Senior Manager Cost & Operational Excellence

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Senior Manager Cost & Operational Excellence at Hapag-Lloyd is a high-impact finance and operations leadership role onsite in the United Arab Emirates, reporting to the Director of Cost Control. You’ll lead the rollout of a Daily Operating System and a 4DX based performance framework for regional operations across the Middle East and Africa, ensuring financial integrity with a One set of numbers approach and partnering with P2P Cost Control and Finance. The ideal candidate brings 10 to 12 years in financial business partnering and cost control, plus 4 to 5 years driving 4DX performance management, with SAP/ERP and BI tools experience. When applying, emphasize quantified cost savings, dashboards, cross-functional influence, data storytelling, and readiness for onsite work.

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The Senior Manager Cost & Operational Excellence serves as a key advisor to the Regional Operations team, delivering performance management, financial analytics, and strategic decision support. The incumbent is the leading force implementing and cementing a Daily Operating System (DOS) and dynamic performance management framework based on the four disciplines of execution (4DX) within the Operational teams in the Regional, Area and Quality Service Center offices of Region Middle East and Africa

The role ensures financial integrity through a “One set of numbers” approach, establishing a clear link between financial data and operational performance working closely with the P2P Cost Control team and Business Administration (Finance)

This individual must pair financial expertise with operational acumen to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and challenge the status quo. The position also acts as the right hand to the Director of Cost Control and Operational Steering, playing a pivotal role in shaping data driven performance management frameworks and cost transformation strategies.

 

Performance Management & Decision Support

• Roll out a daily operating system (DOS) and performance management framework in the operations teams of region India, Middle East and Africa
• Implement and manage performance dashboards and KPIs to monitor operational efficiency and financial impact
• Objectively challenge the performance and decisions of operational teams to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate end-to-end (E2E) performance initiatives, ensuring service levels are maintained without unnecessary cost increases.
• Deliver clear, insight-driven reports, conduct gap analyses, and co-develop improvement plans with execution teams.
• Host performance management training workshops for all Operations teams

Cost Analytics, Control & Optimization

• Own the narrative behind cost trends by maintaining a deep understanding of cost drivers within operations.
• Conduct independent, balanced analysis to identify opportunities for profitability, cost efficiencies, and challenge cost escalations.
• Drive and track cost-saving initiatives while applying tools and frameworks that ensure high-impact, data-informed decision-making.
• Prevent sub-optimization by evaluating relevant, sunk, and total cost of ownership in operational choices.

Financial Planning & Budgeting 

• Provide critical input during forecast and budgeting cycles, supporting and constructively challenging operations leadership. 
• Evaluate business cases rigorously, challenge assumptions from Areas or QSC before submission to Controlling team
• Partner with operation and regional controlling to ensure alignment on cost development, forecasting, and strategic priorities.

Strategic Influence, Transformation & Community Contribution

• Act as a strategic thought partner in cost transformation, supporting the Director of Cost Control to shape smarter decision-making frameworks.
• Contribute to the wider Finance community by sharing insights, best practices, and aligning with digital tools and reporting standards.
• Position yourself as a future leader in financial strategy through strong collaboration, original thinking, and proactive influence across teams.

 

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Engineering, Data Science, Economics, Business Analytics, Mathematics, or related field.
• 10-12 years of relevant experience in financial business partnering, financial analysis, cost control, or a similar business partnering-heavy role.
• 4-5 years of experience in driving performance management based on 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) 
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, or performance reporting preferred.
• Familiarity with SAP, ERP, and business intelligence tools is a plus. Advanced Excel proficiency; knowledge of Power BI, Tableau, SQL.
• Ability to interpret large data sets, identify trends, and develop actionable insights.
• Excellent communication skills — able to present complex analysis in a clear and compelling way.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and get required results
• Confident in challenging stakeholders and influencing decisions.
• Highly organized, results-oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities independently.
• Curious, commercially minded, and eager to innovate and improve existing processes

With a fleet of 313 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 2.5 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. In the Liner Shipping segment, the Company has around 14,000 employees and 400 offices in 140 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3.7 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 133 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. In the Terminal & Infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has equity stakes in 21 terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa. Around 3,000 employees are assigned to the Terminal & Infrastructure segment and provide complementary logistics services at selected locations in addition to the terminal activities.