DIRECTOR, TRADE & NETWORK OPTIMIZATION

Overview

Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and operated company serving the maritime, logistics and energy industries with scale in 36 nations and island territories. Our Purpose is to bravely advance what’s possible to elevate people and planet, guided by our values of Integrity, Sustainability and Drive.

With more than $3 billion in annual revenue, our solutions provide integrated supply chains with a commitment to safety and reliability in our ocean and land transportation services and facilities.

We set high standards, operate with discipline, and continuously improve how we work. Performance, operational excellence and innovation drive how we compete, grow and deliver to our customers and partners

Responsibilities

What You’ll Do:

Responsible for maximizing commercial performance, trade profitability, and network effectiveness across the multiple regions. The role leads the evaluation and optimization of trade and network performance through analysis of profitability, utilization, capacity deployment, routing effectiveness, service patterns, customer demand, and market dynamics. The position serves as the primary integrator between trade management and network optimization, ensuring commercial objectives are aligned with operational execution and network economics. Working closely with Pricing, Fleet Planning, Liner Operations, Schedule Integrity, Regional Commercial, Operations, and Data & Analytics teams, the Director develops strategies and recommendations that improve margin performance, service efficiency, utilization, and trade competitiveness. Through data driven analysis, cross-functional leadership, and performance management, the role contributes to sustainable growth, improved customer outcomes, and enhanced profitability while supporting broader Commercial Excellence objectives.

Trade & Network Performance Leadership

• Lead trade and network performance management activities across assigned markets and services to maximize commercial and operational outcomes.
• Establish priorities that improve profitability, utilization, service effectiveness, and customer satisfaction.
• Monitor market conditions, customer demand, competitive activity, utilization trends, and network performance to identify emerging opportunities and risks.
• Drive execution of initiatives designed to improve trade economics, network performance, and commercial effectiveness.
• Ensure performance objectives are aligned with broader Commercial Excellence and enterprise priorities.

Profitability & Margin Optimization

• Lead analysis of profitability drivers, margin performance, utilization trends, and trade economics to identify opportunities for sustainable improvement.
• Evaluate commercial and operational tradeoffs affecting profitability, service reliability, customer outcomes, and network efficiency.
• Prioritize margin‑enhancement initiatives based on business impact, feasibility, and strategic importance.
• Develop recommendations supported by sound financial and operational analysis.
• Provide insight and guidance to support commercial planning, forecasting, and performance improvement efforts.

Network Optimization & Capacity Management

• Evaluate network economics, service design, routing effectiveness, and capacity deployment strategies.
• Identify opportunities to improve asset utilization, service efficiency, profitability, and customer experience.
• Assess utilization performance and capacity constraints across trade lanes and services.
• Recommend adjustments to routing, service patterns, and capacity allocation that support commercial and operational objectives.
• Support implementation and measurement of approved network optimization initiatives.

Trade Strategy & Lane Performance

• Lead evaluation of trade‑lane performance across the U.S., Caribbean, and Central America.
• Determine strategic priorities for trade development, lane competitiveness, utilization improvement, and profitability growth.
• Analyze market dynamics, customer demand patterns, and trade performance indicators to identify opportunities for growth and differentiation.
• Recommend actions that strengthen trade competitiveness and improve commercial outcomes.
• Balance customer requirements, operational realities, and profitability objectives when developing trade recommendations.

Pricing & Commercial Alignment

• Partner with Pricing and Commercial teams to support yield optimization, utilization objectives, and profitability improvement.
• Provide trade-performance and network-economic insights that support pricing strategies and commercial decision‑making.
• Evaluate pricing‑related impacts on demand, profitability, utilization, and customer outcomes.
• Ensure trade and network recommendations remain aligned with broader commercial priorities and governance frameworks.
• Support cross‑functional reviews of market opportunities, commercial performance, and strategic initiatives.

Performance Analytics & Business Intelligence

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to profitability, utilization, network efficiency, service performance, and trade effectiveness.
• Leverage business intelligence, analytical tools, and performance reporting to support data‑driven decision‑making.
• Deliver actionable insights and recommendations for leadership and stakeholder review.
• Identify trends, emerging risks, and improvement opportunities impacting commercial performance.
• Support performance reviews and strategic planning activities through objective, fact‑based analysis.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment

• Build strong partnerships across Pricing, Fleet Planning, Liner Operations, Schedule Integrity, Regional Commercial, Operations, and Analytics teams.
• Facilitate alignment between commercial objectives, network capabilities, customer requirements, and operational execution.
• Escalate material risks or opportunities affecting profitability, utilization, service performance, or customer outcomes.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, and fact‑based decision‑making.
• Influence stakeholders and drive action through business insight, analytical rigor, and strategic thinking.

Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Provide leadership and direction within assigned areas of responsibility to support execution excellence and achievement of business objectives.
• Foster a high‑performance culture focused on accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and customer value.
• Establish priorities, allocate resources, and manage performance to ensure successful execution of key initiatives.
• Promote disciplined performance management and operational excellence throughout the organization.

Talent Development & Succession

• Develop and mentor leaders and team members through coaching, knowledge sharing, and performance feedback.
• Build organizational capability in trade management, network optimization, commercial analytics, and performance management.
• Identify development opportunities and support succession planning activities.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and professional development.

Qualifications

10+ years of experience in trade management, network optimization, transportation, logistics, supply chain, commercial strategy, pricing, operations, analytics, or related disciplines. Derived from the combined requirements of both existing roles. Demonstrated success improving profitability, utilization, and commercial performance in complex transportation or logistics environments. Experience evaluating trade performance, network economics, routing effectiveness, service patterns, capacity utilization, and margin drivers. Proven ability to influence business decisions through analytics, business‑case development, and executive‑level stakeholder engagement. Experience leading cross‑functional initiatives involving commercial, operational, planning, and analytical teams.

Experience leading managers or professional teams preferred.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent combination of post‑secondary education and relevant experience may be substituted for education. MBA or advanced business degree preferred.

Technical Requirements:

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.
• Experience with business intelligence platforms, performance‑reporting tools, analytical systems, optimization models, and data visualization technologies.
• Strong quantitative and analytical capabilities with the ability to assess profitability, utilization, operational performance, capacity allocation, and network economics.
• Experience using data‑driven insights to support strategic and operational decision‑making.