Imports & Customs Specialist

Location: Nairobi, with regular travel to Mombasa port, JKIA, and operational sites

Direct Reports: Clearing & documentation coordinator(s) as the function scales (initially an individual-contributor role managing external clearing agents)

Are you a detail-oriented, proactive, and results-driven professional committed to efficient supply chain operations, regulatory compliance, and cost optimization?We are seeking a skilled Imports & Customs Specialist to join Victory Farms Kenya. The role focuses on managing the end-to-end import and customs clearance process, ensuring the timely and compliant movement of feed, capital equipment, spare parts, and other materials into the country.You will play a key role in managing import documentation, HS classification, customs entries, and clearing agents while minimizing demurrage and detention costs and ensuring the lowest possible landed cost.You will report directly to the Head of Supply Chain, Kenya, and contribute to maintaining efficient, compliant, and cost-effective import operations.This is a hands-on specialist role for someone who is meticulous, commercially aware, highly organized, and committed to operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

1.Customs clearance and compliance

• Own the HS classification and customs-value position on every import, and review and approve the licensed clearing agent’s draft declaration for accuracy before it is lodged in KRA iCMS
• Catch and resolve mis-classifications and valuation errors before entries are lodged, and clear customs queries and holds quickly once they arise
• Manage pre-shipment conformity (KEBS PVoC / Certificate of Conformity) and secure all commodity-specific approvals and permits required for clearance (e.g. KEBS, radiation, KEPHIS, fisheries or veterinary permits)
• Keep the business fully compliant with Kenyan customs and trade regulations, and current with changing KRA and regulatory requirements

2.Import documentation and process ownership

• Own the country import documentation process end to end – from supplier PO through clearance to delivery on site – as a controlled, repeatable, fully documented workflow
• Prepare, verify, and manage the full documentation pack for every consignment: Import Declaration Form (IDF), commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading / airway bill, certificate of origin, and permits and licences
• Maintain an audit-ready import records archive and keep the standard operating procedure for the import process current

3.Landed cost and duty management

• Compute and verify import duty, VAT, excise, IDF fee, and Railway Development Levy accurately on every entry
• Maintain the landed-cost model for key imports (e.g. feed), and flag duty, tax, or exemption opportunities to Procurement and Finance
• Ensure duty and tax funding is arranged and released in time so it never delays clearance

4.Clearing agents, port, and demurrage control

• Manage licensed clearing agents to agreed cost, accuracy, and turnaround SLAs, against a simple performance scorecard
• Run an import control tower: track every in-transit consignment by ETA, document status, and free-time / demurrage-clock expiry
• Proactively drive down demurrage, storage, and detention costs through documentation readiness and disciplined clearance planning
• Coordinate inland transport and delivery of cleared cargo to sites with the Logistics team
• Optional strategic mandate, if VF elects to pursue it: assess and, once approved, drive self-clearing / in-house licensed-agent status and AEO accreditation to reduce reliance on third-party agents and speed up clearance

Skills and qualifications:

Must have

• 5+ years of hands-on imports and customs experience in Kenya – on the importer side or with a clearing and forwarding agent – clearing consignments through Mombasa port and JKIA
• Deep, practical command of the Kenyan customs declaration and KRA iCMS – enough to set classification and valuation and to direct and check a licensed clearing agent – spanning IDF, HS classification, duty and tax computation, and KEBS / PVoC conformity
• A proven track record of controlling demurrage, detention, and clearance lead times
• The ability to manage and hold accountable licensed clearing agents to cost and turnaround standards
• A solid grasp of Kenyan customs and trade compliance, including permits and exemptions relevant to imported goods

Nice to have

• A recognised customs or clearing qualification or licence (e.g. EAC / KRA customs, KIFWA, or licensed clearing agent status)
• Experience importing feed, agricultural inputs, perishables, or capital equipment
• Familiarity with ERP-based procurement and import tracking (ERPNext an advantage)

Attributes

• Meticulous and document-obsessed – nothing moves without a complete, correct pack
• Calm and decisive under time pressure, with free-time clocks always running
• Commercially sharp on duty and landed cost, not just on process
• High integrity, and comfortable operating in a compliance-sensitive function
• Field-oriented – as comfortable at the port and with agents as at a desk

Benefit:

• Visibility into the world’s fastest growing aquaculture company.
• Ideal for a candidate looking to dive into a mission-oriented Organization.
• The team is committed to the candidate’s success and will provide coaching, mentorship, and unique exposure to people and experiences that come from the most successful leaders in the entrepreneurial community and the social sector.

About Victory Farms

Victory Farms (VF) was established on Lake Victoria in 2016 with both on-shore and off-shore facilities. The head office is in Nairobi, and its Farm site is in Homa Bay County, with distribution across Kenya. VF has since become one of the fastest growing companies in aquaculture globally. In its first eight months of operation, the Company became the largest aquaculture producer in Kenya. Victory Farms aims to become the leading tilapia farm in Africa over the next 5 years while maintaining the highest environmental and social standards; as the most sustainable tilapia farm in the world, adhering to global standards and best practices, and producing affordable, sustainable protein to feed millions of people across Africa. Today, it is the largest commercial aquaculture player in East Africa and operates one of largest hatcheries on the continent. The Company is continuing to rapidly expand its vertically integrated model: production, processing, and sales & distribution, to keep pace with the rapid growth in demand for protein. To support this, Victory Farms employs world class technologies, people, and processes to build its model for sustainable protein production on the continent. VF strives for the highest standards in performance, execution, culture, and integrity. VF’s growth trajectory provides enormous opportunity for excited professionals to uplift their careers and make an impact within a diverse operation. We recognize the utmost importance which contributions by individuals and teams have to the success of Victory Farms. We work to create a fantastic environment for our employees. An environment where employees have an opportunity to develop professionally and personally.

How to Apply

Please send your 2-page CV and cover letter expressing your interest and qualifications to recruit@victoryfarmskenya.com indicating Imports & Customs Specialist as the email subject.