Position Title: Import Sales Support
Summary The Import Sales Support specialist is responsible for providing accurate and timely ocean import LCL quotations, booking coordination, and door-delivery pricing. This role also supports general import operations as needed, ensuring efficient shipment handling, regulatory compliance, and superior customer service.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Quotations, Bookings, and Customer Support:
- Respond promptly to rate and booking requests received via phone, email, or fax.
- Provide shipment status updates and handle incoming customer inquiries from clients, agents, and outside sales representatives.
- Coordinate cargo bookings with origin agents to ensure timely delivery into designated origin export CFS.
- Confirm on-board dates and communicate relevant shipment milestones.
Operational Coordination:
- Provide ISF information to the Brokerage Department to support timely ISF filing.
- Enter and reconcile origin costs and charges accurately in the system.
- Support general import operational tasks as assigned to ensure workflow continuity.
Customs Brokerage–Related Responsibilities:
- Process customs entries through ABI.
- Classify a wide range of commodities using the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
- Research, gather, and interpret information from various sources to prepare compliant and timely U.S. Customs entries.
- Prepare and manage all Customs forms required for processing consumption and in-bond entries.
- Create Single Transaction Bonds (STB), ensuring accurate calculation of bond liability.
- Determine FDA product codes and research applicable government regulations.
- Obtain freight releases from airlines, steamship lines, freight terminals, truckers, and rail carriers.
- Ensure timely submission of payments and required documentation to carriers and U.S. Customs.
- Coordinate with Customs officials, import carriers, and domestic carriers to ensure smooth cargo movement from origin to delivery.
- Prepare invoices in accordance with established client rate schedules and provide proper supporting documentation.
- Maintain complete and accurate files—both physical and digital—to support documentation, compliance, and audit requirements.
- Adhere to company communication and responsiveness standards.
- Escalate unresolved Customs or customer service issues to supervisor promptly.
- Perform additional duties as assigned to support departmental efficiency.
Competencies:
- Effective management of difficult customer situations with professionalism.
- Strong organization, prioritization, and follow-up capabilities.
- Clear, persuasive, and professional verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to listen actively and seek clarification when needed.
- Ability to interpret and present numerical data accurately.
- Strong teamwork orientation; contributes to positive team environment.
- Consistent adherence to policies, procedures, and organizational values.
- Ability to complete administrative tasks accurately and on time.
Additional competencies may be required depending on assignments.
Qualifications:
- Education and Experience
- High school diploma required.
- 2–3 years of experience in a Customs Brokerage environment required.
- 2–3 years of experience in NVOCC/Freight Forwarding preferred.
- Prior experience with ocean imports and/or U.S. Customs brokerage strongly preferred.
- Bilingual skills are a plus.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret industry documentation and communications.
- Ability to communicate effectively with management, customers, and the general public.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and general computer applications.
- Strong understanding of U.S. Customs regulations, HTS classification, and import compliance requirements.