The Sr. Director, Contracts & Relationship Management is responsible for overseeing the governance of commercial agreements, driving margin improvement, and ensuring customer delivery tracking. This role ensures contractual frameworks support strategic goals, drive value creation and foster strong, long-term customer relationships. The position plays a key role in enabling disciplined commercial practices and aligning customer commitments with operational capabilities. The manager will lead 1 professional direct report, fostering high engagement, collaboration, and growth. The role also includes implementing standard work practices, customer contact mapping, and establishing a centralized contract repository using Ironclad.
- Govern the lifecycle of commercial contracts, ensuring alignment with SSA’s strategic goals.
- Lead, support and influence strategic account teams in managing customer relationships, ensuring contractual obligations are met and partnerships are strengthened.
- Monitor and report on customer performance against contractual commitments and SLAs.
- Identify and implement margin improvement opportunities through contract optimization.
- Design, Develop and execute customer relationship management programs across all levels of engagement for strategic accounts.
- Lead the creation and maintenance of customer contact maps to support strategic relationship management.
- Implement and manage Ironclad contract repository to centralize contract data and enhance value extraction.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including legal, finance, operations, and IT to ensure contract compliance and performance.
- Analyze legacy contracts and propose renegotiation strategies to improve commercial outcomes.
- Collaborate with commercial teams to integrate contract & relationship management into client interactions and standard work.
- Monitor performance metrics and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
- Define KPIs for contract and relationship management and track their contribution to revenue, margin, and customer satisfaction.
- Enable best practices sharing across SSA portfolio. Facilitate knowledge sharing and training across commercial teams on contract and relationship management.
- Support the commercial strategy through contract and relationship management.
- Enable best practice sharing across SSA portfolio for contract and relationship management.
- Represent SSA Marine in customer meetings and industry forums to strengthen commercial relationships.
- Lead, promote and manage fostering a high-engagement culture through regular feedback, coaching, and development planning.
- Perform other duties or tasks as requested.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, Maritime, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in commercial contract management, customer relationship management, or related fields.
- Strong understanding of contract lifecycle management and performance tracking.
- Experience with contract repository systems such as Ironclad or similar platforms.
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams,
- Proven ability to develop and present business models and strategic plans.
- Ability to lead initiatives from concept to execution with clear milestones and stakeholder alignment
- Strong analytical and communication skills.
- Fluent in English (written and verbal). Spanish is a plus
- Experience working in multicultural and cross-functional teams.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias for action preferred.
- Familiarity with container terminal systems and logistics platforms preferred.
- Ability to travel internationally preferred.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes
Work Environment:
- Required job duties are normally performed in a climate-controlled office environment.
- Exposure to computer screens and moderate noise levels typical of an office environment
- Frequency travel (up to 50%) to customer sites, industry events, and SSA Marine locations.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer
Pay Range$165,000 - $215,000 per year
Compensation & BenefitsEligible employees (and their families) may qualify for medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as having basic life and accidental death insurance, paid disability insurance, including paid parental leave if eligible, and an Employee Assistance Program. Employees will receive paid sick and vacation time, and company holidays if eligible. The company also offers paid bereavement leave, and paid jury duty. Eligible employees can enroll in our company's 401k plan, as well as a retirement plan. Employees will be eligible for discretionary and/or metric-based bonuses dependent on their position.Top Skills
What We Do
Founded by Fred R. Smith in 1949 as Bellingham Stevedoring Company, we began our first cargo handling operations in a small corner of Washington State. Driven by a pioneering spirit, our family-owned company saw steady growth over the years, expanding up and down the West Coast to operate a significant market share of the major international terminals in the eastern Pacific. Today, we have become a global enterprise spanning more than 260 locations across five continents.
We continue to broaden our reach by developing new locations and upgrading existing facilities, providing some of the most technologically advanced facilities in the world.
We partner to move commerce with efficiency, flexibility, and integrity.
With operations across five continents and a vast network of interconnected transportation solutions, we open new opportunities that accelerate the growth and pace of global business. Improving the customer experience is at the heart of everything we do, so we make purposeful investments in people, facilities and technical innovations that deliver the greatest customer value.
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