POSITION SUMMARY

The Commercial Operator supports the ‘front line’ Operations and the Operations Mini-Team structure, also supported by the Fleet Services group. The Mini-Teams have full responsibility and accountability for the success of the operations and people on board their assigned vessels.
The Commercial Operator will be the day-to-day face of the company to many charterers and must act in accordance with company core values in supporting operations and in upholding the company brand.
The measure of success will be achieving all KPIs on a consistent basis together with meeting the company’s expectations.

Major Responsibilities

• Treat health, safety, and environment as top priority.

People

• Work closely with all members of operations, ship, and shore, to enhance commercial operational performance.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with charterers, customers, agents, and other industry professionals.

Finance

• Drive cost leadership within the Commercial Operations.
• Identify and monitor rebillable costs and ensure costs are rebilled to necessary parties in a timely manner.
• Assist in the completion of monthly budget and quarter-end reports and corporate reporting for vessels as required.

Operations

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with charterers and be able to attend owners/charterers’ meetings or other forums as required by Line Manager.
• Communicate with all necessary internal and external parties including vessels, charterers, brokers, insurers, and lawyers.
• Effectively monitor time charter parties to ensure compliance and implementation of key clauses to ensure consistent commercial operations.
• Ensure compliance with company procedures including, but not limited to, handling Bills of Lading, Letters of Protest and Letters of Indemnity, liaising with all parties where necessary.
• Prepare, adjust, review, approve, and issue charter hire invoices in a timely manner.
• Review voyage instructions provided by Charterers and liaise with Charterers as required.
• Know, understand, and ensure compliance with charterer’s instructions, notifications, and reporting requirements where applicable.
• Generate and issue owners voyage instructions to vessels as required.
• Estimate, track, and manage closure of any necessary commercial claims.
• Support Business Development as required.

Voyage Management

• Co-operate fully with Charterers and vessels regarding all matters pertaining to voyage planning and instructions for company owned vessels.
• Ensure the Vessel Position Report is always kept up to date and disseminate any short notice changes to team members in a timely manner.
• Appoint and liaise with port agents to ensure smooth operational turnaround and work with Vessel Managers and Financial Analysts to ensure port costs are properly invoiced and controlled.
• Maintain adequate in-depth voyage records by all accepted documentation means including active voyage files, software tools and emails as per various company guidelines.
• Liaise with insurance on voyage related matters to ensure timely notifications and arrangement of premiums.

Performance Monitoring

• Ensure vessels properly submit daily reports and voyage summaries.
• Monitor daily reports and voyage summaries to review vessels performance against charter party requirements and seek remedial actions where required with necessary internal and external parties. Where required guide vessels on charter party performance and exclusion interpretation and management.
• Ensure vessels are monitored for idle time and slow steaming and submit timely requests to charterers for effective remedial and or preventative measures.
• Liaise with vessels and other team members to monitor heel management against pre-determined heel management plans.

Marine and Other Duties

• Comply with the requirements of Marine Roles and Responsibilities Matrix.
• Undertake ship-shore compatibility work as required and co-ordinate with charterers and terminals to ensure that all requirements of vessel acceptance and terminal compatibility are fulfilled.
• Ensure relevant material is submitted and maintained for vessels and terminals detailed in the Ship and Terminal Database.
• Attend vessels whenever possible within agreed team budgets.
• Proactively engage in continuous improvement of management structure and management systems.
• Participate in seafarers conferences as required.
• Act as a member of the emergency response team as required.
• Undertake other related activities as may be deemed necessary by the company.

Customer

• Cultivate and maintain strong customer relationships and drive the company brand.
• Respond to feedback from external and internal customers to ensure consistent delivery of first-class service and proactive resolution of any issues.
• Regularly provide feedback, both positive and negative, from customers to Director, LNG Commercial & Marine and Commercial Manager.

Requirements (Knowledge, Skills & Abilities)

• The immediate right to live and work in the United Kingdom,
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Analytical, problem solving, time management and decision-making skills.
• Ability to respond positively to customers in an effective manner.
• Ability to prioritise work in periods of peak workload.
• Demonstrates teamwork and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to use range of IT applications.
• Knowledge of management of LNG vessel operations, preferably with sailing time served on board LNG vessels.

Major Responsibilities

• Treat health, safety, and environment as top priority

Marine and Other Duties

• Comply with the requirements of Marine Roles and Responsibilities Matrix.
• Undertake ship-shore compatibility work as required and co-ordinate with charterers and terminals to ensure that all requirements of vessel acceptance and terminal compatibility are fulfilled.
• Ensure relevant material is submitted and maintained for vessels and terminals detailed in the Ship and Terminal Database.
• Attend vessels whenever possible within agreed team budgets.
• Proactively engage in continuous improvement of management structure and management systems.
• Participate in seafarers conferences as required.
• Act as a member of the emergency response team as required.
• Undertake other related activities as may be deemed necessary by the company