Operations Director (Shipping & Freight)

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to take your career to a new level?

You could be the person GAC is looking for to take on the role of Operations Director (Shipping & Freight) in Namibia.

The successful candidate will manage operations at our Walvis Bay office and be responsible for driving GAC’s business development activities in Namibia, with a strong focus on upstream Oil & Gas projects, ships agency, logistics and Customs clearing & forwarding.

This role focuses on building and developing partnerships with local and international clients, identifying new opportunities, and working with our global GAC teams to develop and secure new business. The ideal candidate will demonstrate at least 10-15 years’ proven experience within Namibia’s shipping/energy and logistics sectors.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development & Management

• Identify and pursue business opportunities in Namibia’s Oil & Gas market.

• Develop and maintain opportunities, providing regular intelligence updates on upstream developments.

• Identify opportunities in the shipping and logistics sectors and prepare business plans that will drive growth and profitability.

·         Drive the financial success of the shipping and logistics divisions, optimising profit margins, and ensuring sustainable growth.

• Build a strong sales pipeline and convert leads into long-term business partnerships.

• Execute operational strategies to drive efficiency, performance, and client satisfaction.

• Proven experience as Operations Director or Senior Operations Leader in the shipping and logistic sectors with a minimum of 5-10 years’ heading a large operation.

• Strong leadership, operations, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Commercially minded and solutions focused.

• Attend to recruitment, onboarding and training of staff as operations grow.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Namibian government agencies (NAMRA, Namport, NAMCOR, Ministry of Mines & Energy, Ministry of Industry & Trade).

• Develop and expand networks with IOCs and NOCs and contractors operating in Namibia.

• Build and manage a reliable network of local partners to support efficient operations.

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including customers, port authorities, transport providers and other stakeholders.

Local Content & Compliance

• Support the execution of GAC’s local content strategy in Namibia.

• Identify and qualify local subcontractors, service providers and suppliers aligned with project and regulatory requirements.

• Ensure compliance with Namibian labour, tax and environmental regulations.

Provide guidance on local policy developments that could impact GAC business.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, International Relations, or related field.

10+ years of proven, professional experience in Ships Agency, Logistics / Clearing & Forwarding.

Extensive knowledge and experience with customs clearing & forwarding / logistics.

Vision and ability to identify opportunities, assess viability and execute to build on our existing business.

Leadership, decision-making skills and excellent people management skills.

Commitment to providing a first-class service to all our clients.

Strong understanding of Namibia’s upstream oil & gas developments and regulatory environment.

Proven ability to develop and maintain senior-level relationships in government and industry.

Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

A broad network of customers, local authorities, vendors, and service providers.

Procurement best practices and ethical leadership.

Strong communication skills, including oral, written and presentation abilities.

Strategic thinking with a hands-on approach to achieving business objectives.

High integrity and adherence to corporate governance policies.

“Please note that as well as working to recruit staff members via GAC channels, GAC does use third-party recruiters to recruit for specific positions within the Group. Please do however, be aware of unaffiliated recruiters purporting to represent GAC that ask for payment in return for facilitating interviews. A genuine third-party recruiter working with GAC will never ask for payment to facilitate an interview. If you would like to make an application to join GAC, please always ensure to apply through our official channels on https://career.gac.com/ or our LinkedIn listing