Customs Brokerage Supervisor

Become a member of a global community! The international logistics industry is an integral piece of the global trade puzzle; we make the world go round. Global supply chain management is what we do, and 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. Expeditors is a global logistics company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. As a Fortune 500 company, we employ over 19,000 trained professionals in a worldwide network of over 350+ locations across six continents. Expeditors satisfies the increasingly sophisticated needs of international trade through customized solutions and seamless, integrated information systems.

Our Mission is to recruit, train, and retain the very best logistics and technical experts the world over. We love to promote from within - more than 50 percent of our employees have been at Expeditors for five years or more. Our high retention rate is influenced by a unique compensation program for positions that are more than just jobs - they're chances to grow, do what you love and build a career with us!

PURPOSE

To support the customs brokerage manager in the smooth running of the department within the branch (ie) the customs product in the marketplace through focus on Operational Excellence, Financial Excellence, Business Development, Employee Development, Customer Service, and Digitization. To stay in adherence to the company’s policy, procedures and business code of conduct.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Operational Excellence

• Monitor compliance at all times to regulations. This includes internal policies and procedures such as Operational Process Standards (OPS) and external government regulations or customer policies/requirements.
• Understand department process flow, constantly looking for areas of improved efficiency.
• Ensure all customers standard operating procedures are followed as per the SOP.
• Ensure all Customs Authorizations are accurate
• Monitor team workboards and workloads
• Ensure all documentation present for archiving purposes
• Allocate workloads within team to ensure smooth operations during peak activity or staff absence
• Meet with local customs to discuss performance, delays, red-channels, customs developments and plans (to adapt country per country)
• Promote compliance in diligently following all company policies and regulations and in being the role model of integrity and pride for all employees.
• Proactively communicate with the team to ensure continuous awareness and understanding of policies and regulations.
• Maintain a positive relationship with the Trade Compliance Manager and support all compliance efforts and trainings.

Financial Excellence

• Follow up the customs guarantee for various operations
• Follow up refunds with customs authorities
• Follow AR report - review, delegate, chase
• Ensure every account has a credit limit and check for credit extension when needed
• Department P&L - review, identify areas that lack profitability

Business Development

Support the manger and or the sales department where needed:

• Ensure all new business is transitioned correctly
• Report all calls - sales and retention activities in CRM
• Support with brokerage business setup and/or quotes as needed

Employee Development

• Identify with manager, develop and mentor your No. 2
• Ensure team meets company standards of 52 hours training per year per employee
• Ensure that the new hires complete company’s mandatory training within the first 6 months
• Participate in 3+1: quarterly one on ones and annual performance review with all employees
• Ensure all staff and positions have job descriptions, communicate clear expectations and are working with structured development plans.
• Contribute to the effective weekly department meetings with team.
• Review department goals and business plan periodically with team to ensure buy-in and accountability.
• Proactively promote the company’s 10 cultural attributes: Appearance, Attitude, Confidence, Curiosity, Excellence, Integrity, Pride, Resolute, Sense of Humor, and Visionary.

Customer Service

• Prioritize the customer experience
• Communicate regularly with customers and maintain good working relationships
• Handle escalation requests from agents
• All communication with customers should be professional and set an example for the team
• Foster the 6 Key Elements of Customer Service within the team (Freight, Relationship, Billing, Communication, Information, Our People)
• Be able to navigate difficult conversations with customers and reach a resolution
• Support customers throughout the department, step in to support other teams as needed

Digitization

• Focus on continued process improvement and efficiencies
• Promote and utilize productivity tools (process management, data default rules, macros/power queries, edoc lift, etc.)
• Be open to implementing new system changes and enhancements with your team
• Be involved with onboarding and suggesting system/process improvements
• Set the tone of this environment within your team
• Pull and customize reporting for customers

Knowledge

• Expeditors company policies and procedures knowledge
• A good understanding of Expeditors’ products, services and systems
• Strong market and competition knowledge
• Good knowledge of customs brokerage process and system essential
• Good knowledge of customs legislation, especially with regards to classification, valuation and origin
• Understanding of ocean, transcon and air documentation process
• Knowledge of air, road and ocean transport
• Good knowledge of incoterms
• Hazardous Materials certification (preferred)
• Well rounded knowledge of the customs tariff and customs system
• Working knowledge and experience of the customs regulations

Skills

• Effective interpersonal skills, including proven abilities to listen, comprehend, effectively communicate clearly and concisely to obtain positive results.
• Good Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word etc.)
• Pro-active, strong organizational skills
• Familiarity with digitization tools
• Fluent in English
• Proven negotiation skills
• The ability to troubleshoot and solve problems quickly and effectively
• The ability to maintain a privileged relationships with the customs authorities

Behaviours

• Emotional resilience
• Set the weather for the team
• Self-reflecting and open to feedback
• Initiative and ability to work in autonomy
• Role model of integrity and pride for all employees
• Proven leadership attitude and background

Training Requirements

• Meet company standards of 52 hours training per year, including as needed management/leadership training

Education and Experience

• 3-5 years of Customs Brokerage experience (preferred)
• Licensed Customs Broker (preferred)

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