Primary purpose of the role
Reporting to the UK Customs Manager, the Import Customs Managers role is to actively collaborate with various stakeholders to create a knowledgeable and disciplined department driven by a focus for optimising processes to provide the best service possible.
With a primary focus on clearances for road movements, the Import Customs Manager is charged with ensuring a quality clearance service is provided to network departments using a variety of import clearance methods.
A key purpose of the role is to develop and refine existing and new processes to ensure clearances are completed in a timely manner but also to ensure the development of new teams to promote cohesion and attainment of common goals.
Key Accountabilities
- Proactively manage the multiple import clearance teams effectively in a dynamic and challenging environment
- Actively collaborate with the UK Customs Manager on the structure and growth of the national customs team
- Identify opportunities to optimise procedures to maximise synergies, utilise resources and remain cost focussed at all times
- Ensure customs controls, policies and procedures are understood in a manner that can be applied to the departments everyday tasks and ensuring obligations are fully met
- Actively promoting a risk mitigation culture within the department and ensuring compliance of standard operating procedures for Customs and AEO processes
- Continually reviewing processes to strive for efficiencies without compromising the service level and/ or quality of work administered
- Support the various import supervisors with query escalations to provide suitable and rapid resolution to the situation
- To facilitate adherence to operational and service deadlines
- Collaboration with internal customers to maximise synergies and promote cross team and branch interactions and communications
- Direct liaison with the UK Customs Manager
- Direct liaison with external customers where required
- Direct liaison with Customs authorities such as HMRC and other agencies as and when necessary including, but not limited to, Border Force and DEFRA
- Direct liaison with Head Office Kempten with regard to various customs matters when necessary
- Actively collaborate with the supervisors to support and monitor the setting and evaluation of Key Performance Indicators for the various import teams
- Support HMRC AEO audits where necessary
- Support internal AEO monitoring activities where necessary
- Promote the Dachser values in the team work ethic
- Absence management and recording
- Training records, staff coaching, monitoring and appraisal and the integration of teams
Decision Making Authority
- Responsible for making day to day decisions to support operational activity
Resources
The incumbent will be responsible for a department consisting of numerous small/ medium sized teams located in Northampton.
Key Relationships
- UK Customs Manager
- Import Customs Supervisor
- Import Customs department team members
- European Network Departments
- UK and Continental
- Internal and External Customers
Focus
- Immediate line management
- Leadership in their development, allocation of work and duties, support & guidance with daily business, sharing best practice and information
- To provide support, guidance and leadership in the absence of the supervisor. Sharing best practice and information
- Coordination of day to day operational matters in relation to all relevant aspects of Customs activity
- Providing guidance and information on Customs matters and requirements, to help to ensure sufficient attention to this area at the pre-acquisition stage of new business development
- Query resolution
Performance Indicators
- Managing risk exposure
- Successful completion of department KPIs
- Efficiency of the import customs department
- Speed and effectiveness of query resolution
- Compliance with Customs and AEO processes
- Achievement of personal objectives and projects allocated to the role
- Objectives identified as part of the Performance Review process
- Attendance record and Absence management
Knowledge/Skills/Experience
- People management experience
- Experience in a customs related role
- Background in transport/ logistics
- Good educational background
- Good knowledge of Third country customs regulations
- Good comprehension of Customs procedures and formalities
- Working knowledge of and familiarity with UK CHIEF system and proprietary software systems
- Familiar with Microsoft Office programs and Datafreight
- An awareness of global geography
- Leadership skills with proven track record
- Highly adaptable and able to work under pressurised situations
- Self-motivated and ability to take responsibility to resolve issues efficiently and effectively
- Excellent problem solving and analysis skills
- Attention to detail and high levels of accuracy
- Excellent communication skills – with the ability to adapt their style and language (verbal and written) to suit the customer, department or level that they are dealing with
- Ability to create and maintain harmonious relationships with internal and external customers
- Ability to influence and impact people across all levels in the organisation
- A high customer service orientation with a passion for delivering quality
- Supportive and coaching capabilities