Customs Brokerage Operations Manager

“We’re not in the shipping business; we’re in the information business” -Peter Rose, Expeditors Founder Global supply chain management is what we do, but at the heart of Expeditors you will find professionalism, leadership, and a friendly environment, all of which foster an innovative, customer service-based approach to logistics. - 15,000 trained professionals - 250+ locations worldwide - Fortune 500 - Globally unified systems Administration and Personnel Management   ·         Manage and monitor service execution within the Customs brokerage department ·         Manage capacity and resource needs for the department ·         Ensure that department is properly staffed, structured and organized ·         Manage timely and effective staff evaluations and reviews ·         Provide feedback, coaching, mentoring to staff on an ongoing basis ·         Manage staff for continual growth in skills and expertise ·         Prepare and execute personal goals ·         Assist staff in preparing personal goals ·         Make certain that all staff members complete annual training in required timeframes ·         Make certain that new employees receive all mandatory training in required timeframes ·         Maintain highest compliance levels for all necessary and applicable Customs and other government agency controls and requirements ·         Ensure that company controls, policies, procedures, processes, applications, tools, and systems are understood and implemented ·         Ensure that the company’s third party broker program is properly managed within the branch ·         Ensure oversight, including self-assessments and daily monitoring so that issues are resolved at the root cause level ·         Prepare and execute department business plan and goals     Operations, Compliance and Customs Expertise   ·         Provide deskside training to department as needed in these specific areas: o   National customs regulations o   Expeditors’ customs policies, controls, procedures and processes o   Operational  and customer service execution o   Customer communication, interaction, development and maintenance, o   Expeditors’ applications, tools, systems and their usage o   Client specific requirements ·         If using third party brokers, provide clear instructions, procedures and expectations regarding both Expeditors’ and customer requirements ·         If required, review and sign entries prior to submission to Customs ·         Work with staff on capacity and efficiency issues ·         Make certain that all new clients are set up properly with any of the following that apply: power of attorney, letter of authorization, importers’ worksheet, DLSOP, and/or standard operating procedures ·         Make certain that client specific instructions are clear and detailed to ensure that desk level staff can properly process entries and invoice for services ·         Control department’s interface with Customs authorities ·         Make certain that files are logged correctly and timely with proper codes, trace types and events as needed ·         Review all entry rejections, EDI rejections, or other discrepancies in business unit to make certain that they are resubmitted timely and correctly ·         Monitor and review post entry activity with branch compliance manager ·         Make certain that discrepancies are monitored and resolved timely and correctly ·         Work with branch compliance manager to understand and trend discrepancy root causes and implement necessary training ·         Ensure there is a workflow or management reports to oversee and manage the operation ·         Control workflow within business unit ·         Control document receipt and distribution within business unit both for hard copy and electronic documents ·         Ensure that all correspondence within business unit is handled timely and professionally ·         Escalate necessary issues to District or Branch Manager ·         Develop optimum efficient processes without sacrificing compliance, oversight or controls ·         Stay current with developments and changes in regulations or company offerings; educate staff as these happen ·         Understand requirements of participating government agencies ·         Ensure all employees have proper training in other government agency requirements       Finance   ·         Ensure that all files are timely billed and correctly ·         Ensure that all billing and billing packages are timely mailed or electronically transmitted including the correct and complete documents and backup ·         Manage execution of credit policy ·         Review department P and L on a monthly basis and understand composition of clients, revenue, and file type and complexity for customs entries ·         Review all billed not paid and paid not billed items for proper handling and closing ·         Review entries for proper use of bill codes, GL codes and file types ·         Review customer A/R for area of responsibility and depending upon structure, be prepared to communicate with customers regarding either late payments or invoice discrepancies ·         Review invoices from third party brokers against their tariffs     Sales and Marketing (and Growth)   ·         Maintain and develop relationship with current brokerage customers ·         Work with sales, customer retention and development, and account management to maintain and develop relationships with current customers, and to develop and bring new customers into the department ·         Work with T&I and account management to make certain that customer requirements are both understood and properly implemented ·         Prepare effective customer presentations and updates ·         Communicate clearly and often with sales,  customer retention, account management and T&I to provide information on status of service levels, execution, and future opportunities   Experience and Education Suggested: ·         Degree or equivalent  ·         Minimum 10 years’ experience in Customs brokerage ·         Has completed country specific certification in Customs brokerage if available ·         Hands-on knowledge of Customs clearance function ·         Strong interpersonal and communication skills ·         Ability to articulate clearly through written and oral communication and presentations ·         Ability to relate to clients, service providers and employees at all levels ·         Understanding of data and reports or outputs used from data ·         PC skills including word processing and spreadsheet applications ·         Hands-on user skills with Expeditors’ applications as needed ·         English fluency Bachelors degree with 5+ year of working experience. - Good knowledge of customs brokerage process, customs legislation – especially with regards to classification, valuation and origin - Understanding of ocean, road and air documentation process - Effective interpersonal skills - Pro-active approach, strong organizational and computer skills - Good computer skills (MS Excel, MS Word) - Fluent in English  Expeditors offers excellent benefits: - Paid Vacation, Holiday, Sick Time - Health Plan: Medical - Life Insurance - Employee Stock Purchase Plan - Training and Personnel Development Program - Growth opportunities within the company - Employee Referral Program Bonus