Charlie’s Produce, the largest privately-owned produce distributor on the West Coast, is looking for an experienced Import Manager to manage a large team of importers. We offer generous benefits that include: Vacation/Sick/Holiday/401(K)/Profit Sharing and College Tuition Assistance. This position will be onsite and housed in Seattle location.
The Import Manager’s responsibilities include organizing import and operations and ensuring that they are carried out effectively and efficiently. The Import Manager leads a strong team of importers reps in day-to-day projects, goal setting, and mentors the team to continued career growth within the department and the company.
We are an equal opportunity company with a strong internal promotion philosophy. If you are reading this job posting, it’s only because we exhausted an extensive internal search. We participate in e-Verify and require all new hires to pass a pre-employment drug test.
- Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Business or International Business preferred
- Minimum Five (5) perishable commodities import experience
- 3-5 years of people management skills
- Strong negotiating skills
- Strong Math & Writing skills required to quickly multiply & add cases/pallets & calculate product cost, market, & margin
- Multiple task management
- Be able to set priorities, meet deadlines, and able to accomplish team objectives
- Candidate should possess excellent verbal and written communication skills with computer competency, including Excel, Word, & Outlook
- Strong commodities knowledge, including vegetable, fruit, herbs, and specialty produce lines
- Physical requirements: Walking thru the warehouse to check product inventory & quality
- Ability to observe and follow proper safety procedures, and a willingness to report potentially unsafe conditions
- Manage the global import team
- Communicates and works with existing growers and interacts with and helps assess new grower prospects
- Reviews and analyzes product availability, pricing strategy, packaging and logistics with the Sales Team
- Monitors inbound shipments to ensure compliance with import regulations
- Provides shipping information and required documentation to appropriate parties including U.S. customs brokers, expeditors, inspectors and warehouses
- Works closely with Sales Team and shippers/growers to schedule, coordinate and align inbound shipments with product demand, customer requirements and sales needs
- Coordinate the scheduling of freight forwarding with the in house transportation team from the point of delivery (port, border and packing house) to the final destination
- Continually identify and determine optimum sources of supply
- Communicate effectively to all department supervisors
- Maintain awareness of Company’s marketing strategies and competitive activity
- Some travel required: visiting growers & attending produce conventions
