Customs Clearance and Delivery Officer
Management Sciences for Health
Remote
- Oversee and coordinate the full lifecycle of importation, from pre-arrival documentation to final delivery of goods.
- Ensure accurate preparation, verification, and submission of all import documentation, including Bills of Lading, Air Waybills, invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, import permits, tax exemption certificates, and regulatory approvals.
- Ensure early and prompt processing of IDEC with the Federal Ministry of Finance, liaising with Federal Ministry of Health
- Liaise with customs authorities, port health services, and other regulatory bodies to facilitate timely cargo clearance and release.
- Coordinate inland transportation and distribution of cleared goods to central medical stores, regional warehouses, laboratories, and health facilities.
- Develop and manage end-to-end shipment tracking, delivery schedules, and distribution plans to ensure timely and safe delivery.
- Ensure compliance with customs laws, import regulations, donor requirements, and Good Distribution Practices (GDP) across all clearance and transport activities.
- Ensure cold chain integrity for temperature-sensitive commodities throughout storage and transportation.
- Monitor shipment progress from arrival to final delivery, proactively resolving delays, clearance bottlenecks, and delivery disruptions.
- Minimize demurrage, detention, storage charges, and other avoidable logistics costs through proactive planning and coordination.
- Track proof of delivery and ensure confirmation of receipts from all destination points.
- Serve as the primary coordination point for suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, transporters, regulatory agencies, warehouse teams, and implementing partners.
- Coordinate with procurement teams to ensure all documentation and shipment requirements are complete prior to cargo arrival.
- Supervise and evaluate third-party logistics providers, customs agents, and transport contractors against agreed service levels and KPIs.
- Maintain effective working relationships with customs authorities and relevant regulatory agencies to support efficient clearance processes.
- Engage with stakeholders involved in pharmaceutical, medical device, and laboratory commodity regulation and distribution.
- Ensure all import and distribution activities comply with national regulations, donor requirements, and organizational policies.
- Monitor changes in customs and import regulations and advise management on operational and compliance implications.
- Identify logistics, customs, and distribution risks and implement mitigation strategies to prevent delays or losses.
- Review, validate, and approve invoices from customs agents, freight forwarders, clearing agents, and transport providers.
- Monitor logistics expenditures against approved budgets and identify cost optimization opportunities without compromising service quality or compliance.
- Track and analyze key performance indicators, including customs clearance lead time, delivery turnaround time, on-time delivery rate, demurrage and detention costs, shipment integrity, and compliance rates.
- Prepare regular performance reports, dashboards, and operational updates for management and stakeholders.
- Conduct root-cause analysis of delays, clearance failures, or delivery inefficiencies and implement corrective and preventive actions.
- Supervise customs clearance officers, logistics coordinators, and transport personnel.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management to strengthen team capacity and accountability.
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve standard operating procedures for customs clearance, transportation, and delivery operations.
- Promote a culture of compliance, efficiency, safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Bachelor’s degree/HND and 6+ years’ experience, Master's and 4+ years’ experience, or Doctorate and 2+ years’ experience.
- Professional certifications (CILT, CIPS, CSCMP, PMP, or customs/logistics certifications) are desirable
- 7–10 years of progressive experience in customs clearance, logistics, freight forwarding, or health commodity supply chain management.
- At least 3 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
- Experience managing pharmaceutical, laboratory, vaccine, or medical commodity imports.
- Experience in donor-funded programs (e.g., Global Fund, USAID, PEPFAR, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank) is an advantage
- Customs and import/export regulations
- IDEC processing procedures
- Pharmaceutical and medical logistics
- Cold chain management
- International freight and transport operations
- Warehouse and distribution systems
- Incoterms
- Good Distribution Practices (GDP)
- Health commodity supply chain systems
- Pharmaceutical import regulatory requirements
- Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills
- Excellent planning, coordination, and organizational ability
- Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Vendor, contract, and performance management
- Risk identification and mitigation
- Budget monitoring and cost control
- Data analysis and reporting
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure
- High integrity and ethical standards
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics)
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