Ocean Planning Associate

About the Role

The Ocean Planning Associate plays a key role in Flexport’s mission to make global trade easy and efficient. You will own the planning and booking process for ocean freight, working closely with account management teams, carriers, and partners to make sure shipments sail on time, space is used efficiently, and exceptions are resolved quickly.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys operational problem-solving, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and wants to help build scalable logistics processes.

We are looking for a new team member to take on this role based in our Ho Chi Minh office, responsible for Vietnam Gateway export shipments (focusing mainly on TPEB and FEWB trades). Candidates have a passion for ocean freight, an ability to collaborate with parties across our organization and work in a dynamic environment balancing multiple priorities.

Key Responsibilities

1. Planning & Booking Execution

• Handle end-to-end shipment planning and booking for ocean exports within your region, including pre-booking and schedule assignment.
• Coordinate with Account Management, Ocean Execution, Procurement, Allocation, ROM, and carriers to secure space and ensure timely SO release.
• Manage both soft and hard allocations with carriers, updating space in real time to reflect bookable inventory accurately.
• Maintain and troubleshoot booking tools (e.g., Fulfillment Management Tool) and sailing schedules to keep operations running smoothly.

2. Exception Handling & Issue Resolution

• Act as the first line of escalation for booking exceptions, carrier delays, and allocation shortfalls.
• Escalate and resolve carrier issues through structured workflows (e.g., push SO release, cancel unused SO to avoid penalties).
• Work with partner teams to monitor and improve carrier performance (schedule integrity, equipment availability, service quality).
• Support new, trial, or VIP shipments by identifying carrier options and protecting bookings against rollovers.

3. Process & System Improvement

• Help build and refine operational workflows to increase team efficiency and data accuracy.
• Spot patterns and use metrics (e.g., data quality, milestone timeliness) to identify improvement areas.
• Contribute feedback to product, engineering, and operations excellence teams to enhance Flexport’s systems (e.g., FFA, Ocean Product, carrier integrations).
• Participate in feedback loops to inform account teams of seasonal trends and market changes.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree with 1+ years of experience in logistics, freight forwarding, supply chain, or ocean carrier operations.
• Strong communication skills in Vietnamese (native) and English.
• A process-oriented and problem-solving mindset — you’re driven to fix inefficiencies and improve workflows.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure, with strong attention to detail.
• Willingness to work flexible hours (evenings/weekends occasionally) to meet operational needs.
• Comfortable working with data and systems to support decisions and drive improvements.

Why Flexport

You’ll be part of a team that’s shaping the future of ocean logistics. This role gives you hands-on ownership, exposure to complex global operations, and the opportunity to help design processes that scale.