Senior Manager of Operations

About us

Hanseatic Global Terminals (HGT) is the new Terminal & Infrastructure Division of Hapag-Lloyd, founded in 2023. HGT delivers streamlined terminal operations for all shipping line customers and brings together a portfolio of 22 port terminals and complementary logistics services in 12 countries and on four continents: Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. We will be pursuing growth and set ourselves the target of operating 30 terminals by 2030.

At HGT, we are a highly motivated team of experienced international professionals who believe that growth in any partnership comes from trust and dedication. Our commitment to provide highly efficient terminal operations that are safe, sustainable, and reliable is rooted in a simple yet powerful vision: “offering exceptional service quality at all times.”

The position

The Senior Manager of Operations plays a pivotal role in driving operational performance across the company’s global portfolio of container terminals and inland facilities. The position supports further development, roll-out and governance of the global performance management system in close collaborations with regional and corporate operations leads. The role oversees operational performance standards, supports the identification and implementation of efficiency initiatives and ensures systematic sharing and deployment of best practices. The role is located in HGT’s global HQ in Rotterdam, and reports to the Senior Director of Operations & Projects.

In addition, the role provides expert input related to specific operational challenges in the portfolio of terminals, as well as more general operations support to new business development opportunities and ongoing projects.

Key Responsibilities

Performance Management & Operational Governance:

• Contribute to the design, implementation and maintenance of a global operations performance management framework, ensuring consistency, transparency and alignment with corporate strategy.
• Monitor and analyze operational KPI’s - safety, availability, utilization, productivity, capacity, efficiency, quality, customer satisfaction and cost – drive corporate actions to close gaps.
• Develop and manage performance dashboards, benchmark models and reporting standards cascaded from entities and regions into corporate ones, enabling data driven decision making.
• Conduct regular performance reviews with regional and corporate leadership teams.
• Supports the development of a central data repository in close collaboration with other COO and CFO related functions.

Operational Support & Development:

• Support regional organizations and, where applicable, individual terminals and inland facilities in root cause analyses and realizing improvement initiatives and continuous improvement programs meeting strategic objectives.
• Support large-scale transformation initiatives such as related to automation, sustainability and digitization, while supporting regions and entities in adopting new technologies.
• Leverage experience in creating and optimizing operational designs & layouts, assessing different modes of operation and developing operational models (performance, capacities, organization set-up, equipment configuration, capex / opex etc.).
• Build strong relationships with regional operational leaders and corporate functional heads covering (among others) engineering, operational excellence, strategy implementation, project controls and IT.
• Where applicable, review and challenge design assumptions, operating models and capacity forecasts for new builds, expansions and retrofit projects developed by others.
• Lead or contribute to operational simulations, modelling, and sensitivity analyses to support investment decisions and business cases.
• Support business development activities with operational due diligences, (pre-)feasibility studies, business case preparation and project evaluations for new concessions, expansions and mergers & acquisitions.
• Where applicable, ensure integration and alignment between inland operations and marine terminals, optimizing the overall supply chain flow.

Continuous Improvement & Best Practice:

• Drive operational standardization and harmonization across the portfolio in close collaboration with the operational excellence function.
• Support the identification, prioritization and implementation of efficiency improvements that deliver measurable gains in productivity, capacity, cost performance and service levels.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing between terminals and regional teams to propagate best practices and innovation.
• Support digital transformation initiatives aimed at enhancing operational visibility, data quality and decision-making.
• Maintains close relationship ship with customers like Hapag-Lloyd to ensure best in class service levels for marine terminals as well as inland facilities.

Job requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Maritime/Port Management, Operations Management, Logistics or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in container terminal operations and performance management, preferably in global or multi-terminal environment.
• Experience with data analytics, operational modelling, dashboards and KPI frameworks.
• Experience with inland logistics facilities preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally in global and multicultural environments.
• Willingness to travel internationally.
• Fluent in English.

Core Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem solving capabilities.
• Ability to distil complex insights into actionable recommendations.
• Structured approach to program management.
• Collaborative and influential approach with the ability to engage across multiple levels of the organization.
• Strong grasp of container terminal processes, equipment, systems and performance levers.
• High level of integrity, adaptability and drive.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package;
• Opportunity to shape the global footprint of a fast-growing terminal operator;
• High-impact leadership role in a dynamic, global, and collaborative organization.