Ocean Procurement Manager

Job Title: Ocean Procurement Manager

Location: Jamaica, NY (On-site)

Company: Compass Forwarding Co., Inc.

Industry: Freight Forwarding / NVOCC / Logistics

Position Overview:

Compass Forwarding is seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Ocean Procurement Manager to lead the procurement and pricing strategy for our ocean freight product. This new leadership role will be responsible for developing and managing carrier and drayage partner relationships, supervising the pricing team, and ensuring Compass offers market-competitive pricing that converts leads into wins.

Key Responsibilities:

Carrier & Vendor Relations

• Build and maintain strong relationships with ocean carriers, NVOCC partners, and drayage companies.
• Negotiate carrier service contracts and spot agreements to ensure competitive rates and favorable terms.
• Monitor market trends, capacity shifts, GRIs, and BAF trends to anticipate and proactively respond to market changes.

Pricing Management

• Supervise the pricing team, providing direction, training, and support in daily quoting activity.
• Work closely with sales, foreign agents, and clients to understand pricing needs and market dynamics.
• Approve or escalate non-standard pricing requests in line with business priorities and margin targets.
• Lead regular reviews of pricing strategy and effectiveness with internal stakeholders.

Conversion Rate Optimization

• Conduct ongoing audits of quote-to-booking conversion rates across trade lanes and customer segments.
• Investigate win/loss ratios to identify gaps and develop strategies to increase success rates.
• Source alternate routings, services, or pricing structures as needed to increase competitiveness.

Collaboration & Intelligence Gathering

• Serve as the key liaison between sales, operations, and overseas agents for all ocean pricing-related matters.
• Provide market intelligence and capacity forecasts to internal teams to support client acquisition and retention.
• Support business development by aligning procurement strategy with commercial goals.

Process Improvement

• Develop SOPs for procurement and pricing workflows to improve speed and consistency of response.
• Utilize freight software (CargoWise preferred) to track rate validity, quote response times, and performance metrics.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in ocean freight procurement, pricing, or trade lane management.
• Existing relationships with ocean carriers, co-loaders, and drayage providers a strong plus.
• Proven team leadership and coaching skills.
• Excellent negotiation and communication abilities.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using KPIs to drive decisions.
• Familiarity with freight forwarding systems (Catapult CargoSphere, INTTRA, or similar).
• Deep understanding of international freight pricing structures and surcharges.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: Competitive annual salary commensurate with experience.
• Bonus: Annual performance-based bonus eligibility.
• Benefits:
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) pension plan
  • Paid time off (vacation, sick days, and personal days)

About Compass Forwarding:

Falcon Maritime and Aviation is a full-service international freight forwarder and logistics provider specializing in high-touch, high-value cargo. With over 60 years of industry experience, we deliver tailored logistics solutions across air, ocean, and ground transportation with a focus on innovation, responsiveness, and reliability.