Customs Lead (2 Years Contract ) / Philippines

As a Customs Lead, you will manage the risks and activities associated with freight forwarding, and customs brokerage activities, particularly maximizing the use of Tax Exemption Certificate (TEC) for the offshore project.

He/She ensures regulatory compliance to customs laws and will initiate government engagements to create alignment and develop efficient way to apply and secure TEC for the project.

Accountabilities

• Contract Holder, or joint Contract Holder/Company Representative as shared with the Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage Contracts which include the following responsibilities:
  • Draft contracting strategy to optimize existing contracts and award new ones as applicable
  • Ensure safe delivery as per agreed contract performance measures
  • Control and monitor contract spend in SAP and on-time payment processing of vendor and customs charges
  • Ensure operations/activities are in compliance with Company policy, procedures and Customs laws & regulations
  • Maintain a performance measurement system and analyze, monitor and where necessary drive to improve the performance of the Contractor through structured engagement.

• Develop and execute concrete and effective government engagement plan, together with the External Relations (ER) team, to ensure the Client can maximize use of TEC
• Provide oversight to contractor on customs clearance activities and engage relevant regulators and authorities where required
• Ensure on time delivery of materials to the relevant identified destination as per the project requirements
• Collaborate closely with the entire team to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is provided to support planning and timely execution of activities
• Maintain close coordination with material controllers and logistics contractors in the South East Asia region where project equipment and materials will be stored to ensure customs requirements in other countries are fully complied with
• Build and manage relationship with Department of Energy (DoE), Department of Finance (DOF) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) at working level to ensure smooth tax exemption process
• Collaborate with Wells and SURF team to document surplus inventory management strategy and work with Inventory Lead, to ensure the project surplus materials are well accounted for and necessary preservation strategy is in place as recommended by vendors or the activity owners.
• Subject Matter Expert for Customs Brokerage/Import-Export which includes the following responsibilities:
  • Provide technical guidance to end-users on Import and Export
  • Ensure compliance with trade regulations, including Strategic Trade Management Office (STMO) requirements and review suitability and applicability of End-User Certificates (EUC’s)
  • Manage and execute the Tax Exemption Program for the project and ensure compliance to reporting requirements.
  • Develop, review, and implement a practical customs policy aligned with legislation, Joint Venture (JV), and records management requirements for the project.

Dimensions:

• Ever changing regulatory environment requiring dynamic responsiveness to ensure Tax Exemption Certificate (TEC) value is protected and impact to planned activities is minimized
• Managing a regulator-driven process in a High Risk Country in terms of Ethics and Compliance (E&C)
• The role is an individual performer managing contractors
• Secondary Relationship Owner for the Bureau of Customs
• Number of Staff: No direct reports, regular interface with contract managers, end-users, and external stakeholders
• External Relationships: Department of Energy, Department of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry, Corporate bank, Contractors and Vendors, Secondary Relationship Owner for the Bureau of Customs

Skills and Requirements:

The ideal candidate should have:

• At least 2 Years experience in Contract Management as Contract Holder or Contract Representative; Completed Contract Management training is preferable but not required
• Strong stakeholder management skills covering both internal and external parties
• Highly organized and with excellent attention to detail
• Use of ERP systems in managing supply chain activity – SAP an advantage
• Experience in drilling operations in South East Asia region is a plus
• Audit skills
• Tertiary education and 8-10 years relevant Supply Chain experience (Contracting, Customs, Freight Forwarding)
• Experience in Upstream and previous exposure to Supply Chain is a plus.
• Knowledge of Trade Controls, Philippine Customs Laws & Regulations and practices
• Commercial sense, business acumen, and multi-tasked work capability.
• Unquestionable ethics, good team building skills, analytical abilities, and an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Strong influencing and networking skills.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Continuous improvement mindset and behaviour