Job Description

Position: TEAM LEADER – VESSEL SCHEDULING

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Experience: 6–10 Years

Team Leadership Experience: Minimum 2+ Years

Qualification: Graduate in Commerce, Business Administration, Logistics or a related field

Shift: Aligned to the region supported

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an experienced Team Leader – Vessel Scheduling to lead a team supporting global vessel schedule management activities across a liner shipping network.

The role will be responsible for ensuring timely and accurate vessel schedule maintenance, voyage management, port rotations, cut-off updates, berth information, schedule actualization and schedule-related master data within freight management systems.

The Team Leader will also be responsible for SLA adherence, operational quality, workload management, stakeholder coordination, team performance and continuous process improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Team & Workload Management

Lead daily planning and allocation of vessel scheduling activities.
Monitor workload, capacity and shift coverage.
Ensure timely completion of requests within agreed SLAs.

Vessel Schedule Management

Oversee vessel schedule maintenance and voyage creation.
Manage port rotations, ETB/ETD updates and cut-off amendments.
Handle berth schedules, omitted ports, blank sailings and ad-hoc voyage changes.

Voyage & Rotation Management

Oversee voyage creation, modification and closure.
Validate routing, service strings and vessel substitutions.
Ensure compliance with operational SOPs and timelines.

Quality & Data Management

Ensure accuracy of schedule data across relevant systems.
Monitor schedule-related master data including ports, terminals, berths, service strings and vessel particulars.
Identify discrepancies and implement preventive quality controls.

Stakeholder Management

Coordinate with regional and global network operations teams.
Work closely with cargo operations and trade management teams.
Act as the first-level escalation point for scheduling discrepancies and operational issues.

Performance & Process Improvement

Monitor productivity, quality, turnaround time, backlog and SLA performance.
Conduct audits, coaching sessions and performance reviews.
Identify process improvement and automation opportunities.
Maintain SOPs and standardize operational practices.

Training & Team Development

Support onboarding and competency development.
Conduct knowledge-sharing and refresher training.
Coach team members and support individual development.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

6–10 years of experience in Container Shipping, Vessel Scheduling, Network Operations or Maritime Logistics

Minimum 2+ years of Team Lead / Supervisory experience

Strong knowledge of:

Container & Liner Shipping Operations
Vessel Scheduling
Vessel Schedule Maintenance
Voyage Management
Port Rotation
Mainline & Feeder Operations
Port Operations
Berth Planning
Cut-off Management
Schedule Actualization

Advanced MS Excel skills including:

Experience with Freight Information Systems (FIS/FIS3), scheduling applications or equivalent shipping systems.

Exposure to Power BI or operational reporting tools.

Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Experience managing KPIs, SLAs, productivity, quality metrics and backlog.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

A strong people leader with hands-on experience in vessel scheduling and container shipping operations, who can effectively manage a team, resolve complex scheduling issues, maintain operational accuracy and drive continuous improvement.