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

Entity:

Customers & Products

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, functions, and third parties

• Strong commercial and operational judgement, with the ability to balance cost, service, risk, and continuity

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Maritime Studies, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Skill

• Experience in oil & gas, lubricants, or chemical shipping environments

• Familiarity with chartering, vetting, voyage management, or Control Tower systems

• Experience working with brokers, marine service providers, or 3PL/4PL operating models

• Strong understanding of trade compliance, geopolitical risk, and marine assurance governance

You will work with -

• Regional Chartering & Voyage Operations Leads

• Marine Vetting & Clearance Specialist

• Global Supply Chain and Logistics leadership

• Procurement, Finance, HSSE, Legal, and Digital teams

• TSA providers, ship owners, charterers, brokers, terminals, and marine service partners

• Procurement (marine sourcing & contracts)

• HSSE, Legal, and Compliance teams

• Finance (freight cost, budgeting, performance tracking)

• Digital & IT teams (system selection and integration)

• External partners: ship owners, charterers, brokers, vetting agencies, port authorities

• Regional Supply Chain, Procurement, and Commercial teams

Why Join Castrol ?

We support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and challenging environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to crafting an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly. Diversity Statement: At Castrol, we provide an excellent environment and benefits such as an open and inclusive culture, a great work-life balance, tremendous learning and development opportunities to craft your career path, life and health insurance, medical care package and many others!

Diversity sits at the heart of our company and as an equal opportunity employer, we stay true to our mission by ensuring that our place can be anyone's place. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Travel Requirement

Up to 25% travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:

This role is eligible for relocation within country

Remote Type:

This position is not available for remote working

Skills:

Analytical Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Ancillary cost management, Bunker buyer, Chartering, Coaching, Commercial Acumen, Communication, Customer service delivery excellence, Demurrage, Developing and implementing strategy, International Shipping, Liquid Handling, Listening, Marine assurance, Marine Operations, Marine systems and processes, Marine technical, Market Knowledge, Mentoring, Negotiating value, Operational Excellence, Partner relationship management, Problem Solving, Sentiment and Trends {+ 8 more}

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics like race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.