Regional Ocean Freight Operations Risk Management & Compliance Manager

Would you like to be part of the most international company in the world? A company operating in more than 220 countries worldwide and has been pioneering cross-border express shipping since 1969. Would you like to be part of a business that connects people across the globe and want to make a difference? Then waste no time and join our amazing team at DHL Group. DHL Global Forwarding, Freight (DGFF) is the Group's air, ocean, and road freight specialist. We offer standardized transport as well as highly specialized end-to-end solutions to customers in a wide range of industries globally.

As Regional Ocean Freight Operations Risk Management & Compliance Manager, you are responsible for executing, enforcing, and governing maritime regulatory compliance across all countries in the Region. The role ensures the Region operates compliance‑by‑design, such that non‑compliant bookings, documents, or invoices cannot be processed, and that the Region can respond to audits, questionnaires and investigations with complete, indexed, regulator‑grade evidence packs. This role is the regional authority for enforcing FMC / OSRA regulations, Dangerous Goods compliance, trade documentation integrity, billing transparency, agent compliance and security filing obligations, working in close coordination with Global Risk Management & Compliance. This position holder reports to the Regional Head of Ocean Freight Operations and functionally aligns with the Global Head of Ocean Freight Risk Management & Compliance to support DHL Global Forwarding’s vision of being the undisputed leader in logistics.

DHL Global Forwarding has an opening Regional Ocean Freight Operations Risk Management & Compliance Manager in Johannesburg, South Africa. Join us in connecting people and improving lives!

In this Regional Ocean Freight Operations Risk Management & Compliance Manager Position

Dangerous Goods & Safety Compliance

• Enforce Dangerous Goods compliance under the IMDG Code and IMO / SOLAS
• Ensure DG declarations, documentation and processes are correct, complete, and auditable.
• Coordinate DG audits and corrective actions.

Security Filings & Trade Compliance Oversight

• Ensure compliance with applicable security filing regimes, including ISF, AMS, ENS and ICS2
• Enforce timeliness, accuracy and evidence retention

FMC / OSRA Governance and Enforcement

• Act as the regional enforcement authority for FMC / OSRA compliance covering:
  1. OTI / NVOCC / Freight Forwarder roles
  2. NRA / NSA discipline and acceptance
  3. Tariff and rate governance
  4. OSRA‑compliant billing and D&D transparency
• Ensure that non‑compliant activity is prevented upstream, not corrected after the fact.
• Maintain the Regional Delegation of Authority (DoA) Matrix for all FMC‑relevant activities
• Ensure the DoA is explicit, role‑based and enforced operationally and systemically
• Resolve conflicts where commercial pressure conflicts with regulatory compliance obligations.

FMC / OSRA Control Effectiveness

• Ensure preventive and detective controls are operating effectively across the Region, including:
  1. Rate‑source lock
  2. NRA acceptance capture
  3. D&D invoice compliance checks
  4. Evidence integrity and retention
• Drive remediation where controls are bypassed, inconsistently applied, or ineffective.
• Ensure regional execution complements global control design and testing

Audit Readiness & Evidence Pack Management

• Own regional audit readiness for internal mock audits, global assurance testing, FTA’s and external audits from regulators including but not limited to BEIC / FMC audits
• Coordinate compilation of complete, indexed evidence packs across all countries in-region.
• Ensure evidence packs meet regulatory requirements, retention timelines and global controls & assurance standards

Monitoring, Testing & Coordination

• Coordinate regional execution of monitoring and testing activities led by Global Controls & Assurance.
• Support shipment‑level audits and deep dives by ensuring availability of files and data, providing regional context and driving immediate containment actions where required

Corrective & Preventive Action (CAPA) Governance

• Ensure all MAJOR and CRITICAL findings in the Region have documented root cause analysis, assigned accountable owners and evidence‑based closure
• Track recurrence and drive preventive actions.
• Escalate systemic or repeated failures promptly.

Training, Awareness and Capability Building

• Enforce mandatory training and certification for all in‑scope roles.
• Ensure 100% FMC certification before access to U.S.‑trade execution (training-based system access gating).
• Ensure 100% DG certification before access DG shipment execution (training-based system access gating).
• Ensure training content reflect real audit findings, regional risk patterns and enforcement exposure
• Maintain LMS completion data for gating and audit evidence.

Agent & Third‑Party Compliance

• Enforce agent compliance standards, including FMC registration / eligibility verification, periodic attestations and risk‑based sampling of agent‑handled files
• Suspend or restrict agent activity where compliance risk exists

Operating Model & Cadence

• Daily “red queue” review (blocked bookings/invoices, missing NRA acceptance, missing D&D fields, etc)
• Weekly regional compliance audits/sampling, capturing of top exceptions (Pareto), identification of repeat causes and assignment of CAPA owners and due dates
• Monthly Regional Assurance Review and reporting including sampling results, CAPA status and compliance training completions status
• Monthly consolidated regional reporting inputs to global Board pack

Now, here is what we need from you!

• Deep hands‑on knowledge of FMC / OSRA and maritime compliance
• Strong operational enforcement capability
• Audit readiness and evidence discipline
• High credibility with senior operational leadership
• Degree in Compliance, Law, Supply Chain, or Business preferred
• 8–15+ years in ocean freight operations, compliance, or audit roles
• Demonstrated experience handling FMC / OSRA compliance in practice
• Strong leadership in a matrix environment
• Fluent in English; additional languages are an advantage.
• Willing and able to travel approximately 15%.
  
  We offer:
  
• Comprehensive training and development opportunities.
• Mentorship from experienced freight forwarding professionals and senior leaders.
• Competitive salary

Why join DHL Global Forwarding?

We are part of Deutsche Post DHL, the world’s leading logistics provider with operations in over 220 countries. Visit our career site on the web at https://www.logistics.dhl/us-en/home/careers.html

Our TOP EMPLOYER prestigious certification attests to our best-in-class efforts to attract and retain talent by fostering a positive work environment and encouraging personal and professional development among employees. The development of talented women in our organization will be a focus for us and an important part of our DGF Strategy 2025.

We aspire to become the undisputed leader in our industry, when people think of forwarding; we want them to think DGF because we have:

• The largest global network with more than 30,000 passionate employees
• The most efficient processes and fastest response times
• The best solutions and best customer service

Our Vision: The Logistics Company for the World.

Our Mission: Excellence. Simply Delivered.
Our Purpose: Connecting People, improving lives.
Our Values: Respect & Results
Our Goals: Employer, Provider, and Investment of Choice, Living Responsibility

DHL Global Forwarding is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.