Business Development Chartering Manager

Patriot Contract Services•Houston, TX

14d•Hybrid

About The Position

Patriot Maritime is seeking a Business Development & Chartering Manager to drive company growth in both government and commercial sectors. This role involves identifying and pursuing new business opportunities with entities like MSC, MARAD, and USTRANSCOM, as well as managing the chartering of Patriot's own vessels. The position also includes oversight of USC-10 activities, chartering third-party commercial vessels for USTRANSCOM cargo. The ideal candidate will be comfortable leveraging AI tools for research, analysis, and reporting to enhance efficiency. This is an on-site position with the possibility of a hybrid work schedule.

Requirements

BS. in Business Management, Maritime Business/Transportation, or similar field; MBA preferred.
Prior experience in vessel chartering, shipbroking, or commercial vessel operations strongly preferred (tanker/shallow draft experience a plus).
Familiarity with U.S. government maritime contracting (MSC, MARAD, USTRANSCOM) strongly preferred.
Strong financial planning & Excel background; comfort building voyage estimates and P&L models.
Strong analytical background with strict attention to detail.
Comfortable using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude) as part of everyday work; curiosity to learn new tools and apply them to research, analysis, and reporting.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make effective presentations and convey reporting to stakeholders.
The ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex documents, including charter parties and government contracts.
Proficient using Microsoft Office applications; familiarity with maritime market data platforms (e.g., Kpler, Clarksons) a plus.
Ability to prioritize tasks, perform detailed execution of tasks, and adapt to a changing environment.
Strong business acumen and comfort operating across both government contracting and commercial chartering environments.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.
Tanker/shallow draft experience a plus.
Familiarity with maritime market data platforms (e.g., Kpler, Clarksons) a plus.

Responsibilities

Assist the company President and other executives with strategic planning, goal setting, and forecasting of sales targets and growth projections.
Prospect and research target markets, identify leads, and pursue new business opportunities across government (MSC, MARAD, USTRANSCOM) and commercial maritime segments.
Take direct ownership of the bid/proposal process for government and commercial opportunities — from opportunity identification through proposal submission — including drafting proposals, preparing sales presentations, and leading sales meetings.
Support the Finance team in the annual operating budget and forecast processes.
Evaluate strategic options and provide advice to leadership with regard to new business and bid structuring.
Analyze and interpret data to provide accurate, useful, and timely reports, using AI tools where helpful to work through data faster.
Act as liaison between the business and accounting shared services group.
Identify business process improvement opportunities and develop solution options.
Proactively bring forward AI tools and applications that could help the team research markets, draft proposals, or streamline reporting.
Ad hoc reporting and analysis.
Maintain strong working knowledge of U.S. government contracting, particularly MSC, MARAD, and USTRANSCOM frameworks and how they apply to Patriot's contracts.
Stay up-to-date on industry developments and competitors.
Serve as the commercial chartering lead for Patriot's owned vessels, including shallow draft product tankers, managing voyage and time charter fixtures from inquiry through completion.
Negotiate charter party terms, freight/hire rates, laytime, demurrage, and off-hire matters directly with charterers, brokers, and counterparties.
Build and maintain relationships with brokers, charterers, and commercial counterparties across the coastal and shallow draft tanker trades.
Monitor freight markets, bunker prices, vessel positions, and competing tonnage to inform fixture strategy and vessel positioning, using AI and market data tools to speed up research and analysis.
Coordinate with vessel operations, technical, and legal teams to ensure smooth voyage execution, vetting/inspection readiness, and contract compliance.
Track and resolve commercial disputes (e.g., billing, demurrage, off-hire) in coordination with legal counsel and operations.
Prepare voyage estimates, P&L analysis, and post-fixture reviews to support pricing and chartering decisions.