Role title - Lead - Shipping Operations (Chartering, Vetting & Port Clearance)

Location - Pune

This role is critical to building Castrol's independent marine capability, ensuring safe, compliant, and cost-efficient global supply.
You will lead the establishment and ongoing operation of Castrol's independent global Shipping Operations function, transitioning from bp TSA to a fully owned, future-ready operating model.
This is an enterprise-critical role with end-to-end accountability for safety, compliance, cost, and continuity across global marine movements. You will establish the Shipping Operations Centre of Excellence, define governance and decision rights, and ensure effective execution across chartering, vetting, and port clearance.
You will also ensure Shipping Operations is fully integrated into Castrol's Logistics Control Tower, enabling end-to-end visibility, performance management, and data-driven decision-making across global marine flows.
This role sits at the intersection of operations, risk management, and strategy, requiring strong leadership across internal teams, TSA providers, third parties, and senior partners.

Key Responsibilities -

1. Shipping Operations CoE & Operating Model:

Establish and lead the global Shipping Operations Centre of Excellence
Define the target operating model, roles, governance, and decision rights across chartering, vetting, and port clearance.
Build scalable operating rhythms, standards, and blocking issue pathways across regions.
Develop organisational capability to support Castrol's long-term independent marine operating model

2. TSA Ownership & Transition:

Act as Castrol owner for Shipping Operations under the TSA environment
Lead transition planning, cutover readiness, and TSA exit execution
Ensure operational continuity, knowledge transfer, and effective mobilisation of internal and third-party capabilities
Support the development of regional procedures, controls, and service expectations for post-TSA execution

3. Global Performance, Cost & Optimisation:

Drive freight cost optimization, service reliability, and operational efficiency across marine operations
Define and govern indicators covering cost, service, safety, compliance, utilization, and demurrage
Oversee shipping capacity, utilization, and operational trade-offs across regions
Ensure marine operations support supply-demand plans, inventory positioning, and customer delivery commitments
Identify and priorities continuous improvement opportunities to improve value delivery and resilience

4. Safety, Compliance & Marine Risk:

Set and govern standards for HSSE, sanctions compliance, and marine risk management
Ensure robust control frameworks are in place for vessel, terminal, and cargo movement decisions
Oversee governance for incidents, exceptions, and critical issues impacting safety, compliance, or continuity
Ensure marine operations are driven in accordance with regulatory, internal policy, and assurance requirements

5. Digitalisation & Logistics Control Tower Integration:

Define requirements and lead selection of digital tools for Shipping Operations post-TSA
Embed digital ways of working across chartering, vetting, clearance, and performance reporting
Integrate Shipping Operations into the Logistics Control Tower to improve visibility, exception management, and decision support
Enable data clarity and analytics to support performance management and operational governance

6. Collaborator & Partner Management:

Build strong alignment with Procurement, Finance, HSSE, Legal, Digital, and regional Supply Chain teams
Lead engagement with TSA providers, ship owners, brokers, terminals, and marine service providers
Define clear interfaces between global CoE, regional execution teams, and assurance roles
Influence senior partners on risk, cost, continuity, and operating model decisions.

Required Skill

12–18 years of experience in marine or shipping operations, including chartering, vetting, clearance, and/or port operations
Strong experience in global tanker, lubricants, chemicals, or liquid bulk shipping environments
Proven experience leading complex operating model transitions, TSA exits, outsourcing transitions, or major shipping transformations
Deep understanding of marine risk, vessel vetting standards, sanctions controls, and maritime compliance requirements
Demonstrated ability to lead global teams and influence across regions, functions, and third parties
Strong commercial and operational judgement, with the ability to balance cost, service, risk, and continuity
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Maritime Studies, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Skill

Experience in oil & gas, lubricants, or chemical shipping environments
Familiarity with chartering, vetting, voyage management, or Control Tower systems
Experience working with brokers, marine service providers, or 3PL/4PL operating models
Strong understanding of trade compliance, geopolitical risk, and marine assurance governance