Ocean Planning Associate

The Opportunity

The Ocean Planning Associate is a critical part of Flexport's mission to make global commerce so easy there will be more of it. Flexport connects almost 10,000 clients and suppliers across 109 countries — and in this role, you'll work directly with account management, customs teams, carriers, terminals, and trucking providers to support our end customers' logistics goals.

You'll develop specialized expertise in end-to-end ocean freight planning and booking, executing schedule assignments and bookings that help our regional account teams meet client expectations for timely departures. You'll help unblock issues, improve productivity, and build the next operational model that allows Flexport to scale.

 

What You Will Do

• Execute end-to-end planning and booking of ocean freight shipments within a regional network (exports), including origin intermodal movements
• Act as the first point of escalation for issue resolution and process improvement, both internally and externally, for specific trade lanes or carriers
• Ensure shipments move on time and exceptions are handled appropriately, meeting internal OKRs and SLAs
• Coordinate day-to-day operations with Account Management, Ocean Execution, Allocation and Procurement, ROM, and Ocean Carriers
• Manage soft and hard allocation with ocean carriers to match client demand and minimise shortfalls, keeping bookable inventory accurate
• Maintain and troubleshoot the Fulfillment Management Tool, supporting urgent requests from clients, Account Management, and Procurement/Allocation
• Manage allocation and sailing schedules in FFA, reporting bugs and issues to ensure accurate shipment-level planning
• Review shipment intake and adjust pre-booking plans to ensure timely SO release for relevant trade lanes
• Troubleshoot carrier bookings and escalate exceptions in a timely manner
• Use batch escalation workflows with carriers, including pushing SO release and cancelling unused SO on time to avoid penalties
• Oversee Ocean Execution, Partner, and BPO teams to control carrier booking data quality
• Monitor carrier performance locally — schedule integrity, space release, equipment availability, rollovers, and service quality
• Onboard new carriers, managing local agreements and adjusting booking processes as they evolve
• Manage carrier credit terms, long-term Seawaybill agreements, and local charge tariffs
• Support new, trial, and VIP shipments with carrier options, protecting them from rollovers
• Contribute to the development of Flexport's systems (FFA, Ocean Product, carrier integrations) to improve quality, efficiency, and compliance
• Provide input on seasonal trends and market conditions to help Ocean Execution and Account Management respond quickly to changes
• Use data and metrics to identify opportunities for improvement in your role and processes

 

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum 2 years' experience in logistics, freight forwarding, supply chain, ocean carrier operations, or consulting (ocean freight knowledge is a plus)
• Hands-on, process-oriented, structured thinker with strong problem-solving skills
• Strategic vision paired with ground-floor execution
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills
• A client-service mindset — obsessed with client and team happiness
• Next-level attention to detail and strong inbox management
• Courage to challenge the status quo and fix what's broken
• Flexibility to work outside standard hours, including occasional weekends or night shifts in certain locations