Senior Director, Ports & Terminals Technology Business Partner - Americas

We are the leading provider of worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain & logistics, enabling the flow of trade across the globe. Our comprehensive range of products and services covers every link of the integrated supply chain – from maritime and inland terminals to marine services and industrial parks as well as technology-driven customer solutions.

The Senior Director, P&T Technology Business Partner - Americas acts as the strategic leader and interface between Technology and the Ports & Terminals businesses across the region. This role drives operational excellence, standardization, and innovation by aligning regional priorities with Group Technology platforms such as Cargoes and Zodiac.

The Senior Director is accountable for shaping and executing the regional terminal technology roadmap, ensuring DP World remains competitive by leveraging the latest trends in P&T technology. A critical part of this role is leading the deployment of new Terminal Operating System (TOS), including the successful rollout and optimization of Zodiac (DP World’s proprietary TOS) across the Americas, while driving further efficiency through automation, data-driven insights, and emerging technologies such as AI/ML. The goal is to deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, safety, cost, and customer experience across all terminals.

This position plays a critical role in a region encompassing 13 terminals across 8 countries, influencing operations with more than $800m in revenue, 4.8m TEU throughput, and direct impact on more than $500m in gross expenses.

As a senior leader, this position requires strong domain expertise in ports and terminals, solution-oriented thinking, and the ability to lead large-scale, multi-country initiatives while mentoring and developing high-performing teams. The role also requires deep technology leadership, including shaping architecture, driving integration across platforms, and ensuring that innovation in automation and AI translates into scalable operational solutions.

Key Accountabilities

Technology Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and execute the regional technology strategy for Ports & Terminals, aligned with Group Technology standards and global initiatives
• Own the Americas rollout of Zodiac (DP World’s proprietary TOS), ensuring successful deployment, adoption, and optimization across all terminals
• Provide technology leadership for the region, ensuring system architectures, integrations, and standards enable long-term scalability and resilience
• Establish and enforce standards for the evaluation and use of third-party applications and automation solutions across the region
• Benchmark systems against competitors and integrate emerging automation and AI trends into regional roadmaps
• Ensure Americas terminals adopt advanced platforms to enhance efficiency, resilience, and service quality

KPIs: Regional technology roadmap delivered; successful Zodiac adoption; measurable productivity and customer satisfaction improvements

Solution Design & Program Delivery

• Lead major deployments, with primary accountability for Zodiac (DP World’s proprietary TOS), and terminal automation programs (gate, vessel, rail, yard), ensuring integration with enterprise and logistics platforms
• Leverage AI/ML for planning, scheduling, and resource optimization across terminals
• Assist with the overall design and business planning for new terminals (Greenfield and Brownfield), while leading the design and implementation of the supporting technology solutions to ensure they are integrated, standardized, and future-ready
• Oversee program and project management across multiple countries, ensuring initiatives are delivered on time, within scope and budget

KPIs: Zodiac implementation success; project delivery success rate; optimization gains realized; stakeholder satisfaction

Operational Excellence & Optimization

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by using technology to achieve cost optimization, throughput gains, and service quality enhancements
• Champion the use of data analytics, automation, and AI/ML models to continuously optimize yard, vessel, and landside operations
• Build strong cross-departmental bridges, ensuring technology enables business outcomes rather than creating silos

KPIs: Throughput and productivity improvements; operational bottlenecks reduced; cost efficiency targets achieved

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, mentor, and coach a diverse regional technology team (~10 direct reports plus indirect IT leaders across terminals)
• Build a high-performance culture that emphasizes collaboration, ownership, agility, and accountability
• Serve as a cultural ambassador, fostering trust, inclusion, and resilience across a multi-country region

KPIs: Employee engagement scores; retention and growth of high-potential talent; team performance outcomes

Communications & Working Relationships

Internal:

• Operations Directors and General Managers across Business Units
• IT Directors and IT teams within Business Units
• Regional Operations and Finance teams
• Global Operations and Technology teams
• Regional Technology team and Senior Directors
• Ports & Terminals senior leaders in other regions

External:

• TOS and automation vendors
• Port authorities and regulators
• Rail providers and shipping lines
• Other key technology and infrastructure partners

Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Act as primary liaison with terminal GMs, BU operations leaders, and Group Technology teams
• Ensure Americas’ technology practices align with global standards and corporate governance requirements, working closely with DP World Global IT Managers
• Represent the region in global forums, ensuring Americas’ requirements influence Group strategy
• Engage with external stakeholders including TOS and automation vendors, port authorities, rail providers, and shipping lines to ensure effective collaboration and solution adoption
• Communicate complex solutions clearly and persuasively to different audiences, from front-line operators to the C-suite

KPIs: Stakeholder satisfaction; Americas influence in global strategy; effectiveness of communications

Governance & Financial Stewardship

• Provide oversight for regional technology budgets and investment cases
• Ensure disciplined financial and risk management across technology programs
• Drive ROI by linking automation, AI, and Zodiac-driven initiatives to clear business value

KPIs: Budget adherence; ROI on Zodiac, automation, and AI investments; risk mitigation effectiveness

Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Logistics, Supply Chain, or related field. Master’s degree preferred
• 10+ years of hands-on experience in container terminal operations, with in-depth knowledge of vessel/yard planning, resource planning, procedures, and business processes. Consultancy or logistics-related experience with a focus on best practices and process improvement is also valued
• Proven expertise in Terminal Operating Systems (Navis preferred) and automation technologies, with a strong track record of deploying TOS, automation, and AI-enabled solutions in ports or logistics environments and translating them into measurable operational gains
• Experience in marine terminal automation (gate, vessel, and rail) strongly preferred
• Proven ability to lead enterprise technology initiatives, including integration of terminal systems with global platforms (Cargoes, ERP, logistics solutions), ensuring scalability and alignment with Group Technology standards
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale, multi-country transformation programs and strategic initiatives, including new system deployments and optimization projects
• Extensive program and project management experience, encompassing continuous process improvement, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration across distributed multicultural teams
• Strong governance and financial management capabilities, including budget oversight, risk assessment and mitigation, and implementation of quality assurance processes
• Data-driven decision-making skills, using performance metrics and analytics to drive optimization and business value
• Deep knowledge of P&T industry trends, with a focus on automation, AI, and optimization
• Solution-oriented mindset, able to turn challenges into executable solutions
• Strong leadership skills, including mentoring, conflict resolution, and culture building
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in Spanish strongly preferred; Portuguese an advantage.
• High degree of ownership, agility, and flexibility; thrives in dynamic, matrixed environments

Please note: This position does not offer sponsorship for employment visas. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in The United States without sponsorship now or in the future.
 

About Dp World

Trade is the lifeblood of the global economy, creating opportunities and improving the quality of life for people around the world. DP World exists to make the world’s trade flow better, changing what’s possible for the customers and communities we serve globally. 

With a dedicated, diverse and professional team of more than 115,000 employees from 160 nationalities, spanning 78 countries on six continents, DP World is pushing trade further and faster towards a seamless supply chain that’s fit for the future. 

We’re rapidly transforming and integrating our businesses -- Ports and Terminals, Marine Services, Logistics and Technology – and uniting our global infrastructure with local expertise to create stronger, more efficient end-to-end supply chain solutions that can change the way the world trades.

What's more, we're reshaping the future by investing in innovation. From intelligent delivery systems to automated warehouse stacking, we’re at the cutting edge of disruptive technology, pushing the sector towards better ways to trade, minimizing disruptions from the factory floor to the customer’s door.

DP World is on a mission to transcend boundaries and bridge the gap between all nations and cultures – not just in what we do but also in how we behave.

We are dedicated to creating a culture where everyone feels respected, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential. We believe that embracing inclusion and diversity, drives innovation and growth and helps us connect people, businesses, and societies. Free minds and different perspectives are changing our world, and together we can change what’s possible.

We Make Trade Flow

TO CHANGE WHAT'S POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE.

DP World is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). We strongly believe that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success and we make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or belief.

By submitting your resume and application information, you authorize DP World to transmit and store your information in the world-wide recruitment database, and to circulate that information as necessary for the purpose of evaluating your qualifications for this or other job vacancies.

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