Transportation & Customs Manager

Job Title: Transportation & Customs Manager
Department: Global Freight Service (GFS)

Job Summary

Manage transportation and customs clearance operations for GFS Dept, ensuring timely delivery, accurate documentation, regulatory compliance and effective cost control. Lead the operations team and coordinate with customers, transport providers, customs brokers and overseas offices to deliver reliable freight solutions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Transportation Management

• Manage daily domestic and cross-border transportation activities supporting airfreight and oceanfreight shipments, including pickup, delivery and container trucking.
• Plan transport capacity, routes and schedules to meet customer requirements and service commitments.
• Monitor shipment movements and resolve delays, delivery exceptions, cargo damage and other operational issues.
• Select, evaluate and manage trucking vendors and subcontractors based on service quality, capacity, safety and cost.
• Review transport rates and negotiate service terms in coordination with relevant internal teams.

2. Customs Clearance Management

• Oversee import and export customs clearance, ensuring accurate declarations, complete documentation and timely shipment release.
• Guide the team on HS classification, customs valuation, certificates of origin, applicable duties and taxes, and shipment-specific requirements.
• Review requirements for permits, specialized inspections and other customs procedures before shipment execution.
• Coordinate with customs authorities, brokers and customers to resolve clearance issues and support inspections or post-clearance reviews.
• Monitor regulatory changes and update internal procedures to maintain compliance.

3. Team Leadership and Process Improvement

• Lead, coach and allocate workloads across the transportation and customs teams.
• Establish operating procedures, service standards and escalation processes.
• Monitor operational performance and implement improvements to reduce delays, errors and avoidable costs.
• Ensure proper record keeping, documentation control and adherence to company policies.

4. Customer and Internal Coordination

• Work closely with Sales, Customer Service, Airfreight, Oceanfreight and Finance teams to support shipment execution and customer solutions
• Provide operational input for quotations, tenders and new customer implementation.
• Communicate with customers and overseas offices regarding transportation arrangements, clearance requirements and service issues.
• Review vendor charges and support timely, accurate billing and cost reconciliation.

• Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, International Trade, Business Administration or a related field.
• At least 7 years of experience in transportation and customs operations within freight forwarding or logistics, including 3 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
• Strong knowledge of Vietnam import and export customs procedures and transportation operations supporting airfreight and oceanfreight.
• Experience managing trucking vendors, customs brokers and operational teams.
• Familiarity with cross-border trucking, particularly Vietnam–China routes, is an advantage.
• Good command of spoken and written English, with the ability to lead operational discussions, handle customer escalations and communicate independently with overseas offices.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency in customs declaration systems, logistics management systems and Microsoft Excel.