Customs Specialist

Purpose of the Role

• Manage the Stock handling department and all related activities from receipt of stock to the transfer of stock into back up locations.
• Schedule activities and required tasks in accordance with warehouse policy and procedure

Key Roles & Responsibilities

• Ensure that border crossing shipments comply with the rules and regulations of South African authorities. This covers all facets of regulatory compliance, working closely with our factories, DCs, clearing agents / transportation carriers.
• Lead the South African affiliate through the changes in the international trade landscape as required from time to time.
• Manages daily operational issues related to customs compliance, e.g., Port Health exams, Shipment Embargoes, completing clearing instructions, etc.
• Monitors and audits import and export customs entries for accuracy as part of an internal audit program, e.g., tariff codes, exchange rates, VDN compliance, customs value, incoterms, etc.
• Ensures Free Trade Agreement compliance, e.g., EU Free Trade Agreement.
• Maintain and update tariff classifications and communicate to clearing agents.
• Create/update Standard Operating Procedures for Customs operations.
• Requests, retains, and stores documents related to the affiliates import and export transactions.
• Develops and coordinates internal regulatory compliance training as required from time to time.
• Implement and execute regulatory compliance audits; internally and at external parties such as clearing agents.
• Support all customs compliance initiatives and competencies, which include the areas of customs entry operations, clearing agent management, classification, valuation, trade programs and agreements, and internal auditing.
• Remains current on laws, regulation and practices affecting customs compliance specific to the cosmetic industry.
• Provides customs compliance direction to staff and key internal stakeholders.
• Provides continuous reports to upper management on current and all pending customs related issues.
• Is POC for Customs and Tax Revenue inquiries.
• Create KPIs to accurately measure and report on customs compliance-related activities.
• Works with Legal Department and outside counsel regarding compliance matters.

General Roles & Responsibilities

• Establishes strong and effective working relationships with Key Stakeholders to drive E2E Supply Chain improvement.
• Ensure smooth end to end transportation flows in all the defined modes of international transportation (Air/Ocean) for ELC regardless of whether freight is paid for by the vendor or the company and solves proactively and autonomously any freight issues and/or escalates them when appropriate.
• Acts as first point of escalation for immediate actions and manages and steers all team/region activities related to operational excellence on a daily basis for topics such as but not limited to; shipping volume, special cases and urgencies, routing analysis, transit times evaluation, etc.
• Prepares root/cause analysis reports for operational issues and proposes corrective measures in assessment with the direct line manager.
• Effectively support to manage the selection, the relationship, and the performance of the clearing agents service providers.
• Contribute to launch RFPs for new vendors and support Customs and/or Freight Tender Projects
• Contributes to keep a professional Customs and Transportation set-up and strives in excellence in the service execution.
• Support the cost controlling of the transportations budget by defined category.

Analytics

• Create and maintain system-based analysis and statistics, developing reports for data validation; build models, run scenarios, and assist in the preparation of results presentations for monthly business review.
• Publish regular KPIs and Dashboards
• Supports data gathering and route analysis for assessments in transport optimization.

Qualifications

Requirements and Experience

• Min 5 years with a freight forwarder - Customer facing Import & Export clearances, preferably with a multi-national forwarder, or min 3 years in cosmetics or pharmaceuticals industries - import & export admin/compliance preferably with a multi-national business.
• Experience of preparation for and taking part in customs audits.
• SAP knowledge advantageous.
• Cosmetics customs experience in the South African sector advantageous.
• MS Office mandatory, e.g., Excel (advanced) and PowerPoint (Basic).

Key Personal Characteristics

• Effectively manage change.
• Networks effectively with regulatory authorities, the affiliate and clearing agents.
• Work in a team environment
• Excellent communication skills
• Positive can-do attitude
• Attention to detail and numerate.
• Flexible in responding to change.
• Maintains a standard of honesty.
• Strives to meet targets set.

Job: Distribution/ Warehouse/ Logistics - Supply Chain

Primary Location: Europe, Middle East, Africa-ZA-GP-Johannesburg

Job Type: Standard

Schedule: Full-time

Shift: 1st (Day) Shift

Job Number: 2315045