Ocean Program Administrator
At an ocean-freight agency, port authority, or maritime trade office, you administer programs related to ocean transportation — managing licensing, supporting trade-policy implementation, coordinating with industry stakeholders, and the public-sector operational work behind ocean trade.
What it's like to be a Ocean Program Administrator
Days tend to mix program administration, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory coordination — supporting OTI license processing through the FMC, coordinating with ocean carriers and forwarders on regulatory matters, supporting trade-program implementation, engaging with international maritime stakeholders. Program throughput, stakeholder satisfaction, and regulatory-compliance posture shape the visible measures.
What gets demanding is the federal-regulatory complexity — ocean-trade regulation involves FMC, USCG, CBP, and IMO frameworks that interact in detailed ways, and administrators carry the responsibility for applying them consistently. Variance across employers is wide: FMC and federal maritime agencies run with formal regulatory authority; state and port authorities run with operational programs; industry associations and trade-policy organizations run with advocacy and education functions.
The role tends to fit folks who carry maritime industry knowledge, comfort with regulatory frameworks, and the diplomatic touch that public-sector trade work requires. FIATA, maritime credentials, and growing trade-policy experience anchor advancement. The trade-off is the slow-arc nature of trade-policy work and the modest pay typical of public-sector administration.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
How this category is changing
Skills & Requirements
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