Operational Lead – Strategic Accounts

Job Description

Would you like to be part of a value-driven, commercially oriented international environment where we enable global trade every day? We have an opportunity for an Operational Lead to join our team in either Durban or Cape Town, South Africa.

PURPOSE:

Lead the end-to-end operational coordination for a key strategic account across imports, exports and cross-border movements assuring accurate inbound visibility, timely customs clearance, carrier release, and on-time delivery—while overseeing customer specific Customer Experience (CX) agents, to deliver excellent business results and customer required outcomes. The role combines lead operational control, issue resolution, daily external and internal stakeholder meetings and communication, KPI ownership, and disciplined cost governance, cohesive CX daily deliverables across product portfolios and functions. The Operational Lead will lead a small team of CX agents and transport planners.

WHAT WE OFFER:

When you join Maersk, you’ll find that the world is your workplace. You’ll work in a culturally diverse, stimulating environment, surrounded by new ideas and different ways of doing things. We believe in individual performance within highly professional teams supported by our distinctive values. To us teamwork means acceptance, respect, dedication, and the idea that we can achieve more when we all pull together.

Living our values means competing in the marketplace in an ethical way so our name is synonymous with being a credible and valuable business partner. Through Constant Care and Humbleness, we strive to prepare for the future, while never forgetting that our customers and competitors are key to our ability to improve. In our daily work Uprightness and Our Employees mean that transparency and accountability in everything we do go hand in hand with being an inspiring, challenging place to work. At Maersk, we take pride in hiring the best person for the job – irrespective of gender, age, nationality, or religious belief.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Inbound Visibility & Data Integrity:

• Validate and sustain accurate recording on inbound schedules; monitor and communicate daily shipment progress to the client in daily meetings.

• Receive shipment plans and resolve escalations promptly; keep internal teams and the customer aligned on updates.

Documentation Governance:

• Drive supplier documentation timelines and accuracy; proactively resolve discrepancies and escalate late documentation early.

• Coordinate onboarding of new vendors with Finance/Procurement and notify internal stakeholders as required.

Clearing Instructions & Customs Interface:

• Serve as the escalation point for tariff or documentation concerns raised by Customs House Brokerage (CHB).

• Ensure corrective actions and quality checks are completed prior to submission and release.

OGA/CBCU Processes (where applicable):

• Coordinate and oversea inspections and sampling, ensuring CX alerts CHB, documentation is shared with authorities, and stakeholders are kept informed.

• Oversee lab quotation and approvals, payment processing, proof of payment, and distribution of test results.

Delivery & Customer Booking:

• Act as the escalation point for storage, agent payments, or last-mile delivery and collection issues.

• Oversee transporter arrangements for Air, FCL, LCL, and cross-border deliveries in collaboration with transport planners and transport teams.

Invoicing, Statements & Reporting Cadence:

• Manage exceptional cost tracking and communicate on-billing decisions to the customer; support weekly billing and monthly consolidation.

• Support monthly invoice reporting and customs entry reporting cadence; ensure AR statements carry required references etc.

KPI Ownership:

• Own and prepare operational KPIs (e.g., On-Time Collection, Inbound Delivery On-Time) and analyze failure reasons.

• Support utilization and vehicle availability analysis with transport teams; support OTIF, quality, security incident and supplier feedback KPIs.

• Present updates in daily client and vendor meetings.

• Present monthly KPI and business review reports to the client at a strategic level.

Daily Management System (DMS/DDS):

• Prepare and participate in internal and cross-functional daily huddles and cadences, track and close issues and actions.

Cross-Border Operations:

• Address transporter arrangements, export/import/RIT clearances via CHB; provide transit updates and PODs and maintain records.

• Act promptly on communication or operational issues with road export loads.

Security Incident Management:

• Ensure operational teams alert internal security and the customer to incidents (e.g., missing/damaged goods) and follow through to resolution.

Team leadership:

• Deliver a customer experience as the Operational Lead tailored to the client’s scope of work; drive proactive support and issue resolution across products in scope.

• Ensure the client specific CX team delivers on their daily operational tasks and delivers excellence to the client.

• As the operational lead you will be responsible for daily client reporting across various meetings and adherence to customer SOPs.

• Ensure value is added to the client relationship with your mixed functional and commercial competencies that maximize value of end-to-end solutions.

• Maintain regular connects with all stakeholders including leadership on performance, planning, and people.

• Deliver growth and profitability plans; drive up- and cross-sell where relevant following policy; monitor volume trajectory for planning.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Someone with:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in international logistics operations across air, ocean, and cross-border movements.

• Strong knowledge of South African customs regulations, CBCU/OGA processes, and clearance procedures.

• Experience in freight forwarding, transport planning, and vendor management.

• Financial acumen covering invoicing, exceptional cost tracking, and carrier payments.

• Strong client relationship experience and reporting timeously on all escalations.

Skills & Competencies:

• Operational mastery across inbound schedules, customs documentation, and delivery coordination; meticulous attention to detail.

• Clear communication and stakeholder management with internal teams, partners, and the customer.

• Strong problem-solving and escalation management under time constraints.

• Analytical skills in KPI reporting, failure analysis, and cost governance; advanced Excel, PowerPoint and TMS familiarity.

• Collaborative leadership across CX, CHB, Finance, Transport, and Sales; commercial mindset with the ability to see the bigger picture.

• Customer-centric mindset; ability to articulate wins and improvement areas with professionalism.

• Ability to lead CX agents; coach and motivate towards a shared vision with clear goals.

• Change agent with continuous improvement mindset and quality focus, strong analytical orientation.

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Maersk is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we embrace different styles of thinking. Maersk is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants without regard to race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

We are happy to support your need for any adjustments during the application and hiring process. If you need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website, apply for a position, or to perform a job, please contact us by emailing accommodationrequests@maersk.com.