Poland - Agency Operator

Who We Are:

Our diverse customer base includes owners and charterers in the oil, cruise, container, and bulk commodity sectors, as well as naval, government, and intergovernmental organisations.

Role Summary:

Inchcape Shipping Services has established a Regional Operations Centre (ROC) in its Gdynia office to provide a centralized support function to local port offices, selected business streams and customers. This role will support all the responsibilities of the ROC, with a particular focus on the Crew Logistics Services (CLS) required across the whole Scandinavia and Baltic region.

In brief, the department is responsible for a number of functions:

• Coordinating husbandry arrangements for contracted ship owners and ship managers across ports in Scandinavia and the Baltic Region. This product is called “CLS” – Crew Logistics Services.
• Remote management of port agency appointments to locations in the Inchcape Scandinavia and Baltic network served by a partner-agent (sub-agent).
• Supporting the port agency office managed by the Gdynia ROC Team Leader.

Out of office hours (evening, weekends, public holidays and alike) will be covered by team members on a rotation basis.

In line with company policy, Inchcape does not provide visa sponsorship for candidates and cannot consider applicants who will require this now or in the future.

Key Responsibilities:

• The ROC manages a port agency network across the Scandinavia and Baltic regions utilizing trusted local partner agents (sub-agents) where it does not have an own office, or where sub-agents are used to supplement ISS personnel at times of greater workload volumes or to cover leave / absence periods.
• The ROC will provide full coordination of appointments at these ports, from the enquiry and nomination through the port call and to FDA stage for all types of port agency and husbandry calls.
• The ROC will coordinate all vendors and suppliers well in advance of vessel arrival to ensure a smooth flow of all services with the aim to minimise vessel idle time in port:
• Receive advance schedules and update planning sheets
• Prepare PDAs, request pre-funding as required
• Manage the pre-arrival documentation process between vessel, port/terminal and government authorities.
• Book port services for vessel berthing and sailing (arranging Pilots, Towage, Lines etc)
• Keep Principal and all stakeholders updated with berthing and sailing prospects and real time progress reports when vessels are in port and working cargo
• Coordinate husbandry services for vessel, including but not limited to crew changes, technicians and ship visitors, spares, provisions, Cash to Master, bunkers and fresh water and the off-load of garbage
• Raise Light Dues certificates if required
• Prepare Statement of Fact, cargo and customs documentation as required
• Update Principals own systems with port call data.
• The ROC will liaise closely with the local sub-agency office in which the vessel is calling, to provide them with full updates on vessel movements.
• The local sub-agency office will board the vessel on arrival and/or departure to:
• Welcome and meet with the Master and complete local formalities
• Deliver manifests and parcels and collect any outgoing mail
• Collect arrival and departure data/conditions (times, bunkers, cargo figures etc.) and complete any documentation.
• The ROC will maintain an up-to-date contact list for all sub-agents and ensure sub-agents perform to agreed financial, quality, and operational standards for appointments.

• CLS is an outsourcing product designed to streamline and improve the crew transfer and husbandry process.
• Functions include but are not strictly limited to the arrangement of meet & greet, transfers and hotel bookings for crew and ships technicians joining and leaving a ship.
• It also includes other husbandry services such as arranging Cash to Master, launch and barge hire and spares and provisions procurement.
• To facilitate the job, the Agency Operator will liaise closely with:
• Inchcape’s Vessel Supply Chain Hub, based in Mumbai, who will provide the job appointments
• Service providers such as taxi providers, hotels etc.
• Principals
• Port authorities/terminals
• Inchcape’s Accounts Payable and Disbursement Account teams.
• Ensure compliance to Inchcape’s “Guidelines for Local Performing Agents”, KPI’s, and/or customer specific standing instructions and requirements.
• Ensure excellent services are provided to all customers by responding in accordance with the agreed Service Level Agreements (SLA) and keeping the customer regularly informed
• Follow up on any low scoring Master Feedback Forms and escalate any operational issues or problems in a timely manner to the line manager.
• Maintain a country-wide costs matrix for the most common husbandry services for utilization at the proforma disbursement account (PDA) stage.

• Support the collection of vendor invoices from the various services during a job and ensure all related administrative duties are handled appropriately for the whole Scandinavia and Baltic region.
• Work closely with the existing disbursement accounting team in Gdynia to produce the required DAs for each job in an efficient and timely manner.

• Across all business support functions, the ROC will be responsible for ensuring the data integrity of all Inchcape internal systems for all appointments.
• Ensure compliance to internal quality assurance SOP’s and/or customer specific standing instructions and requirements.
• Ensure all data is entered into internal external systems promptly and updates are made on a regular basis (in some instance ‘real time’) to reflect the current status or changing customer requirements.
• The ROC will ensure any client specific requirements are communicated and understood.
• The ROC will negotiate best financial deals to benefit Inchcape, without compromising service.
• Identify any future business opportunities by escalating potential new business to the line manager.

Candidate Requirements:

• Preferable to have a working knowledge of Port Operations, Shipping and/or Port Agency
• Preferable to have graduated middle school or equivalent
• Fluency in the English language is required
• Strong communicator both written and verbal
• Ability to work calmly and with a positive attitude under pressure
• Ability to prioritize workload to meet strict timelines
• Once trained, able to effectively manage own work and work unsupervised (though ongoing mentoring and coaching will be provided)
• Strong attention to detail
• Competent user of the Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Excel and Word
• Experience of working in any customer facing role, though experience in the shipping / maritime industry is useful
• Experience working on shift patterns, night duty and/ or out of normal office hours and on-call with a duty phone
• Comfortable with speaking on phone with different nationalities/cultures and levels of authority (ships’ Captains etc.)
• Experience in a commercial/corporate environment desirable
• Ability to work in the office and remotely based on requirements
• Out of office hours (evening, weekends, public holidays and alike) will be covered by team members on a rotation basis
• Full Polish Driving License
• Physical ability to board ships, when required

You will receive:

• 20 days holiday
• Competitive salary
• Career development and progression opportunities
• Values Award celebration events
• Team building days

Plus, much more!

Why Inchcape Shipping Services?

We realise the value of our staff and know that your unique experiences, skills, and passions will help you to build a rich and rewarding career in our dynamic industry.

Our values are at the centre of everything we do, and the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate and fully adopt these:

Progress - we adopt new thinking and push for positive change in our industry.

Inchcape is an Equal Opportunities Employer - equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do. Working in a diverse society, we recognise that our customers, colleagues, and contractors are central to our success.

Additional Information:

Appointment to this role will be subject to satisfactory references and possession of a valid Right to Work documentation depending upon your geographical location.

To protect the interests of all parties, Inchcape will not accept unsolicited or speculative resumes from recruitment agencies and will not be responsible for any fees associated with them.

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