[Hiring] Customs Declaration Operations Team Lead @Sourcefit

Role Description

We are seeking a Customs Declaration Operations Team Lead to oversee a team handling Singapore import and export customs permit requests in a 24/7 environment. The Team Lead will manage daily workflow, case allocation, escalations, quality, and SLA performance while providing hands-on guidance on complex declarations. The role will also support new-hire training, customer-specific SOP adoption, and a phased operational transition in coordination with Operations, Training, and Quality.

Responsibilities

• Team supervision and workflow management
  • Supervise the day-to-day performance of customs declaration specialists across assigned shifts, including attendance, task ownership, productivity, and service delivery.
  • Ensure effective queue ownership across assigned shifts, with all requests assigned based on complexity, due times, and available capacity, actively monitored, and progressed toward completion.
  • Review aging cases, SLAs, urgent requests, and shipping cutoffs; intervene or reallocate workload to mitigate service risks and escalate potential breaches promptly.
  • Coordinate with Workforce Management and Operations on staffing coverage, intraday workload changes, scheduling risks, and service readiness.
• Declaration oversight and escalations
  • Oversee accurate preparation, validation, submission, tracking, and closure of Singapore import and export customs permit declarations.
  • Provide subject matter support for complex declarations, incomplete documents, permit exceptions, rejected submissions, and customer-specific processing requirements.
  • Handle first-level operational escalations involving customers, declaration errors, and delays; coordinate further escalation to the appropriate specialists or stakeholders.
• Coaching, quality, and training
  • Conduct regular coaching, case reviews, and performance feedback to strengthen processing quality and adherence to approved procedures.
  • Work with Training and Quality to identify common errors, analyze root causes, implement corrective actions, and strengthen quality controls.
  • Support the development and maintenance of customer-specific SOPs, job aids, checklists, and process updates; ensure team members understand and acknowledge changes.
  • Support knowledge transfer, shadowing, nesting, and competency assessments for new hires in coordination with the Training and Quality teams.
• Reporting and continuous improvement
  • Prepare and validate daily operational updates, KPI reports, backlog and other required operational reporting.
  • Maintain accurate escalation logs, exception and error trackers, and clear shift handovers to ensure continuity of service.
  • Recommend process improvements, workflow efficiencies, and more effective use of automation-assisted systems.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in customs clearance, permit declaration, freight forwarding, shipping documentation, or related trade operations.
• At least 2 years of experience in a team lead, senior declarant, subject matter expert, or comparable operational oversight role.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of customs permit declaration workflows.
• Ability to coach employees and provide expert guidance on customs processing, document validation, exception handling, and customer-specific SOPs.
• Experience managing operational SLAs, quality performance, escalations, productivity, and customer communication in a transaction-based environment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with confidence interpreting workflow and performance data.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to coordinate effectively with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Comfortable using dashboards, ticketing systems, Microsoft Excel, and automation-assisted operational tools.
• Willingness to work onsite on rotating shifts, including weekends and public holidays as scheduled.

Nice to Have's

• Direct Singapore Customs and TradeNet processing experience.
• Experience supporting process training, nesting, SOP development, or quality improvement initiatives.