Ocean Freight & Logistics Specialist

About Elchemy

Elchemy is a tech-enabled, cross-border specialty chemicals distribution platform helping companies across the US and Europe source high-quality chemical raw materials from trusted manufacturers across Southeast Asia and beyond. We operate at the intersection of discovery, quality assurance, and fulfillment, simplifying what has traditionally been a fragmented and opaque procurement process. By combining deep industry expertise with a technology-first approach, we enable faster sourcing, greater reliability, and scalable global supply chains for our customers. In just 3 years of operations, Elchemy has scaled rapidly, serving customers in over 55 countries and building active partnerships with 200+ suppliers across more than 15 manufacturing geographies. Our platform supports a wide range of specialty chemical applications, helping businesses access the right materials with confidence and speed. Our vision is to build the world's largest global specialty chemicals distributor, reimagining the industry through technology-led discovery, seamless fulfillment, and data-driven decision-making. Elchemy is backed by marquee investors and has raised over $7.5 million to date. Our team brings together alumni from IITs, IIMs, and NITs, along with professionals who have built and scaled startups and worked across global multinational organizations. We are here to fundamentally transform the $800B specialty chemicals industry - making it more transparent, efficient, and globally connected through new-age technology.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Ocean Freight Planning, Pricing & Budgeting: Own end-to-end ocean freight planning for international shipments, including FCL and LCL cargo. Develop competitive freight cost estimates, manage shipment-level freight budgets, analyze pricing trends, and identify opportunities to optimize logistics costs while ensuring reliable and timely deliveries.
• Freight Procurement, Negotiations & Vendor Management: Independently source and negotiate competitive ocean freight rates with shipping lines, freight forwarders, and logistics partners. Build strong vendor relationships, evaluate service providers on cost, transit time, and reliability, and continuously identify alternative shipping routes and cost-saving opportunities.
• Freight Bookings & Shipment Execution: Manage ocean freight bookings, vessel schedules, container availability, and shipment planning. Coordinate with freight forwarders, shipping lines, and internal stakeholders to ensure timely cargo movement, proactively resolve shipment challenges, and minimize delays and additional charges.
• Supplier Coordination & Domestic Transportation: Coordinate with suppliers and manufacturers to track cargo readiness, packaging, pickup schedules, and dispatch timelines. Arrange domestic transportation from supplier locations to ports or container freight stations, ensuring smooth cargo movement and adherence to planned shipment schedules.
• Export Documentation, Customs & DG Cargo Coordination: Work closely with customs brokers, freight forwarders, and suppliers to facilitate export clearance and documentation, including shipping bills, bills of lading, packing lists, and other shipment-related requirements. Coordinate the movement of dangerous goods (DG) and chemical cargo in compliance with applicable shipping regulations and documentation requirements.
• Freight Cost Optimization & Performance Tracking: Monitor freight expenditures against budgets, analyze freight rate fluctuations, identify cost-saving opportunities, and track shipment-level profitability. Maintain freight pricing databases, compare vendor quotations, and provide actionable insights to support commercial decisions and improve logistics efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Process Excellence: Work closely with Elchemy's sourcing, sales, operations, and finance teams to align freight planning with customer commitments and supplier readiness. Maintain accurate shipment records, improve freight procurement and booking processes, and leverage technology and data to build efficient, scalable logistics operations.

Skills and Qualifications

• 3–6 years of experience in ocean freight, freight procurement, or export logistics, preferably in the chemical manufacturing, trading, or export industry.
• Hands-on experience in FCL/LCL freight pricing, rate negotiations, bookings, and freight cost optimization.
• Strong knowledge of international shipping, Incoterms, export documentation, customs clearance, and domestic transportation.
• Familiarity with chemical shipments, DG cargo handling, and IMDG regulations will be an advantage.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and vendor management skills, with proficiency in Excel and freight cost tracking.
• Ability to independently coordinate with suppliers, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and internal stakeholders.
• Highly driven, detail-oriented, and proactive, with strong ownership, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability in a fast-paced startup environment.
• This role may involve managing team members working night shifts to support US operations