Director of Operations

As one of the most respected international ship operation and management companies in the industry, Zodiac Maritime is seeking to appoint an accomplished Director of Operations to lead and optimise our global fleet operations across the diversified fleet. This is an exciting and fulfilling opportunity to make the role your own.

Through your interactions with the Executive Leadership team and management teams across the shipping, commercial and people functions, you will have accountability in setting and delivering the operations strategy for our global fleet encompassing: marine and commercial operations, post fixtures, fleet security, and crisis management.

This key leadership role encompasses many elements, including but not limited to the following:

Key responsibilities and primary deliverables

Global Operations Management

• Develop and successfully deliver a practical operations strategy that advances the navigational compliance, efficiency, safety performance and profitability of the fleet.
• Ensuring that fleet operational capabilities are aligned to business requirements and enable us to respond with agility to market conditions and opportunities.
• Ensure the team plans, monitors and executes the voyage in accordance with the Charter Party, from fixture to payment.
• Building and maintaining strong and mutually beneficial relationships with charterers and industry associations.
• Through a hands-on approach lead the optimisation of end-to-end marine operations, encompassing, passage planning, navigation standards, cargo operations, anchoring and mooring, weather routing, voyage monitoring, voyage execution, stoppages and incidents.
• Through a hands-on approach lead the optimisation of commercial operations, encompassing port activities, fuel and speed consumption, voyage instructions, EU ETS & CII, communication with charterers, and bunkering activities.
• Ensure timely and sufficient support to the fleet and wider business on all operational, deck, safety and security matters.

Regulatory Compliance

• Actively promote and enforce the company safety culture and standards aboard all vessels and offices in close collaboration with Head of QHSE.
• Diligent oversight of ship operations to ensure unfaltering compliance with the company’s QMS policies and procedures, as well as international maritime regulations, codes, and standards.
• Responsible for the collaboration within the Operations teams and wider shipping ship management teams to ensure that all shipboard incidents are reported, and corrective action recommendations are implemented accordingly.
• Develop and execute risk management strategies to systematically identify, assess and mitigate operational risks across the global fleet.

Performance Optimisation

• Responsible for the development and adoption of appropriate performance metrics, controls and tools for monitoring and strengthening the efficiency and cost effectiveness of all critical marine activities for the fleet, including post fixtures. Complete monthly evaluations against KPIs and recommend adjustments to the COO.
• Monitor the ongoing performance of the fleet through frequent personal contact with Masters and Chief Officers.

Crisis Management and Emergency Response

• Provide support as required.
• You will continually review and implement measures to enhance and reinforce the company’s performance and competence of crisis management and emergency response.

Leadership

• Provide effective, positive and trusted leadership to the Operations, Post Fixtures, Security and DPA teams.
• Empower and motivate your teams to perform at their best by setting, directing and effectively communicating the vision for fleet operations.
• Leading by example in acting with integrity and upholding the highest professional standards of quality, performance and productivity.
• Fostering cross team collaboration and cooperation to deliver organizational goals.
• Oversee and maintain adequate succession and contingency plans for key leadership positions within your teams.
• Responsible for the evaluation and development of your direct reports.
• Recognised as a trusted advisor on marine and commercial operations matters, and to maintain seamless collaboration and communication with the wider leadership team and departments.

Qualifications, knowledge and skills requirements

• An accomplished record in a global maritime operations leadership role (c. 100 ship fleet), with sufficient breadth and depth of experience to enable sound judgement and decision making across the full spectrum of marine and commercial operations, post fixtures, fleet security, and crisis management.
• Shipboard experience as Master or Chief Officer (on either bulk or tankers) would be advantageous.
• Deep expertise of shipboard operations and international maritime regulations is a requirement for this role.
• Highly developed leadership skills with the willingness (and able) to “roll-up sleeves” and lead from the front in maintaining alignment with the fleet strategy.
• Outstanding ability to understand the wider business context, to think ahead, navigate ambiguity and determine priorities whilst working through periods of intense pressure.
• Must have financial acumen and previous accountability for elements of the fleet P&L.
• Enjoys working within a culturally diverse, flat structured, entrepreneurial organisation.
• Flexibility to travel and willingness to respond to out of hours calls relating to incident response / crisis management is a requirement for the role.