Dan Royal Job/Vacancies

DEMURRAGE AND DETENTION (D & D) CONTROLLER
This Job advert closes by COB 17^th August 2010.
In accordance with Nigeria’s career development and planned succession, Safmarine Nigeria Limited seeks a candidate to take advantage of this opportunity within the
Safmarine business as a Demurrage and Detention Controller. This position is for a fixed time period of 6months.

Method of Application: Online Applications Only (applications through e-mails will be attended to).

Reporting To: The Safmarine Cluster Manager

Key Accountabilities:

Outstanding Invoices

• Analyze and reconcile the D&D outstandings weekly report
• Maintain constant focus on the clients not paying container deposit as allocated to you.
• Reconcile outstandings per client and address either through direct contact or in collaboration with our Sales staff or client owners in the import department
• Ensure that clients’ feedback is received within agreed deadlines.
• Follow up with finance department on handling reconciliation and write-offs once agreed with clients. 
• Ensure that systems updates are being performed promptly and within agreed deadlines. Important that you do not get involved in system related inter company account reconciliations. This task is considered fully allocated to the finance department.
• Maintain priority focus on outstanding payments in the age-bracket +180 days (2/3^rd of your daily task shall be related to that until further notice)
• Obtain the daily records on raised D&D invoices and proactively contact the customers for immediate payment.
• Handle the dunning process by any channel of communication to remind clients of their outstanding invoices.
• Recommend settlement proposals or special agreements.
• Recommend write-off’s in case no other solution exists.

Reporting

• Develop a smart report for the purpose of weekly reporting on progress
• Focus on measured achievements and challenges
• Refer to action points stated in previous report
• Prepare an updated overview for all  top 15 debtors, inclusive comments on progress
• Focus on recommendations and having action plans per client including a clear definition of targets
• Provide recommendations on effective dunning process and financial collections.

Record Keeping / Filing

• File all communication related to specific cases
• Maintain an auditable well documented trail of actions taken per client

Firm Client Approach

• Coordinate and agree on an approach with your colleagues; for clients having outstanding debts and longstanding containers. 
• Recommend customers and their clearing agents to be suspended from Safmarine’s services as a last measure to enforce the payment.
• Recommend customers and their clearing agents to be jointly visited along with representatives of the security department.

Generally:
·  Attend and execute all customer queries promptly related to outstanding D&D. Full ownership and initiative and ensure that clients perceive Safmarine as “on the ball” when it comes to solving problems when they occur.
·  Fully understand the Nigerian pattern of administration related to the Importation of cargo through Nigerian Sea Ports and the related turn around of container equipment.
·  Inter and Intra department coordination - (especially with ML Sales  and back office counter staff)
·  Handle customer’s complaints and ensure corrective actions are initiated, thus preventing a repetition of the same mistakes.
·  Be aware of special requirements related to the handling of customers with global status and of strategic importance.
·  Support the Eastern Nigeria branch where needed and share best practices with the aim to improve the overall result.

Knowledge and Skills
·  Overall knowledge of invoicing and payment related internal systems
·  Shipping and logistics knowledge related to Nigerian import process and container control
·  Problem solving
·  Inter Personal skills.
·  Report writing / reporting skills
·  Very high degree of service mindedness required
·  Highly developed communication skills required; customer friendly but firm on the issue.
·  Demonstrate very high sense of ownership and initiative
·  Superior working knowledge of Excel.
Apply for this position