Lead - Shipping Operations (Chartering, Vetting & Port Clearance)

Job Family Group: Shipping Group Job Description: Are you ready to join a team that’s driving the future of lubricants & beyond and setting new industry standards? Discover how our diverse and passionate people at Castrol are shaping the industry – and how you can be part of this journey. We’re seeking versatile experts who share our passion for innovation and excellence. Bring your outstanding perspective, collaborative spirit, and challenge our thinking as we continue to lead the way in the lubricants' market & build businesses beyond lubricants. This is your chance to learn, grow, and thrive in a dynamic and inclusive organization. Castrol is a global leader in lubricants and part of the bp Group, one of the world’s largest energy companies. In India, Castrol is a publicly listed company, leading in the Automotive, Industrial, and Marine lubricant sectors. With iconic brands, steadfast innovation, strong customer relationships, and a team of highly motivated employees, we have maintained our market leadership in India for over a century. Our robust manufacturing and distribution network in India helps us reach consumers through more than 135,000 outlets. At Castrol, success knows no bounds. We offer a fast-paced learning environment where you can develop your career, whether in specialized functions or on a general management track. Castrol India has a proud legacy of championing top talent for leadership roles, both locally and globally. ​ Role title - Lead - Shipping Operations (Chartering, Vetting & Port Clearance) Location - Pune • This role is critical to building Castrol’s independent marine capability, ensuring safe, compliant, and cost-efficient global supply. • You will lead the establishment and ongoing operation of Castrol’s independent global Shipping Operations function, transitioning from bp TSA to a fully owned, future-ready operating model. • This is an enterprise-critical role with end-to-end accountability for safety, compliance, cost, and continuity across global marine movements. You will establish the Shipping Operations Centre of Excellence, define governance and decision rights, and ensure effective execution across chartering, vetting, and port clearance. • You will also ensure Shipping Operations is fully integrated into Castrol’s Logistics Control Tower, enabling end-to-end visibility, performance management, and data-driven decision-making across global marine flows. • This role sits at the intersection of operations, risk management, and strategy, requiring strong leadership across internal teams, TSA providers, third parties, and senior partners. Key Responsibilities - 1. Shipping Operations CoE & Operating Model: • Establish and lead the global Shipping Operations Centre of Excellence • Define the target operating model, roles, governance, and decision rights across chartering, vetting, and port clearance. • Build scalable operating rhythms, standards, and blocking issue pathways across regions. • Develop organisational capability to support Castrol’s long-term independent marine operating model 2. TSA Ownership & Transition: • Act as Castrol owner for Shipping Operations under the TSA environment • Lead transition planning, cutover readiness, and TSA exit execution • Ensure operational continuity, knowledge transfer, and effective mobilisation of internal and third-party capabilities • Support the development of regional procedures, controls, and service expectations for post-TSA execution 3. Global Performance, Cost & Optimisation: • Drive freight cost optimisation, service reliability, and operational efficiency across marine operations • Define and govern indicators covering cost, service, safety, compliance, utilisation, and demurrage • Oversee shipping capacity, utilisation, and operational trade-offs across regions • Ensure marine operations support supply-demand plans, inventory positioning, and customer delivery commitments • Identify and prioritise continuous improvement opportunities to improve value delivery and resilience 4. Safety, Compliance & Marine Risk: • Set and govern standards for HSSE, sanctions compliance, and marine risk management • Ensure robust control frameworks are in place for vessel, terminal, and cargo movement decisions • Oversee governance for incidents, exceptions, and critical issues impacting safety, compliance, or continuity • Ensure marine operations are driven in accordance with regulatory, internal policy, and assurance requirements 5. Digitalisation & Logistics Control Tower Integration: • Define requirements and lead selection of digital tools for Shipping Operations post-TSA • Embed digital ways of working across chartering, vetting, clearance, and performance reporting • Integrate Shipping Operations into the Logistics Control Tower to improve visibility, exception management, and decision support • Enable data clarity and analytics to support performance management and operational governance 6. Collaborator & Partner Management: • Build strong alignment with Procurement, Finance, HSSE, Legal, Digital, and regional Supply Chain teams • Lead engagement with TSA providers, ship owners, brokers, terminals, and marine service providers • Define clear interfaces between global CoE, regional execution teams, and assurance roles • Influence senior partners on risk, cost, continuity, and operating model decisions. Required Skill • 12–18 years of experience in marine or shipping operations, including chartering, vetting, clearance, and/or port operations • Strong experience in global tanker, lubricants, chemicals, or liquid bulk shipping environments • Proven experience leading complex operating model transitions, TSA exits, outsourcing transitions, or major shipping transformations • Deep understanding of marine risk, vessel vetting standards, sanctions controls, and maritime compliance requirements • Demonstrated ability to lead global teams and influence across regions, fun…