Industry: Chemical/Pharma/Bio
Location: Houston, TX
Salary: $66K-$93K(DOE)
Visa Sponsor: No
Language: English: Business Level, Japanese: Native Level
Detail: ■Job Title: Operations Specialist
■Employment Classification: Exempt (Occasional long working hours, nights or weekends)
■Workplace: Comany’s main office in NYC or Comany’s second office in Houston.
■Office Hours: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. EST in NYC; 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. CST in Houston.
■Sales Product: Approximately 200,000 metric tons of methanol, equivalent to about $70 million.
■Target Market: Formaldehyde, acetic acid, etc.
■Sales Area: North America, with potential expansion into South America.
■Requirements
o Mindset required to be a good team player, including a positive attitude toward open discussion, sharing findings and suggestions, and understanding marketing strategy and business tactics.
o Creative thinking and independence in achieving business objectives.
o Three or more years of logistics experience, preferably in the chemical industry, managing chemical product logistics in the U.S. through terminals, chemical tankers, barges, railcars, and trucks, as well as arranging logistics in the U.S. and overseas.
o Working knowledge of Incoterms 2020.
o Bachelor’s degree in business or an equivalent field.
o Solid computer skills including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
o Strong desire to learn and quickly assume the responsibility of the position.
o Strong aptitude for discovery and problem-solving skills.
■Duties and Responsibilities
Logistics Arrangement
o Schedule and coordinate transportation plans, including vessels and barges for overseas transactions. Railcars are arranged by the customer service team. Order placement, invoicing, etc., are handled by the customer service team.
o Monitor and control inventory in the U.S. at safe levels through transportation arrangements and sales volume forecast collection.
o Ability to address issues such as delays, demurrage, breakage, contamination, and related matters through internal and external communication with vendors, customers, and suppliers.
o Maintain good verbal and written communication with vendors to be able to solve any operational issues.
Logistics Analysis and Cost Optimization
o Understand the cost structure and liabilities of logistics agreements/contracts with terminals, vessels, barges, railcar providers, and railroads.
o Understand the logistics-related components of the sales and purchase contracts.
o Continuously improve logistics costs by optimizing logistics arrangements, including terminals, vessels, barges, and railcars.
o Deep working knowledge of sales and purchase price structures, logistics costs, and the ability to calculate and analyze their impact on Comany’s profit and loss, as well as recommend logistics optimization.
o Prepare a database of logistics agreements/contracts with vendors, including terminal, barge, railcar, railroad, and throughput agreements, and finalize them through strategic negotiation with vendors.
Sales Support
o Strong interpersonal skills to provide cost analysis upon request to assist the marketing team.
o Maintain good communication with customers to understand and anticipate their logistics-related needs and problems.
o Resolve customer issues related to operations and logistics, such as demurrage, contamination, and related matters.
o Provide advice on logistics-related sections of sales agreements/contracts when sales team members review drafts and after agreements/contracts are signed.
Business Travel
o Organize meetings and visit vendors with the sales team. Travel may average five or more days per month, with occasional weekend travel.
o Use meeting time efficiently by preparing discussion topics, questions, and presentations, if necessary, in advance, and follow up on to-do lists after meetings.
o Occasionally attend global meetings held in Japan.
Routine Work
o Prepare internal verbal and written reports, including business trip reports, monthly reports, sales forecasts, operational updates, etc.
o Manage regulatory matters, including FDA, TSCA, etc.
o Supporting customer service members for monthly account closing.
o Other related tasks.
■Compensation & Benefits
• Base salary: $77K-$93K in NY, $66K-$80K in Houston
• Bonus: Attractive bonus structure
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance and 401(k)
• Paid time off and company holidays
