Business Development Executive- vessel chartering

Role & responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Development

• Identify and develop new customers for vessel chartering and freight services.
• Generate business from cargo owners, traders, manufacturers, exporters, importers and logistics companies.
• Develop relationships with companies requiring regular coastal and international cargo movement.
• Identify cargo volumes, origins, destinations and shipping requirements.
• Develop new accounts and maintain long-term relationships with existing customers.
• Prepare and maintain a pipeline of potential cargo and chartering opportunities.
• Meet customers regularly to understand their logistics and transportation requirements.

2. Vessel Chartering

Develop and coordinate opportunities for:

• Time charter
• Voyage charter
• Contract of Affreightment (COA)
• Spot cargo movements
• Coastal vessel requirements
• Bulk cargo transportation
• Project cargo movement
• Break-bulk cargo
• Containerised cargo, where applicable

The candidate should understand the commercial aspects of vessel chartering, including:

• Vessel size and type
• Cargo compatibility
• Loading/discharging ports
• Laycan
• Freight rates
• Charter-party terms
• Demurrage/despatch
• Laytime
• Port restrictions
• Draft limitations
• Bunker considerations
• Deadweight capacity
• Vessel positioning
• Voyage economics

3. Coastal Shipping Business

Develop business opportunities for movement of cargo along the Indian coast and, where applicable, through inland/coastal routes.

Potential cargo categories may include:

• Coal
• Iron ore
• Steel
• Cement
• Clinker
• Fertiliser
• Grain
• Minerals
• Aggregates
• Project cargo
• Industrial raw materials
• General/break-bulk cargo
• Containers

Coordinate with customers and operations teams to understand:

• Origin port
• Destination port
• Cargo quantity
• Loading rate
• Discharge rate
• Required vessel size
• Shipment frequency
• Laycan
• Port restrictions
• Draft limitations
• Required delivery schedule

4. Ocean Freight Business

Develop new business for international sea freight and ocean transportation.

Responsibilities may include:

• Identifying import/export cargo opportunities.
• Developing relationships with exporters and importers.
• Understanding FCL/LCL and bulk shipment requirements.
• Obtaining and comparing freight offers.
• Coordinating with shipping lines, vessel owners, NVOCCs and freight forwarders.
• Supporting negotiation of ocean freight rates.
• Tracking market movements and freight-rate trends.
• Developing regular and project-based ocean freight business.

5. Cargo Sourcing

Build a strong network of cargo owners and traders.

The candidate should actively identify:

• Regular cargo contracts
• Spot cargoes
• Seasonal cargo
• Import/export cargo
• Coastal cargo
• Backhaul opportunities
• Project cargo
• Large-volume commodity movements

Maintain an updated database of:

Cargo Owner Commodity Quantity Origin Destination Shipment Frequency Required Vessel Expected Freight Potential Margin

6. Vessel Sourcing & Market Intelligence

Work closely with the chartering/operations team to identify suitable vessels for customer requirements.

Monitor:

• Vessel availability
• Open positions
• Freight market
• Bunker prices
• Port congestion
• Seasonal demand
• Vessel supply
• Charter rates
• Coastal freight rates
• International freight rates
• Competitor activity

Maintain relationships with:

• Ship owners
• Ship operators
• Charterers
• Ship brokers
• Agents
• Freight forwarders
• NVOCCs
• Port operators

7. Commercial Negotiation

Support negotiation of:

• Freight rates
• Charter rates
• Voyage terms
• Laytime
• Demurrage/despatch
• Payment terms
• Loading/discharge conditions
• Port costs
• Bunker-related costs
• Other commercial terms

Coordinate with management, legal and operations teams before finalising contractual commitments.

8. Customer Relationship Management

Develop long-term relationships with:

• Large industrial companies
• Commodity traders
• Importers
• Exporters
• Manufacturers
• Infrastructure companies
• Mining companies
• Steel companies
• Cement companies
• Power companies
• Fertiliser companies
• Shipping companies
• Freight forwarders
• Logistics companies

Regularly visit customers and understand their upcoming cargo programmes.

9. Tender & Contract Business

Identify and participate in relevant:

• Shipping tenders
• Coastal movement tenders
• Freight contracts
• Annual transportation contracts
• COA opportunities
• Project cargo contracts
• Government/PSU cargo movement opportunities

Coordinate preparation of commercial quotations, technical information and tender documentation.

10. Profitability & Commercial Analysis

Before submitting major quotations, evaluate:

• Expected revenue
• Vessel cost
• Port costs
• Bunker cost
• Agency costs
• Cargo handling costs
• Canal/other voyage costs, where applicable
• Demurrage exposure
• Operational risks
• Credit/payment terms
• Expected gross margin

Work with the finance and operations teams to ensure that business is commercially viable.

Preferred candidate profile

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance will be measured through:

• New customers acquired
• New cargo contracts secured
• Chartering opportunities generated
• Annual cargo volume secured
• Tonnes moved
• TEUs handled, where applicable
• Revenue generated
• Gross margin
• Number/value of COAs secured
• Coastal shipping business developed
• Ocean freight business developed
• Vessel utilisation/business opportunities generated
• Customer retention
• Sales pipeline value
• Repeat business
• Collection/credit discipline

Candidate Profile

Educational Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Logistics, Maritime Studies, Shipping, Economics or related discipline.
• MBA/PGDM in Marketing, Logistics, Shipping or Supply Chain Management will be an advantage.
• A qualification in Maritime/Shipping studies will be preferred.

Experience

38 years of relevant experience in one or more of:

• Vessel chartering
• Ship broking
• Coastal shipping
• Ocean freight
• Shipping agency
• Maritime logistics
• Freight forwarding
• Bulk cargo transportation
• Project cargo
• Commodity logistics
• Chartering desk
• Commercial shipping

Candidates with strong customer and cargo relationships will be preferred.

Technical & Commercial Knowledge

The candidate should have practical knowledge of:

• Vessel types and capacities
• Dry bulk / break-bulk / container shipping
• DWT and vessel specifications
• Port operations
• Laycan
• Laytime
• Demurrage
• Despatch
• Voyage estimation
• Freight calculation
• Charter-party basics
• Cargo documentation
• Bills of Lading
• Shipping instructions
• Port charges
• Bunker economics
• Vessel positioning
• Shipping routes
• Coastal movement
• Ocean freight markets

Knowledge of GENCON, NYPE, ASBATANKVOY and other commonly used charter-party forms will be an advantage, depending on the cargo and vessel segment.

Core Competencies

• Strong commercial understanding
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Customer acquisition
• Cargo sourcing
• Vessel sourcing
• Relationship management
• Market intelligence
• Freight-rate analysis
• Commercial proposal preparation
• Contract understanding
• Strong communication skills
• Good numerical/financial ability
• Problem-solving
• Strong follow-up
• Ability to work under time pressure

Network Requirement

The ideal candidate should have an established or developable network among:

• Cargo owners
• Commodity traders
• Shipping companies
• Ship owners
• Ship brokers
• Charterers
• Freight forwarders
• NVOCCs
• Port agents
• Logistics companies
• Industrial customers

A demonstrable ability to originate cargo and convert relationships into shipping contracts will be highly valued.

Perks and benefits

A performance-linked incentive/commission structure may be provided based on:

• New business generated
• Cargo volume
• Revenue
• Gross margin
• New contracts
• Customer retention