Head of USA Ocean Operations
LX Pantos Americas■ About the Role The Head of USA Ocean Operations is responsible for leading and overseeing all ocean freight operations across the United States, including both import and export activities. This role provides strategic direction and operational leadership to ensure service excellence, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and sustainable business growth. As a senior leader, the Head of USA Ocean Operations will oversee nationwide operational teams, develop organizational capabilities, drive process improvements, and collaborate closely with Sales, Pricing, Customer Service, and executive leadership. The position also serves as a key customer-facing leader, partnering with strategic accounts to deliver logistics solutions, support business growth opportunities, and resolve complex supply chain challenges. The ideal candidate brings extensive ocean freight forwarding expertise, strong leadership capabilities, customer relationship management experience, and a proven ability to lead high-performing teams in a fast-paced logistics environment. ■ Responsibilities Lead and oversee all USA ocean freight operations, including import and export activities across multiple branches and locations. Develop and execute operational strategies to drive service excellence, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Manage, mentor, and develop Ocean Operations managers and staff, fostering a high-performance and customer-focused culture. Establish performance expectations, monitor operational KPIs, and drive accountability and continuous improvement across the organization. Serve as the senior operational point of contact for strategic customer accounts, leading customer reviews, issue resolution, and operational discussions. Partner closely with Sales, Pricing and Quarterback teams to support customer growth initiatives, RFP/RFQ responses, and solution development. Build and maintain strong relationships with ocean carriers, transportation providers, customs brokers, and key industry partners. Collaborate regularly with HQ leadership on operational performance, strategic initiatives, process alignment, and business priorities. Act as a subject matter expert on ocean freight systems, processes, and operational best practices, driving standardization and knowledge sharing across the organization. Lead the adoption and continuous improvement of operational systems and ensure effective communication, training, and implementation across teams. Monitor operational and financial performance, including productivity, service quality, cost control, and margin improvement initiatives. Ensure compliance with company policies, customer requirements, customs regulations, and applicable transportation and trade regulations. Drive process optimization, automation, and digital transformation initiatives to enhance operational performance and scalability. Partner with executive leadership on organizational planning, talent development, and long-term growth strategies for the USA Ocean business. ■ Required Qualifications 15+ years of experience in ocean freight forwarding, international logistics, or supply chain operations. 5+ years of leadership experience managing ocean freight operations teams and organizational performance. Strong expertise in ocean import and export operations, carrier management, customs processes, transportation management, and shipping documentation. Proven ability to lead teams, manage operational performance, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Experience managing key customer relationships and participating in customer-facing business discussions. Strong understanding of logistics financials, including budgeting, cost control, productivity measurement, and margin management. Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills. Demonstrated ability to make sound decisions and resolve complex operational issues in a fast-pac…