Procurement & Carrier Management Associate

Position summary The Procurement & Carrier Management Associate is responsible for executing and supporting Blue Water Shipping’s U.S. procurement activities, with responsibility for ocean freight sourcing, rate negotiation, carrier management, commercial support, market intelligence, and procurement reporting. Based in Miami, the role covers imports and exports across all trade lanes and works closely with carriers, NVOCC partners, sales, operations, finance, and management. The position is expected to negotiate independently, manage assigned bids and RFQs, support customer quotations, improve procurement response times, and streamline procurement processes. This position reports directly to the Head of Procurement & Business Development. Key responsibilities and tasks Carrier sourcing and management: Source, evaluate, develop, and maintain relationships with ocean carriers, NVOCC partners, consolidators, and approved logistics vendors. Maintain carrier and supplier coverage for U.S. imports and exports across all trade lanes, including FCL and LCL requirements. Use carrier portals and procurement platforms to obtain rates, schedules, commercial conditions, capacity, and service information. Negotiate ocean freight rates and commercial conditions independently within assigned authority and escalation guidelines. Support carrier agreements, rate files, allocations, contract renewals, free-time conditions, surcharges, and commercial compliance. Coordinate and complete assigned bids, tenders, and RFQs accurately and within established deadlines. Support sales and business development with responsive and commercially sound quotations. Coordinate with operations to validate routing, equipment, capacity, schedules, and service feasibility. Monitor ocean freight market developments, rate movements, capacity, service changes, and carrier behavior. Identify and document cost savings, cost avoidance, margin improvement, and service alternatives. Maintain procurement records and opportunity information in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and other applicable systems. Create procurement reports and KPI visibility using Microsoft Excel and Power BI. Use CargoWise, transportation ERP solutions, and carrier portals where applicable. Track procurement response time, quote turnaround time, dispute-resolution response time, savings, RFQ completion, reporting accuracy, and process improvements. Identify and implement practical improvements to sourcing, quotation, contract, reporting, and handoff processes. Monitor carrier performance and support carrier scorecard initiatives covering service reliability, pricing competitiveness, responsiveness, and dispute resolution. Support procurement strategy through carrier analysis, benchmarking, and trade lane evaluation. Qualifications And Competencies Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Transportation, Business, International Trade, or a related field. A logistics- or supply-chain-focused associate degree may be considered when supported by directly relevant experience. Five or more years of relevant freight forwarding, NVOCC, ocean procurement, pricing, or carrier-management experience is required. Strong early-career candidates may be considered when they demonstrate commercial judgment, ocean-freight knowledge, analytical capability, and readiness to negotiate independently. Freight forwarding experience is preferred; NVOCC experience is a strong asset. Working knowledge of ocean freight, including FCL and LCL imports and exports. Knowledge of reefer logistics and reefer transportation is an asset. Understanding of air-freight rates or multimodal transportation pricing is an asset. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; practical experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Power BI is important. Experience with CargoWise, carrier portals, transportation management systems, or other logistics ERP solutions is an asset. Professional fluency in English is required. Spanish and other languages relevant to international trade are assets. Commercially minded, analytical, organized, responsive, detail-oriented, and able to build constructive carrier and internal stakeholder relationships. Ability to work from the Miami office and collaborate regularly with local management and operational teams. Key performance indicators Cost savings and cost avoidance achieved and documented against an approved baseline. Procurement response time and quotation turnaround performance. On-time completion of assigned bids and RFQs. Dispute-resolution response time and quality of follow-up. Accuracy and completeness of procurement, rate, contract, CRM, and KPI records. Measurable process improvements and expanded carrier coverage. Carrier scorecard completion and strategic carrier relationship development. Career development Potential development paths include Senior Procurement & Carrier Management Associate, Trade Manager, Contract Management Lead, Carrier Development Manager, Procurement Manager, or an Outside Sales / Business Development role, depending on demonstrated strengths and business needs. What we offer Competitive compensation as well as 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees. Additional benefits include a robust 401K, generous paid time off and values-driven, international culture. For this role, visa sponsorship is not available. Applicants must have work authorization in the United States. What we do – Together we create solutions Blue Water Shipping is a global provider of all logistic services in modern supply chain management. Founded in Denmark in 1972, Blue Water is a global organization of professionals, skilled to offer complete and tailor-made solutions to any shipping requirement anywhere in the world. We offer clients the best service and highest quality in the industry. The company is represented with more than 70 offices in 30 countries worldwide combining strong global network with local expertise. Every day our 2000 employees and 6 distinct business units. #J-18808-Ljbffr