Job Description:

We are actively looking to engage leaders within the ocean freight forwarding industry for an exciting new opportunity as an Ocean Freight Product Manager in Birmingham, Midlands. The role is based in the Midlands on a hybrid basis and can be tailored towards a candidate with the correct levels of experience. 

Client Details
My client is a large freight forwarding business with offices based across four continents of the world. The business has huge ambitions for growth, in the freight & shipping industry, especially within the development of their ocean freight product. You will be joining an already established team who are operating in a fast-pace environment assisting in creating logistics solutions for some of the world's largest industrial, retail & FMCG based customers. My client focuses on searching for multi-modal freight solutions, which are both cost effective & time sensitive.

Job Description
As a Ocean Freight Product Manager you will report in to the UK Freight Director on a daily basis. You will be responsible for the following areas for responsibility across the Birmingham office in the Midlands:

• Own and deliver the country's Ocean Freight commercial strategy, aligning product direction with business objectives to drive revenue growth, increase market share, and maximise profitability across FCL and LCL services.
• Develop and strengthen strategic partnerships with carriers and co-loaders, negotiating competitive commercial agreements, securing capacity, and leveraging supplier relationships to create a competitive advantage and support business growth.
• Drive commercial performance and profitability by analysing trade performance, gross margin, pricing, and customer profitability, identifying opportunities to optimise returns, improve commercial competitiveness, and expand value-added services.
• Grow and lead the current operational and commercial teams whilst leading the vertical into the future. 
• Partner with commercial leadership and business development teams to identify and develop new business opportunities, providing strategic direction on target trade lanes, pricing strategies, customer acquisition, and market expansion to support sustainable revenue growth.
• Lead the commercial approach to Ocean Freight tenders and strategic accounts, conducting risk assessments, developing pricing recommendations, supporting customer engagement, and enhancing win rates through commercially focused solutions.
• Provide market intelligence and strategic insight by monitoring industry trends, competitor activity, carrier developments, and market conditions, translating findings into actionable strategies that strengthen the business's market position.
• Influence sales success through product leadership, acting as the Ocean Freight subject matter expert, equipping commercial teams with competitive pricing guidance, product knowledge, and market expertise to improve customer engagement and conversion.
• Develop and implement product strategies that respond to changing market conditions, forecasting demand, aligning capacity with commercial priorities, and adapting global initiatives to deliver sustainable growth within the local market.
• Promote collaboration across commercial, operational, and regional teams, ensuring alignment on product strategy, pricing, customer priorities, and growth initiatives to deliver consistent commercial performance across the business.

 The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will have an expansive background in the ocean freight forwarding industry and a mixture of both commercial and operational experience. The ideal Ocean Freight Product Manager will have the following skills:

• 5+ year's experience in ocean freight forwarding, ideally with a wider multi-modal bias. 
• Commutable to Birmingham, Midlands on a hybrid basis
• Ability to create, build and grow an ocean freight product within a growing freight forwarder.
• Excellent project management skills
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

What's On Offer?

• £65,000-£75,000
• 32 days annual leave
• 20% company bonus / profit share
• Car allowance
• Comprehensive company benefits account.
• World-class training & development and large opportunities to progress.