Imports Manager at Lactalis South Africa

Job Description    

• Join Lactalis at our offices in Western Cape and take on the challenge of the Import Manager role.  The purpose of this role is to manage the import and export operations of all goods, including compliance to all trade regulations and identifying opportunities for process improvement and cost reduction.
• This exciting career opportunity will enable you to apply your business acumen to ensure that the company achieves this challenging objective during the next phase of its growth in South Africa. The position available is an Import Manager in the Head Office Procurement team

Required Skills    

• University or similar degree – ideally in Supply Chain Management, Business Science, Industrial Engineering or related
• Minimum 5 years work experience, ideally in Logistics
• FMCG experience is preferred
• A good understating and operational experience of import and export trade regulations
• A good understanding of Supply Chain and Procurement principles and standards
• Advanced computer knowledge skills – MS PowerPoint and MS Excel
• Advanced computer knowledge skills – MS PowerPoint and MS Excel
• Knowledge of ERP system (especially material management module) is of advantage
• High degree of motivation, initiative, thinking ahead and driving results
• Good ability to communicate with a wide range of personalities
• High level of attention to detail, accuracy and ability to prioritize   

Duties & Responsibilities    

• Business Processes
• Maintain subject matter expertise in all import and export trade regulations
• Maintain global and local market expertise in all import and export modes of transportation, freight forwarding, warehousing, transportation, logistics, surface transportation and supply chain solutions
• Ensure compliance to all trade regulations, customs tariff coding and changes and provide the necessary training to employees
• Administer the import and export of all goods, supervise tracking of shipments and delivery of goods to various geographical locations efficiently
• Planning, achieving, and maintaining a high level of on-time delivery and customer service, serves as a liaison between internal and external stakeholders
• Interpret all import or export documentation to ensure compliance with all applicable government regulations
• Determine the level of insurance required for each shipment and ensure that the applicable documentation is in place
• Supervise the operational efficiency of all external agents such as freight forwarders, logistics providers, custom agencies, etc., and provide feedback as necessary
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, fostering collaboration and teamwork
• Develop and manage budget of the import and export function
• Proactively identify opportunities for process improvement and cost reduction
• Support projects for implementation of new Procurement tools or processes, e.g., Purchasing Performance Management, Inbound Logistics Management, Supplier Relationship Management, E-sourcing, etc.
• Provides operational Business support to Procurement Team and Line Manager