Customs clearance and compliance
- Own the HS classification and customs-value position on every import, and review and approve the licensed clearing agent's draft declaration for accuracy before it is lodged in KRA iCMS
- Catch and resolve mis-classifications and valuation errors before entries are lodged, and clear customs queries and holds quickly once they arise
- Manage pre-shipment conformity (KEBS PVoC / Certificate of Conformity) and secure all commodity-specific approvals and permits required for clearance (e.g. KEBS, radiation, KEPHIS, fisheries or veterinary permits)
- Keep the business fully compliant with Kenyan customs and trade regulations, and current with changing KRA and regulatory requirements
Import documentation and process ownership
- Own the country import documentation process end to end - from supplier PO through clearance to delivery on site - as a controlled, repeatable, fully documented workflow
- Prepare, verify, and manage the full documentation pack for every consignment: Import Declaration Form (IDF), commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading / airway bill, certificate of origin, and permits and licences
- Maintain an audit-ready import records archive and keep the standard operating procedure for the import process current
Landed cost and duty management
- Compute and verify import duty, VAT, excise, IDF fee, and Railway Development Levy accurately on every entry
- Maintain the landed-cost model for key imports (e.g. feed), and flag duty, tax, or exemption opportunities to Procurement and Finance
- Ensure duty and tax funding is arranged and released in time so it never delays clearance
Clearing agents, port, and demurrage control
- Manage licensed clearing agents to agreed cost, accuracy, and turnaround SLAs, against a simple performance scorecard
- Run an import control tower: track every in-transit consignment by ETA, document status, and free-time / demurrage-clock expiry
- Proactively drive down demurrage, storage, and detention costs through documentation readiness and disciplined clearance planning
- Coordinate inland transport and delivery of cleared cargo to sites with the Logistics team
- Optional strategic mandate, if VF elects to pursue it: assess and, once approved, drive self-clearing / in-house licensed-agent status and AEO accreditation to reduce reliance on third-party agents and speed up clearance
Skills and qualifications:
- 5+ years of hands-on imports and customs experience in Kenya - on the importer side or with a clearing and forwarding agent - clearing consignments through Mombasa port and JKIA
- Deep, practical command of the Kenyan customs declaration and KRA iCMS - enough to set classification and valuation and to direct and check a licensed clearing agent - spanning IDF, HS classification, duty and tax computation, and KEBS / PVoC conformity
- A proven track record of controlling demurrage, detention, and clearance lead times
- The ability to manage and hold accountable licensed clearing agents to cost and turnaround standards
- A solid grasp of Kenyan customs and trade compliance, including permits and exemptions relevant to imported goods
- A recognised customs or clearing qualification or licence (e.g. EAC / KRA customs, KIFWA, or licensed clearing agent status)
- Experience importing feed, agricultural inputs, perishables, or capital equipment
- Familiarity with ERP-based procurement and import tracking (ERPNext an advantage)
- Meticulous and document-obsessed - nothing moves without a complete, correct pack
- Calm and decisive under time pressure, with free-time clocks always running
- Commercially sharp on duty and landed cost, not just on process
- High integrity, and comfortable operating in a compliance-sensitive function
- Field-oriented - as comfortable at the port and with agents as at a desk