Documentation & Trade Team Leader

Puratos; Town of Belgium (WI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group, dental and hospitalization insurance fully paid by Puratos

13th and 14th month pay

Minimum 5 training days per year

Job summary

Puratos is seeking a Trade & Documentation Team Leader to oversee shipment documentation while ensuring customs and trade compliance. The ideal candidate will hold a Bachelor or Master's degree and possess solid experience in international logistics. You will lead a diverse team, drive continuous improvement initiatives, and engage with various stakeholders to ensure seamless operations. The role offers competitive salary and attractive benefits including health insurance, paid training days, and a vibrant work environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum experience in an international logistics/trade environment.
• Strong knowledge of customs, trade compliance for shipments.
• Experience in leading teams is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the Trade & Documentation team to meet objectives.
• Prepare and deliver end-to-end shipment documentation.
• Supervise customs administration and maintain licenses.
• Drive continuous improvement and automation projects.
• Manage certificates and ensure trade accuracy.

Skills

Logistics

International Trade

Customs Compliance

Stakeholder Management

Process Improvement

SAP

MS Office

Fluency in English

Fluency in Dutch

Fluency in French

Education

Bachelor or Master degree in Logistics, International Trade, Supply Chain

Tools

SAP

MS Office

Job description

To strengthen our team in Groot-Bijgaarden, we are looking for a:

Mission

As Trade & Documentation Team Leader within Belgian Operations (beOps), you ensure flawless and compliant shipment documentation for road, sea and air flows to customers worldwide.

You lead and support a diverse team, combining hands‑on operational execution with people leadership to meet service, quality, cost, SHE and compliance objectives.

You act as the first escalation point and a trusted partner for internal stakeholders and external authorities, ensuring documentation accuracy and customs/trade compliance.

You drive continuous improvement and automation initiatives to simplify processes, improve reliability and increase customer satisfaction.

Key Accountabilities

• You will lead and coach the Trade & Documentation team, create a positive, open communication culture, run team routines and support performance evaluations. The team consists of 6 people.
• You will ensure end‑to‑end shipment documentation is prepared and delivered on time & in full for road/sea/air shipments, including customer/country specific requirements.
• You will own customs & trade compliance: supervise customs administration/reporting, maintain licenses/authorizations, and serve as key contact for customs and relevant authorities.
• You will manage certificates and regulated documentation (e.g., sanitary/FAVV and other certificates), and maintain relationships with on‑site veterinarians where applicable.
• You will drive continuous improvement & automation projects in close collaboration with IT and other departments to reduce workload and increase process robustness.
• You will secure trade accuracy: manage preferential origin checks (FTA), commodity code validation, long‑term supplier declarations, and sanctioned goods screenings.
• You will ensure financial and stakeholder alignment: verify correct invoicing before month‑end and coordinate closely with accounting, treasury and finance to prevent issues.

Who are we looking for?

• You have a Bachelor or Master degree, preferably in Logistics, International Trade, Supply Chain or similar (customs specialization is a strong asset).
• You have a solid experience in an international logistics / trade environment.
• You have a strong knowledge of customs, trade compliance and international documentation for road/sea/air shipments.
• You preferably have experience in leading a team, but this is not a must.
• You are a structured, accurate, and process‑minded professional who enjoys improving and simplifying ways of working step‑by‑step.
• You are resilient and flexible, able to stay positive and effective during peak workload periods and unexpected requests.
• You have strong communication and stakeholder management skills (internal teams, customers, transport partners, and governmental bodies).
• You are fluent in English, Dutch and French (spoken and written).
• You are familiar with SAP and MS Office.

Why should you join Puratos?

You will be welcomed in a dynamic work environment where passion for innovation, team spirit and continuous improvement are key. You can count on a competitive salary package with attractive benefits such as:

• Group, dental and hospitalization insurance fully paid by Puratos
• 13th and 14th month pay
• Minimum 5 training days per year
• Responsibilities and the possibility to take ownership of your work

We at Puratos cultivate an inclusive global workplace, that fully embraces diversity and equal opportunities for all. We strive to reflect the richness of our customers, communities and society, accelerating our ability to innovate and deliver on our commitments.