Depot Site Manager - Uganda

Role overview

This position sits within APM Terminals and focuses on running Maersk’s Uganda depot sites in a safe, efficient, commercially disciplined, and cost-conscious way. The role is accountable for everyday depot execution, team leadership, HSSE performance, equipment movement, operational discipline, customer experience, expense control, and delivery of the depot profit and loss.

In parallel, the role serves as the most senior Local Product representative in Uganda. It supports coordination across Depot, CHB, and Landside Transport, including stakeholder handling, issue resolution, workflow control, escalation management, and general operational oversight where local alignment is needed. It acts as the bridge between Uganda execution teams, Area Product owners, and cross-functional stakeholders, while formal product ownership continues to rest with the relevant Area Product leaders.

What the company offers

Joining Maersk means working in a globally connected, diverse, and collaborative environment shaped by strong values and high professional standards. The culture emphasizes teamwork, respect, dedication, ethical conduct, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. Maersk also states that hiring is based on merit and that all qualified candidates are considered without discrimination.

Depot operations and execution

• Take full ownership of daily depot operations across Uganda site locations.
• Make sure operating processes follow the agreed SOPs, customer expectations, and Maersk standards.
• Keep firm control over equipment handling, inventory accuracy, live status updates, aged units, and operational records.
• Find the underlying causes of operational problems and implement durable fixes rather than temporary workarounds.

HSSE and compliance

• Demonstrate clear safety leadership across the depot sites in Uganda.
• Promote a zero-fatality culture through safety observations, incident reporting, corrective action follow-up, and compliance with Maersk HSSE requirements.
• Ensure depot activities meet internal controls, authority expectations, customer commitments, and all relevant regulatory requirements.

People leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop depot staff in Uganda.
• Set objectives, performance standards, and accountability expectations.
• Build a team that is motivated, engaged, and operationally disciplined.
• Support onboarding, performance evaluations, leave approvals, and employee development within the approved authority framework.

Financial and commercial performance

• Be accountable for depot P&L delivery in Uganda.
• Strengthen cost control, reduce unnecessary spend, improve productivity, and protect CM1.
• Contribute to commercial initiatives, customer solutions, and strategic improvement efforts related to the depot.
• Work with Area Depot leadership to meet the agreed scorecard targets.

Country-level Local Product coordination

• Serve as the senior in-country Local Product contact for Uganda, helping align Depot, CHB, and Landside Transport teams.
• Support engagement with Sales, CX, Finance, Equipment, Ocean, customers, vendors, authorities, and other stakeholders whenever cross-product coordination is needed.
• Help resolve operational escalations affecting Uganda Local Products by ensuring issues are assigned, tracked, and closed by the proper owner.
• Support local workflow governance across Depot, CHB, and Landside Transport, including handover discipline, escalation routines, SOP compliance, exception handling, and issue follow-up.
• Provide coordination and general oversight for Local Product activities in Uganda without taking over the functional accountability of Product Managers or team leads.
• Escalate country-level risks, service issues, customer pain points, and operational bottlenecks early to the relevant Area Product owner, with context, impact assessment, and recommended actions.
• Help implement Area-led product initiatives in Uganda, including process changes, new operating models, customer solutions, vendor governance measures, and performance improvement plans.
• Represent Uganda Local Products in selected forums where cross-product input, issue resolution, or senior local alignment is needed.
• Encourage collaboration across Local Products so Depot, CHB, and Landside Transport teams work toward shared priorities around customer experience, safety, cost, compliance, and execution discipline.

Profile and working style

The ideal candidate is expected to make decisions quickly, focus on improvement, understand the role and impact of the equipment function, and look beyond symptoms to solve root causes. The role also requires the ability to spot bottlenecks early, communicate clearly, optimize processes and execution, coach and develop teams, inspire performance, set clear roles and expectations, and live Maersk’s core values and behaviours.

Additional strengths include managing senior stakeholders well, influencing without direct reporting authority, leading across functions such as Depot, CHB, Landside Transport, Sales, CX, Finance, Equipment, and vendors, and maintaining strong escalation and issue-resolution discipline. The job also calls for commercial awareness, customer focus, sound governance judgment, and the ability to decide when to solve something locally versus when to escalate to Area Product ownership.

Equal opportunity and support

Maersk describes itself as an equal opportunities employer and says it welcomes applicants regardless of race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave status, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Qualified candidates with criminal histories will be considered in line with legal requirements.

The company also notes that it can provide support or adjustments during the application and hiring process. Candidates who need accommodation to use the website, apply for the position, or perform the job may contact the provided accommodation email address.

Additional information

This is a full-time, onsite role based in Kampala, Central Region, Uganda.