Project Manager, DFDS

Project Manager

Do you want to be a valued part of the critical infrastructure that serves communities across Europe and beyond? Are you looking for a position in which you can set direction and help shape our company? If so, then you could be the newest addition to our Strategy & Consulting team as Project Manager.

About the role 
Be part of the movement – and play your part.
The Strategy & Consulting team (S&C) in DFDS supports the Executive Management in setting DFDS’ strategic direction and delivering some of the highest impact strategic projects across the company. Our team drives projects of high strategic importance to DFDS spanning across strategy, M&A, operations, commercial, green transition, digitalisation, and organisational topics.

To support this journey, we are looking to grow and strengthen our S&C team with an ambitious strategy profile with +2 years of relevant experience for a full-time position as Project Manager.

The team consists of passionate ex-management consultants and in-house trained consulting colleagues bringing experience from a multitude of industries and practices. The team appreciates spending time together and regularly arranges off-sites, dinners, and other social events. Furthermore, we take pride in a supporting professional environment where colleagues are always ready to help. You will have a high degree of responsibility and exposure to the Executive Management from the beginning of your career at DFDS.

Personal development is high on the team agenda. It is supported by a structured feedback process, along with an extensive development curriculum consisting of both internal and external trainings. The team successfully transitions several colleagues into commercial and operational roles in the business every year and last year managed another Talent 100 winner and is proud of the track record.

The job is based in DFDS’ Headquarters in Copenhagen, occasional travel to onsite locations across Europe will be necessary. You will be reporting to Andreas Björnsson, Head of Strategy & Consulting. Andreas Björnsson has a background from McKinsey & Co.

What kind of exciting challenges can you expect to meet in this role?:
As a Project Manager, you will work alongside experienced ex-consultant colleagues. Your focus will be to lead and support DFDS colleagues in strategic projects. This will include, but is not limited to:

• Identifying and framing the key issues DFDS is facing
• Analytical work incl. problem solving, data analysis and business cases
• Driving projects forward incl. project planning and management in collaboration with colleagues across the company
• Setting the organisation up for successful implementation
• Sparring on strategic topics with senior stakeholders
• Heavy involvement with DFDS top management to help shape and realise the group strategy

Examples of previous projects:

• Development of DFDS’ new group strategy (Moving Together Towards 2030)
• Climate strategy and action plan to reduce DFDS’ environmental footprint including vessel electrification, shore power procurement and eTruck deployment
• Commercial due diligence and integration of recent acquisitions of Ekol Logistics and FRS Iberia
• Establishment of long-term digitalisation roadmap with most value creating areas for Ferry & Logistics divisions
• Turnaround project for an underperforming business entity in conjunction with local management
• Greenfield establishment of two new routes from France to Ireland and UK
• Reorganisation of Technology & Innovation (IT) division, and of Ferry division
• Vessel schedule optimisation program to reduce carbon emissions and costs across

About you
We think the strongest teams are built on diversity and inclusivity. Contrasting opinions, varied skills and strong characters bring out the best in us all. With this in mind, we think it is important that you are ambitious, caring, sociable and highly capable of taking responsibility. You need to have a strong personal drive, a good sense of teamwork and general curiosity. You have a good sense of project management, strong problem solving and analytical skills and excellent communication skills.

Furthermore, the ideal person for this position will have the following qualifications:

• 2+ years relevant professional experience e.g., within management consulting, business development, strategy, finance, private equity or similar
• Master’s degree for instance in business administration, economics, finance, strategy, or engineering degree
• Top grades from your studies
• Experience within Excel and PowerPoint
• Full professional proficiency in English

Working at DFDS 
Join the movement and grow with us.

While you’re with us, we want you to develop and move yourself on. We’ll encourage you to challenge yourself to acquire new skills and perspectives.

DFDS is a leading player in the shipping and logistics industry in Europe and is underway in a large green transition of its entire operations along with an extensive digitalisation journey. In 2023, DFDS delivered an EBITDA of ~5,000 mDKK, revenue of 27 bDKK, and employs ~13,000 people. Furthermore, DFDS has a strong continuing record of acquiring businesses, leading to close to a tripling in company size over the last 12 years.

S&C’s strategic projects support these journeys in an industry that is also undergoing significant changes. This includes an all-encompassing green transition, digitalising a traditionally handheld industry, consolidation resulting in much M&A activity, rapid technology changes such as autonomous transport and many players pursuing value chain integration strategies – all things which will drastically change the industry landscape, and present many exciting projects.

We look forward to hearing from you.