Intermodal & Logistics Manager

1. Intermodal Operations Management

• Plan, coordinate and monitor pre-carriage and on-carriage container movements between inland origins, customers, depots, border points and ports.
• Manage road, rail and multimodal solutions to ensure cargo is delivered on time and in line with customer commitments.
• Ensure close alignment between inland movements, vessel schedules, port cut-offs, equipment availability and customer loading or delivery requirements.
• Monitor container status from release through loading, dispatch, border crossing, port arrival, empty return and final closure.
• Proactively identify operational risks, delays, congestion, missed cut-offs or equipment shortages, and implement corrective actions.

2. Logistics, Depot and Equipment Coordination

• Oversee depot activities related to container lift-in, lift-out, grounding, shunting, storage, empty returns, upgrades, repairs and inspections.
• Coordinate with Equipment Control to maintain container availability for exports and to reduce costly empty repositioning.
• Support efficient use of inland depot capacity and ensure visibility of full and empty containers across the network.
• Ensure container maintenance, cleaning, upgrading and inspection activities are properly arranged, recorded and charged where applicable.
• Work with internal teams to improve import and export documentation flow linked to intermodal movements.

3. Vendor and Transporter Management

• Develop, maintain and manage relationships with trucking companies, rail operators, inland depots, terminals, clearing agents and other logistics service providers.
• With the Commercial Director, negotiate competitive and sustainable transport, depot and handling rates in line with company pricing strategy and service requirements.
• Measure vendor performance against agreed service levels, including truck availability, on-time pickup and delivery, communication quality, safety compliance and cost control.
• Implement corrective actions with underperforming vendors and maintain a reliable panel of approved service providers.
• Ensure transporters provide timely truck details, status updates, proof of delivery and exception reports.

4. Commercial Support and Customer Service

• Support the commercial team with inland logistics solutions, pricing inputs, customer proposals and operational feasibility assessments.
• Provide reliable updates to customers on container movements, delivery schedules, delays, documentation requirements and exception handling.
• Assist in developing tailored logistics solutions for key containerised cargo segments, including agricultural exports, industrial imports and project cargo where applicable.
• Participate in customer meetings when operational or intermodal expertise is required.
• Ensure service failures are investigated, communicated and resolved in a professional and timely manner.

5. Reporting, Revenue and Cost Control

• Prepare accurate weekly and monthly intermodal reports, including volumes, revenue, margins, container forecasts, outstanding movements, demurrage exposure and operational exceptions.
• Ensure all intermodal revenue, costs, margins, recoveries and charges are correctly captured, validated and reported.
• Monitor demurrage, detention, storage and delay costs, and take preventive action to reduce avoidable charges.
• Review transport and depot invoices against agreed rates, services performed and supporting documentation.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through better routing, pricing, vendor negotiation, asset utilisation and process control.

6. Compliance, Risk and Safety

• Ensure inland transport operations comply with applicable customs, road transport, rail, port, safety, insurance and company requirements.
• Maintain proper documentation for bonded movements, customs clearance, container releases, transporter instructions and customer delivery requirements.
• Promote safe handling of containers and cargo across depots, terminals and transport partners.
• Escalate high-risk operational issues, claims, cargo incidents, equipment damage or service failures to management promptly.
• Support internal and external audits by maintaining accurate operational records and evidence.

7. Team Leadership and Process Improvement

• Lead, coach and support intermodal, logistics and documentation team members to ensure high performance and accountability.
• Allocate daily responsibilities, monitor workloads and ensure priority shipments are followed up effectively.
• Develop standard operating procedures for inland transport, reporting, demurrage control, customer updates and exception handling.
• Drive continuous improvement by reducing manual work, improving data accuracy, strengthening communication and increasing operational visibility.
• Build a culture of ownership, urgency, service excellence and cost awareness within the team.

Key Performance Indicators

• On-time pickup and delivery performance for inland container movements.
• Accuracy and timeliness of container tracking and operational reporting.
• Reduction in avoidable demurrage, detention, storage and delay costs.
• Intermodal revenue growth, margin control and cost recovery performance.
• Vendor performance against agreed service levels and cost targets.
• Customer satisfaction and responsiveness on logistics and intermodal matters.
• Accuracy of rate application, invoicing support and revenue reporting.
• Operational compliance with customs, safety, documentation and company procedures.

Key Stakeholders & Interface (Optional)

Internal

Commercial, Customer Service, Documentation, Imports, Exports, Equipment Control, Finance, Operations, Management and regional intermodal teams.          

 External                      

Customers, transporters, rail operators, port terminals, inland depots, clearing agents, customs authorities, insurers and other logistics service providers

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Transport Management, Maritime Studies, Business Administration or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in logistics, intermodal transport, liner shipping, freight forwarding, inland haulage, rail, depot or supply chain operations.
• At least 3 years’ experience in a management role is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of containerised cargo operations, inland transport planning, depot activities, import and export processes and port interfaces.
• Experience working with transporters, clearing agents, terminals, depots, rail operators and shipping line systems.
• Sound commercial understanding of freight pricing, cost control, demurrage, detention, storage, margins and vendor negotiation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Outlook; experience with shipping, transport management, ERP or reporting systems will be an advantage.