Lead Letter Of Credit Specialist

Purpose of Role:

The role of the Letters of Credit Specialist Team Lead is to collaborate with the Letters of Credit Supervisor in providing guidance and support to the team and motivate team members. Communicate expectations, assignments and responsibilities clearly and professionally to the team.

Responsible for day-to-day approval, processing and generation of contract documents related to Documentary Collection and Letters of Credit for International Trade transactions (Imports, Exports and Foreign to Foreign) as well as record keeping of all the documents associated with these contracts.

Key Areas of Accountability:

The Letters of Credit Specialist Team Lead primary responsibility is to serve as escalation point and support to the team as well as:

• Answer team member questions, help with team member problems, and oversee team member work load
• Assure all the team members have the necessary education and training to effectively perform their job duties.
• Participate in planning and implementation of department goals and objectives under the guidance of the Letters of Credit Supervisor
• Provide encouragement to team members, including communicating team goals and identifying areas for new training or skill checks
• Simplify work processes focusing on elimination of non-value added work
• Shadow and have a good understanding of other departments' work flows.

       Responsible for developing and maintaining good relationships with all Ocean carriers & Bank Contacts leveraging such relationships at times when escalations are needed as well as keeping good relationships with internal customers.

• Escalate urgent matters to Supervisor as they arise.
• Monitor reports, dashboards and provide guidance to the team on a day to day basis.
• Solicit feedback from the team regarding specific training needs, areas of inconsistencies and creative ideas and suggestions.
• Strive for team consensus and maintain group dynamics.

       Approve Letter(s) of Credit contracts and ensure they are accepted and processed in accordance with the Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits (UCP600) and International Standard Banking Practices (ISBP).

       Review and decide whether the terms and conditions specified on Commercial Letter(s) of Credit and/or Draft Letters of Credit are acceptable to Ravago, based on the organization's standard terms and conditions.

       Responsible for requesting amendments to Letters of Credit based on specialized experience relating to destination country requirements.

       Responsible for elaborating Shipping Instructions provided to the Ocean Carrier to be used as a basis for the generation of the Ocean Bill of Lading, the Title Document for the cargo, and subsequent Export documents.

       Communicate with Freight Forwarders and/or Ocean Carriers for the receipt, correction and final approval of the Ocean Bill of Lading and subsequent Export Documents.

       Track receipt of original Letter of Credit or Swift Advise via Bank's portals for processing.

       Handle Export Documentary Bank Collections and generate appropriate documents.

       Responsible for monitoring the receipt of Clean Advise, Maturity and Payment date of presented Letter of Credit documents.

       Provide counsel to employees on technical aspects of Letter of Credit processes as well as documentary collections.

       Support Credit, Accounts Payable and Treasury departments on issues relating to Letter of Credit transactions.

       Leverage Global Trade Platform for documents generation and reporting purposes.

       Enable business continuity by promoting cross training with other members of the team.

       Work on special projects within the department.

       Participate in backup and load balancing process among members of the Documentation Coordination team during periods of high workload, vacation and time off.

       Responsible for fomenting and maintaining a cohesive team environment within the International Operations Team

• Answer team member questions, help with team member problems, and oversee team member work load
• Assure all the team members have the necessary education and training to effectively perform their job duties.
• Participate in planning and implementation of department goals and objectives under the guidance of the Export Documentation Supervisor
• Provide encouragement to team members, including communicating team goals and identifying areas for new training or skill checks
• Simplify work processes focusing on elimination of non-value added work
• Shadow and have a good understanding of other departments' work flows.
• Maintain good relationships with internal and external customer in order to serve as an escalation point.
• Escalate urgent matters to Supervisor as they arise.
• Monitor reports, dashboards and provide guidance to the team on a day to day basis.
• Solicit feedback from the team regarding specific training needs, areas of inconsistencies and creative ideas and suggestions.
• Strive for team consensus and maintain group dynamics.

       Actively problem solves by seeking better alternatives for performing assigned tasks by making rational assessments of options and reaching logical and accurate conclusions from available information.

       Contributes to the groups success by assisting with coverage during absences

       Stays up-to-date on developments related to the company, profession, resources, and technology

• All other duties as assigned

Contacts

       Internal:  Product Coordinators, Inventory Team, Transportation Team, Compliance Team, Product Managers, Credit Team, Logistics,  IT

       External:  Regional Offices, Warehouse Contacts, Drayage Companies, Shipping Lines, Banks

• Requires a Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5 years of direct Letter of Credit experience within a Financial or equivalent institution.
• Basic SWIFT knowledge
• Knowledge and understanding of UCP600 and ISBP.
• Certified Document Examiner a plus
• Public Notary
• Member of local Chamber of Commerce
• Experience with international trade and/or Letter of Credit operations experience is highly preferred.
• Working knowledge of trade finance transactions, Letter of Credit and related documents, collections and compliance regulations desired.
• Good customer service, communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with clients and all levels of Bank personnel.
• Good analytical and problem solving skills.
• Must be extremely detail-oriented and accurate in a deadline-driven, multitask-oriented environment.
• Basic computer experience required, e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Spanish fluency a plus

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