Imports Customs Specialist

Key Responsibilities:

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:

Must have

• 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

Nice to have

• 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)

Attributes

• 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