Experience: 7 - 12 years - Role type: Individual contributor

About the role

Our Client is into R&D, Manufacturing Export & Import of chemicals. You will own our clients chemical imports into India, from the day an overseas supplier has goods ready until they reach our customer or warehouse. Working from Bengaluru, you will coordinate suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers (CHAs), shipping lines and transporters. The goal: every shipment cleared at the right duty, on time and without extra charges.

This is an individual-contributor role. You will run shipments yourself: plan them, check every document, chase approvals and fix problems before they turn into demurrage, detention or customer delays.

Key responsibilities

These follow each shipment from the overseas supplier to the Indian customer.

1. Pre-shipment planning

- Plan each import with sales and procurement: product, supplier, Incoterms, port of discharge and required delivery date.

- Confirm the HS code, basic customs duty, IGST and any FTA benefit before the order is placed, and work out the landed cost.

- Check what each product needs before it ships, such as a PESO licence, BIS certification under a Quality Control Order, CIB&RC registration, NCB clearance for precursors or MSIHC compliance for hazardous chemicals.

- Book FCL, LCL, ISO tank and flexitank shipments with forwarders and shipping lines, or check the supplier's booking.

2. Documents before arrival

- Collect and check the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, COA and SDS against the purchase order.

- Make sure hazardous cargo is declared and packed correctly: IMDG class, UN number and labels.

- Share documents with the CHA early and get the bill of entry filed on time, ideally before the vessel arrives.

3. Customs clearance

- Check the CHA's checklist line by line: HS code, assessable value, duty, IGST and any exemption or FTA claim.

- Arrange duty payment on ICEGATE and track the bill of entry to out of charge.

- Resolve queries, examinations, sampling and holds with the CHA and customs until the cargo is released.

- Handle special cases such as high-sea sales, in-bond and ex-bond clearance, re-imports and amendments.

4. Port-to-customer delivery

- Plan delivery from the port, CFS or ICD, or through direct port delivery, to the customer or warehouse.

- Book transporters cleared for hazardous cargo, and arrange e-way bills, delivery orders and container return within free time.

- Coordinate destuffing and the return of empty ISO tanks, flexitanks and containers.

5. Tracking and issue resolution

- Track every shipment daily from dispatch to proof of delivery, and keep sales, finance and customers updated.

- Act early to avoid demurrage, detention and CFS ground rent; dispute wrong charges.

- Handle shortages, damages and insurance claims with carriers, surveyors and insurers.

6. Cost, vendors and reporting

- Check and approve CHA, freight, CFS and transport invoices against agreed rates.

- Build and manage a network of CHAs, forwarders and transporters at the main chemical ports.

- Reconcile duty and IGST payments with finance, including IGST input tax credit, and keep import records ready for audit.

- Keep the shipment tracker current and share a weekly report on clearance time, delivery time, costs and open issues.

Required experience and skills

- 7 - 12 years in import operations, including hands-on imports of chemicals into India (specialty, agro, pharma intermediates, solvents or petrochemicals).

- Working knowledge of the Indian import process: IGM, bill of entry, HS classification, customs valuation, duty and IGST, out of charge and delivery order.

- Experience clearing hazardous cargo, with a sound grasp of SDS, IMDG classes and dangerous-goods documents.

- Knowledge of the approvals chemical imports can need, such as PESO, BIS (Quality Control Orders), CIB&RC and NCB.

- Close work with CHAs, freight forwarders, shipping lines, CFSs and transporters at one or more major Indian ports.

- Good understanding of demurrage, detention and ground rent, and how to avoid them.

- Hands-on use of ICEGATE, an ERP (SAP or similar) and Excel or Google Sheets.

- Clear written and spoken English for daily calls and emails with overseas suppliers and Indian partners.

- Graduate in any field; a degree or diploma in foreign trade, EXIM or supply chain is a plus.

- Willing to travel to ports and CFSs when a shipment needs it.

Good to have

- Bulk liquid imports in ISO tanks or flexitanks, and drum or IBC cargo.

- Experience with high-sea sales, customs bonded warehouses (in-bond and ex-bond) or MOOWR.

- FTA duty claims under CAROTAR 2020, for example from ASEAN, Korea, Japan or the UAE (CEPA).

- Experience at a chemical trading or distribution company, handling many suppliers, customers and small lots.

- Imports from China, the Middle East, Europe or the US through Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Hazira, Chennai or Kattupalli.

- Exposure to customs audits, duty refunds and reassessments.

What success looks like

- Shipments are cleared and out of the port within free time.

- Every bill of entry carries the right HS code, value and duty, with no penalties or reassessments.

- Demurrage, detention and ground-rent charges go down each quarter.

- Customers receive material on the promised date, with complete documents.

- CHA, freight and transport invoices match agreed rates, and the shipment tracker is always current.