Customs Brokerage Operations Manager

Responsibilities

The Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing customs brokerage service execution, ensuring regulatory compliance, and managing departmental personnel and business goals. They will also handle financial oversight, including P&L management, and maintain strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders.

Requirements

Candidates should possess a bachelor's degree and at least 10 years of experience in customs brokerage. Strong knowledge of customs legislation, classification, valuation, and origin, along with effective leadership and communication skills, is required.

Skills

• Customs brokerage
• Operations management
• Compliance management
• Personnel management
• Logistics
• Supply chain management
• Staff coaching
• Financial reporting
• Customer relationship management
• Regulatory compliance
• Process improvement
• Data analysis
• Team leadership
• Customs regulations
• Documentation management
• Strategic planning

Benefits

• Paid vacation
• Holiday pay
• Sick time
• Medical health plan
• Life insurance
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Training and personnel development program
• Growth opportunities
• Employee referral program
• Bonus

About this role

Company Description
“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
Job Description
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 r...

About Expeditors

Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage · 10,001+ employees · headquartered in Bellevue, Washington · founded 1979