Director, Pricing & Trade Management (Sea Logistics)

It’s more than a job As a member of the Freight Forwarding team Kuehne+Nagel, you will play a key role in transporting goods, optimising processes, and fulfilling our customers’ promises. And by transporting medicines, toys and important machine parts, you are not only delivering goods, you are making small and big moments possible for people all around the world. At Kuehne+Nagel, our contribution counts in more ways than we imagine. Kuehne+Nagel is seeking a strategic and commercially driven Director, Pricing & Trade Management to lead pricing strategy, trade management, revenue optimization, and commercial partnership activities across our Sea Logistics business in the Western Territory. In this highly visible leadership role, you will own and drive pricing strategy across key Trans-Pacific Eastbound (TPEB) trade lanes, partnering closely with Sales, Trade Management, Operations, and Executive Leadership to maximize yield, optimize carrier utilization, and drive profitable growth. Leveraging deep market expertise and commercial insight, you will help shape customer strategy, support complex RFQs and tenders, and ensure pricing decisions align with both market conditions and business objectives. Beyond pricing and trade leadership, you will be responsible for developing and elevating a team of pricing professionals, strengthening their commercial acumen, analytical capabilities, and decision-making skills to create a more proactive, business-oriented organization. How you create impact Own and drive pricing strategy for the Western Territory, ensuring alignment with revenue growth, profitability, capacity utilization, and market-share objectives. Serve as the regional subject matter expert for Trans-Pacific Eastbound (TPEB) trade lanes, leveraging market intelligence and trade expertise to support customer growth and commercial performance. Develop and execute pricing strategies that maximize yield while balancing customer requirements, carrier commitments, market conditions, and competitive positioning. Lead strategic trade and carrier allocation decisions, optimizing carrier selection and network utilization to improve profitability and customer outcomes. Partner closely with Sales leadership to develop customer-specific growth strategies, support retention initiatives, and improve commercial decision-making across the region. Drive revenue and yield optimization by identifying opportunities to improve account profitability, trade lane performance, and pricing discipline. Lead regional RFQ and tender activities, ensuring competitive, data-driven, and commercially viable responses that support long-term business growth. Provide consultative market guidance to internal stakeholders, helping Sales and leadership teams understand trade dynamics, market risks, pricing trends, and capacity developments. Analyze customer portfolios, carrier performance, and trade-lane economics to identify growth opportunities and recommend strategic actions. Establish and monitor pricing, revenue, and yield performance metrics to drive accountability and continuous improvement. Lead the development of a more commercially focused and analytically driven pricing organization by coaching and mentoring team members to make stronger business decisions. Elevate the team’s capabilities in trade management, pricing strategy, customer profitability analysis, yield optimization, and stakeholder engagement. Foster a proactive culture that encourages critical thinking, data-driven decision-making, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning. Foster a proactive, customer-focused culture that encourages accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Drive process improvements that enhance pricing effectiveness, improve responsiveness, and strengthen alignment across Trade, Sales, Pricing, and Operations Build strong partnerships across regional, national, and global stakeholders to support strategic initiatives and strengthen commercial performance across the Sea Logistics network. What we would like you to bring Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Transportation, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline preferred. 8+ years of progressive experience within Sea Logistics, Freight Forwarding, Transportation, Supply Chain Management, or a related commercial logistics environment. Proven experience in pricing, trade management, revenue management, yield optimization, procurement, carrier management, commercial strategy, or a combination of these disciplines. Demonstrated leadership experience with a track record of building, coaching, and developing high-performing teams. Strong understanding of ocean freight markets, carrier networks, trade lanes, capacity management, and the commercial drivers that impact profitability and customer success. Experience leading or supporting RFQs, tenders, customer negotiations, strategic pricing initiatives, and large commercial opportunities. Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance customer requirements, competitive market conditions, operational realities, and business profitability. Experience analyzing complex data sets and translating insights into actionable pricing, revenue, and business recommendations. Ability to influence decision-making and build credibility with stakeholders across Sales, Operations, Trade Management, Finance, and Senior Leadership. Demonstrated success driving revenue growth, yield improvement, customer retention, and commercial performance initiatives. Experience implementing process improvements that enhance pricing effectiveness, operational efficiency, and organizational alignment. Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to clearly explain complex market and pricing concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and familiarity with pricing, analytics, CRM, TMS, or freight forwarding platforms. A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with the confidence to challenge assumptions, drive change, and operate effectively in ambiguous situations. Strong analytical thinking, business judgment, and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to make informed decisions in rapidly changing market conditions. Professional proficiency in English. Willingness to travel as business needs require. Preferred Qualifications Experience managing regional or national pricing, trade management, or revenue management functions. Exposure to pricing transformation initiatives, business intelligence tools, automation projects, or commercial process optimization. Experience partnering directly with sales organizations to support customer acquisition, retention, and strategic growth initiatives. Knowledge of international trade lane management, carrier procurement strategies, and ocean freight market dynamics. What’s in it for you At Kuehne+Nagel we strive daily to inspire, empower, and deliver not only to our customers, but also to our colleagues. We offer a dynamic global work environment with opportunities for excellent training programs and career mobility. The target base salary range for this position is $115,000 to $135,000, with eligibility for an annual performance bonus targeted at approximately 20% of base salary. Individual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, market conditions, geographic location, and internal equity considerations. Kuehne+Nagel reviews pay ranges regularly to ensure competitive and fair pay based on industry market data. #LI-JD1 Kuehne+Nagel participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used to assist in specific process [e.g., screening applications, interview scheduling]. These tools analyze information to support decision-making, but final decisions are made by human reviewers. Who we are Logistics shapes everyday life – from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world. As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life‑saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine. We kindly advise that placement agencies refrain from submitting unsolicited profiles. Any submissions of candidates without prior signed agreement will be considered our property and no fees will be paid. #J-18808-Ljbffr Kuehnenagel