We are looking for a motivated, dynamic, and talented professional Regional Head of Operations – Asia to join our Fertilizers team in our office in Singapore. This position offers you a frontline head of operations role within the commodity business, ensuring the coordination and smooth running of the Asia team with the global Ameropa members and external parties involved.
The qualified candidate will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the operational tasks of a contract / shipment, including supplier contract negotiation, sales contract negotiation through to final payments and closing the contracts.
MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Management:Manage a team of 5-6 Singapore based operations personnel and coordinate activities of 5-7 regional personnel.
• Logistics: Managing post fixing Vessel operations or container shipments in co-operation with our chartering team, organizing rail, truck and air transport or releasing of material in warehouse. Managing vessel freight payment process and settlement of laytime.
• Bank contacts – Letters of Credit (L/Cs): Manage process of opening of and checking of L/C’s for our suppliers and receivers, requesting amendments and negotiating documents for collection of payment. Liaising with trade finance banks regarding Letters of Credits; rates / line capacity / discounting rates. Issuance and verifying of L/Cs and bank guarantees
• Manage Workflow Process - Take ownership of the workflow for a trade once completed by the Trading desk. Coordination with Trading desk; Regional offices; Treasury; Finance; Legal. Confirmation of product stem, transit and in stock, and managing vessel nomination process; documentation, invoicing, payments, client exposure control and claim handling. Issuing profit and loss calculations and controlling of client exposures. Liaising with accounting regarding bookings, account reconciliation, monthly closing tasks and file liquidation. Issuance of import documentary credits, checking of export documentary credits and requesting necessary adjustments, as well as handling of alternative payment means. Review, approval and payment/issuance of purchase and sales invoices and manage receivables (debit notes, claims, demurrages, etc.)
• Insurance:Insuring risks of each transport as well as material in storageHandling warehousing in coordination with field offices, stock control, monthly stock movements.
• Contracts: Manage entire contracting process including contract issuance, counter party KYC checking process, verification and execution of purchase and sales contracts, negotiation of service contracts with surveyors’ companies, including arranging cargo supervision at load/discharge ports as well as product analysis.
• Claims Management: Handling of commercial claims jointly with the responsible traders, assisting traders during negotiations with counterparties, editing and issuing amendments to commercial contracts. Finalizing claims including laytime calculations with customers
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
· Support ad-hoc queries and projects within the company.
· Strategic Planning
· Participating in Risk Management and Compliance processes
· Technology integration or transition
· Process Optimization
· Completing Tenders Requirements
· establish provisional and final profit/loss calculations as per details available from trader and other relevant stakeholders
· close cooperation with the responsible persons for trading, shipping, finances, bookkeeping within the organization
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
• is a team player with an independent and flexible work attitude
• is efficient, possesses well-organized working skills and is ready to adapt to international practices
• has experience managing regional teams
• has strong Analytical and methodical skills
• has strong IT knowledge and applications (MS Office, Business Objects, PowerBi, MS Dynamics, and CTRMs)
• hands-on mentality
• Good customer / agent and colleague relations
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritization skills and awareness of the importance and urgency of keeping within given deadlines
• Flexibility, reliability & motivation
• Ability to take initiative and to adapt to rapidly changing business environments
Able to coordinate and integrate well with Global Operations Team, Traders, Chartering, Finance, Legal, and IT
QUALIFICATIONS
• A sound commercial educational background (Bachelor or Master of Science in Business)
• Advanced English communicative skills (spoken and written), further languages are of advantage
• 10-15 years of relevant working experience in an international environment in operations and logistics role; ideally in a commodity trading company
• Sound knowledge of L/Cs and other relevant banking instruments, incoterms and shipping terms