate inventory records

·       Controlling and managing temporary import permits and paperwork before customs authorities

·       Creating empty bookings as required

·       Repositioning containers that are sold, or for sale, to the buyer

·       Planning and steering empty container on vessel, barge and feeder

·       Tracking and tracing overdue equipment to ensure faster turn-around and decrease of turn-around times

·       Issuing work orders to reposition equipment by rail and/or by truck

·       Making sure that all equipment is at the appropriate location

·       Controlling costs for positioning equipment and evaluating vendor performance

·       Handling inquiries related to equipment releases or inventory availability

·       Reviewing gate in, gate out and empty container transport invoices

 Maintenance & Repair – ensure sufficient equipment availability of all types to cover budgeted and forecasted bookings, while maintaining the most economical cost. This is accomplished through:

·       Making sure that container, chassis, and gensets are in useable condition and repaired to the standards set by Hapag-Lloyd

·       Monitoring estimates and actual repairs to ensure that guidelines are followed

·       Approve repairs or decide to phase out

·       Assist on container- and cargo-claims

·       Local maintenance and repair cost control

·       Verifying and processing equipment repair invoices

·       Maintaining and updating online Maintenance and Repair System

·       Providing local repair statistics, on request

·       Monitoring repair vendors performance

 Operations Steering Support – ensure Operations department maintains systems, writing procedures and running statistics as needed. Main responsibilities & tasks are:

·       Make sure weekly maintenance and quarterly system updates are accurate and up to date within the Area as it relates to costs

·       Provide ad-hoc statistics from all relevant systems to support special analysis for Management and  Operations staff.

·       Coordinate maintenance of Base route catalogues.

·       Quote inland rates to internal departments for standard  and special handling of routings and to ensure cost recovery as well as tariff updates.

·       Create and update rates within online rate system, and coordinate maintenance  of vendor hierarchy in organizational catalogues.

·       Analyze cost and volumes per vendor.

·       Support vendor evaluations as per Hapag Lloyd quality manuals, and monitor vendor service levels.

·       Monitor that vendors follow agreed  service level as negotiated  by procurement.

·       Verify that all costs incurred are covered.

 Qualifications and Technical Job Requirements:

·       Overall 15+ years’ experience ; with minimum 3 to 5 years in leadership roles.

·       Comprehensive knowledge of user application systems (FIS , HL Systems & MS office)

·       General Knowledge of customer service and documentation process

·       Proven leadership track record and skills to lead and motivate team

·       Quick decision making and problem solving skills.

·       Management of data quality benchmarking PPS and KPI management

·       Effective time management and planning skills