Director, Fleet Strategy and Planning

Overview

Who We Are:

Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and operated company serving the maritime, logistics and energy industries with scale in 36 nations and island territories. Our Purpose is to bravely advance what’s possible to elevate people and planet, guided by our values of Integrity, Sustainability and Drive.

With more than $3 billion in annual revenue, our solutions provide integrated supply chains with a commitment to safety and reliability in our ocean and land transportation services and facilities.

We set high standards, operate with discipline, and continuously improve how we work. Performance, operational excellence and innovation drive how we compete, grow and deliver to our customers and partners.

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid

What You'll Do:

The Director, Fleet Strategy and Planning leads fleet and capacity planning for scheduled liner services, ensuring vessel deployment, service strings, sailing frequency, port rotations, and long-term fleet requirements align with trade-lane demand, schedule commitments, commercial priorities, and financial objectives. The role provides strategic and analytical leadership for liner network capacity, fleet utilization, service design support, and future fleet development.

The role partners closely with Liner Operations, Network and Capacity Management, Commercial, Finance, and Executive Leadership to evaluate service requirements, optimize vessel assignment, and support decisions regarding owned and chartered capacity. Through data-driven analysis and cross-functional collaboration, the Director helps deliver reliable liner schedules, balanced capacity across trade lanes, strong asset productivity, and sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Liner Fleet Strategy & Service Planning

• Develop and maintain short- and long-term fleet plans aligned with liner network strategy, trade-lane demand, service commitments, and commercial growth priorities.
• Translate service requirements, sailing frequencies, transit-time expectations, and port rotations into vessel and capacity requirements.
• Evaluate owned, chartered, and alternative capacity strategies to support reliable and competitive liner services.
• Balance schedule integrity, asset utilization, operational flexibility, customer requirements, and financial performance in fleet planning recommendations.
• Assess future fleet requirements and recommend fleet expansion, replacement, redeployment, or chartering actions based on the liner service portfolio.

Trade-Lane Capacity & Network Alignment

• Analyze current and projected capacity requirements by trade lane, service string, and sailing schedule using commercial forecasts and operational inputs.
• Partner with Network and Capacity Management, Commercial, and Liner Operations to align vessel capacity with demand patterns, booking forecasts, and customer commitments.
• Monitor utilization, load factors, slot supply, imbalances, and capacity constraints across liner services.
• Recommend vessel allocation, service adjustments, or capacity actions that improve network balance and support targeted service levels.
• Identify capacity risks and opportunities across trade lanes and develop timely mitigation or optimization plans.

Vessel Deployment & Schedule Integrity

• Lead or support vessel deployment planning for scheduled liner services, including vessel assignment to service strings and trade lanes.
• Evaluate vessel size, speed, operating profile, port compatibility, and capacity mix when developing deployment recommendations.
• Partner with Liner Operations to ensure deployment plans support sailing frequency, schedule reliability, transit times, and port rotation requirements.
• Monitor deployment effectiveness and recommend adjustments in response to demand shifts, service disruptions, maintenance needs, or market changes.
• Provide analytical support for vessel substitutions, service recovery, blank sailings, extra loaders, and other capacity interventions.

Liner Service Design & Commercial Collaboration

• Provide fleet and capacity insights to support new service development, service string changes, port additions, and trade-lane growth initiatives.
• Partner with Commercial teams to align liner capacity with customer demand, product strategy, pricing priorities, and market opportunities.
• Evaluate the fleet implications of proposed schedule, frequency, transit-time, and port rotation changes.
• Support scenario planning for peak periods, demand volatility, network disruptions, and changing market conditions.
• Facilitate alignment among liner planning, operations, chartering, commercial, and finance stakeholders.

Capital Planning & Investment Support

• Support long-term fleet investment planning through analysis of service requirements, utilization trends, vessel economics, and future capacity needs.
• Develop recommendations regarding owned-versus-chartered capacity, fleet growth, replacement strategy, and investment priorities.
• Partner with Finance and Executive Leadership to evaluate the operational and financial implications of fleet and service decisions.
• Prepare business cases and scenario analyses for vessel acquisition, chartering, redeployment, or service restructuring opportunities.

Performance Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Develop reporting and analytical tools that provide visibility into capacity utilization, load factors, schedule performance, vessel productivity, and service economics.
• Monitor key performance indicators by vessel, service string, and trade lane to identify performance gaps and improvement opportunities.
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses to support network planning, capacity decisions, and operational recovery.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen liner fleet planning, cross-functional decision-making, and planning cadence.
• Promote consistent, data-driven decisions across liner planning and related functions.

Talent Development & Succession

• Build, lead, and develop high-performing liner fleet planning and analytical teams, where applicable.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures aligned with service, network, and business objectives.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and development opportunities that strengthen liner planning, commercial acumen, and analytical capability.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and strategic thinking.
• Support succession planning and workforce development to sustain long-term organizational capability.

Qualifications

Experience:

• Typically requires 7+ years of progressive experience in liner shipping, network or capacity planning, fleet planning, vessel deployment, maritime operations, chartering, or related transportation and logistics disciplines.
• Experience supporting scheduled liner services, including trade-lane capacity planning, service string design, sailing schedules, port rotations, or vessel assignment.
• Demonstrated success using commercial forecasts, operational data, and financial analysis to support fleet and network decisions.
• Working knowledge of vessel economics, owned and chartered capacity, schedule reliability, utilization, load factors, and liner service performance.
• Experience working across liner operations, commercial, chartering, finance, and planning functions. Leadership experience managing teams, projects, or complex cross-functional initiatives preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education, training, and relevant experience will be considered.

Education & Credentials:

• Bachelor's degree in Maritime Studies, Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field required.
• Master's degree in Business Administration, Maritime Management, Supply Chain, Logistics, or related discipline preferred.
• Equivalent relevant experience may be considered in lieu of formal education, where applicable.

Technical Skills:

Proficient in Microsoft Office products, including Excel, Outlook and Word.

Other:

• Ability to travel as needed

Competencies:

Demonstrated ability to develop liner fleet strategies that align vessel capacity, service strings, sailing frequency, port rotations, and deployment with trade-lane demand and business objectives. Ability to evaluate short- and long-term capacity requirements and translate commercial forecasts and service commitments into practical fleet plans. Strong understanding of liner shipping economics, schedule reliability, vessel utilization, load factors, network balance, and owned-versus-chartered capacity considerations. Ability to analyze complex operational, commercial, and financial data to support vessel assignment, service design, capacity actions, and investment decisions. Ability to collaborate across liner operations, network and capacity management, chartering, commercial, finance, and executive leadership teams. Ability to anticipate capacity and schedule risks, evaluate scenarios, and influence timely decisions through analytical insight and sound business judgment. Ability to lead continuous improvement and develop high-performing teams with strong liner planning, commercial, and analytical capabilities.

What We Offer?

We inspire top talent by offering a comprehensive and competitive package that supports the diverse needs of our people—on land, at sea, in offices, and remotely.

Our Total Rewards include:

• Competitive pay with recognition programs
• Comprehensive benefits: medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, and paid vacation and holidays
• Leave and family support: parental leave and sick leave
• Learning and growth: access to training and development for continuous skill development
• Well-being resources: Employee Assistance Program, wellness program, and gym membership discounts

At Crowley, we invest in you—your success, your health, and your future.