Manager, Import Export & Customs Operations Malaysia

We are a leading chemical company, with the best teams developing intelligent solutions for our customers, and for a sustainable future.

We connect and develop people with diverse talents all over the world. For you, this means a variety of ways to progress.

Not only your performance but also your personality matter to us, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, orientation, and background.  At BASF, careers develop from opportunities. 

Do you want to work with passionate teams, providing excellent business and digital services to the Asia Pacific region?

Do you want an open, supportive, and caring working environment?

Do you view your development needs seriously as we do?

If YES, then take your career to the #NextLevel with BASF!

Objectives of the Position         

• Manage import export operations and customs and foreign trade operations and team for Malaysia
• Manage performance and development of import export and customs operations team members or subordinates  
• Lead management of logistics service providers (LSP) and lead logistics provider (LLP) per operational scope  
• Performance steering for import / export and customs of country, meeting regional and global import export and customs performance results. This includes effective monitoring and leveraging analytics to sustain high level of country’s operating discipline
• Responsible for risk management pertaining to team and service provider operations, including but not limited to access management, data protection, business continuity process and periodic risk management reviews
• Ownership of operational processes, initiatives and projects relevant to supply chain operations serviced by Global Business Service in relation to scope of import export and customs
• Develop and be responsible for establishment, adherence and adequate documentation of supply chain, import export, and customs foreign trade processes and compliance to global, regional, local policies and procedures  Collaboration with logistics procurement, logistics service providers, import/export community, customs & foreign trade community, service recipients (business units), and relevant stakeholders on, and not limited to escalation management, non-conformance handling, and opportunities for continuous improvement including automation and digitalization initiatives

Main Area of Responsibilities

General

• Responsible for import export operations and customs foreign trade operations team targets, performance, deliverables, and development of team members / subordinates
• Responsible for service provider management of forwarder, customs broker, transporter and liner/carrier / tank operators including performance management, service requirement and freight cost management
• Provide maritime and air logistics and customs foreign trade supply chain subject matter expertise to business, country, regional and global stakeholders,
• Collaborate and support country Supply Chain caretaker in country operational matters and with regional shipping management, operational vendor management and customs process and compliance for joint alignment, solutions and continuous improvement  
• Access and master data management in relation to import export and customs responsibility for country operations
• Active participation in global, regional and country level projects and initiatives for company wide projects, continuous improvement and business requirement, where relevant to the scope of service 

Operation Vendor Management

• Management of service provider (LLP/LSP) service requirement, change management, knowledge transfer / transition, service performance, contract adherence
• Continuous improvement of overall Import / Export management, carrier and service provider operations.
• Risk management of LLP/LSP partnership and overall transport management.
• Cost management of LLP/LSP services
• Adherence to global/regional steering of OVM harmonization and alignment of process, scope and responsibilities

Customs & Foreign Trade

• Responsible compliance to company policies and local regulatory and statutory requirements specifically on customs and trade
• Responsible for customs operations processing by both internal team and service providers to ensure accurate duty & import tax processing up to duty payment processing within the scope of customs and foreign trade team. To ensure adequate verification and documentation of duty process and payment to customs authority in line with established payment process with finance  
• Manage customs and authority (relevant) contact point for customs and trade relevant liaison, updates, communication, audits and disputes
• Optimize Free Trade Agreement and/or other trade benefits where eligible and ensure adherence to rules as stipulated in the respective trade agreements
• Responsible for customs broker management in line with global policies and customs broker management framework and guidelines
• Manage operations of trade facilities within the country e.g. Free trade zone, Bonded facilities, AEO, Green Lanes, special exemptions where applicable and relevant to customs operations 
• Conform to global and regional customs requirements on reporting, information on dashboards, community reviews, global inquiries responses, initiative participation, etc   

Operational Management

• Monitoring logistics functional costs and expenses in line with the budget 
• Manage operational team for import export and customs in Indonesia for operational discipline, performance and development
• Ensure operational critical control points are defined, monitored and adhered to via and not limited to - disciplined monitoring, analysis, health checks
• Ensure compliance of existing / new business flow and/or exceptional handling solution as per company policy and directive    
• Identify, recommend and implement measures to improve Import/Export and customs process efficiency, effectiveness and operational costs and cost impact to the company
• Effective and efficient non-conformance management, issue log management and gap improvement
• Maintain effective collaboration and engagement with country business and operational teams. Responsible as key person to share, disseminate and bridge global, regional import export and customs updates to / from local stakeholders

People Management

• Coach and develop team members, conduct structured performance reviews, and define development plans.
• Build a capable team with strong succession planning, cross-skilling, and readiness for future needs.
• Promote team culture on accountability, continuous learning & improvement, and service excellence.

Minimum Education and Qualification Required for the Position

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, International Trade, Business Administration, or equivalent.
• Working Experience: Minimum 5 years in Supply Chain Management, Customs & Foreign Trade, Logistics, Freight/carrier management in Multinational Company with international exposure 
• Technical & Professional Knowledge:
• • Strong knowledge of Malaysia’s customs regulations, FTZ/bonded processes, FTA application, and exemption management.
  • SAP/ERP experience preferred; Business Intelligence/reporting tools capability is an advantage.
  • Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
  • Skilled in non‑conformance management and continuous improvement methodologies. 
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

The BASF Service Hub Kuala Lumpur (BASF Asia-Pacific Service Centre Sdn Bhd) is strategically located in the capital city of Malaysia. Since its inception in 2005, the hub has expanded from 130 employees to over 1,300 employees currently and is expected to keep growing. As an ISO 9001:2005 certified organization, the Service Hub Kuala Lumpur is committed to delivering high quality expertise and services in finance, people, supply chain, EHSQ (environment, health, safety, quality), product safety and digital.

We take pride in providing our business services to BASF companies and affiliates across 20 markets in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Moreover, we offer our services in 8 different languages to cater to the diverse needs of our stakeholders. Our focus on competency and technology-driven solutions allows us to consistently deliver exceptional services, thereby contributing to the success of our businesses. BASF also has two other regional hubs located in Berlin, Germany, and Montevideo, Uruguay, which cover the European and American regions.

BASF Service Hub Kuala Lumpur was recognized with nine prestigious awards in 2024, reflecting its commitment to creating a vibrant, inclusive, and empowering workplace. These awards include winning the title of Operational Excellence in HR at the GBS Asia Awards 2024, multiple accolades at the Life at Work Awards 2024, where the hub was recognized as First Runner-up for Workplace Excellence (International Organization) and CEO Champion (International Organization), as well as Second Runner-up for Best International Organization. The hub also won the title for Excellence in Learning Tech Advancement System and a Certificate of Excellence in Talent Management and Leadership at the HRD Awards 2024. Furthermore, the hub secured a Bronze Award for Excellence in Digital Transformation at the HR Excellence Awards 2024 and received a Bronze Award for Human Resources Impact and an Honorary Award for Creative Talent Management Impact at the SSON Impact Awards Asia 2024.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.