Customs and Logistics Specialist

About Abbott

At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world - in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals - that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 114,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.

Abbott in Ireland

Abbott has been operating in Ireland since 1946 and serves the Irish market with a diverse range of healthcare products including diagnostics, diabetes care, medical devices and nutritional products. In Ireland, Abbott currently employs about 6,000 people across ten sites located in Dublin, Donegal, Clonmel, Cootehill, Galway, Kilkenny, Longford and Sligo.

Abbott Galway

Abbott in Galway serves as the international hub for Abbott's Rapid Diagnostics business, which delivers annually more than 2 billion tests. As the global leader in point-of-care diagnostics, Abbott offers the broadest portfolio of best-in-class rapid tests, services, and handheld devices across all healthcare settings: the lab, the clinic, remote healthcare outposts, retail outlets, the patient's bedside and at home. Our industry-leading near patient tests and services are unmatched across key health and therapeutic areas, including: infectious disease, cardiometabolic & informatics, toxicology and consumer diagnostics.

One of the key functions in Galway is Global Business Services, which provides number of shared services activities across finance, purchasing, quality, technical and customer services for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Various global and EMEA commercial and operational management teams across our infectious disease and cardiometabolic businesses are also based in Galway, overseeing the supply of millions of rapid tests from HIV to diabetes to COVID-19, to patients in many regions across the world.

Main Purpose of the Role

The Customs and Trade Compliance Specialist is responsible for ensuring compliance and continuous improvements for business processes relating to Customs and Import Compliance. Primary responsibilities include managing the Import Trade Compliance, Site Coordinator, Certified Classifier and GDS reporting. There will also be some Logistics support required to assist with RDIL fulfilment activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage import/export process and develop effective internal controls to ensure site compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements.
• Act as subject matter expert and advisor regarding compliant importation and exportation of goods, staying abreast of new import/export regulations and programs that may impact the business.
• Act as a Certified Classifier to ensure the correct classification of all RDIL’s products within the EU.
• Act as support for RDIL’s site co-Ordinator
• Provide technical guidance to assist in the proper management of international projects.
• Participate in maintaining site compliance with special trade programs, including AEO, Free Trade Agreements (FTA), Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ), etc.

• Collaborate on Compliance Improvement Plans, as needed, to address and correct issues identified during corporate import/export compliance assessments.
• Carry out the process for transactional review/audit of all import/export records.
• Maintain relationships with carriers and brokers to resolve broker/freight issues to maintain timely product flow in the supply chain.
• Work with other departments including warehouse operations, finance, purchasing, Customer Services, that are involved in import/export activities, .
• Maintain proper import/export recordkeeping controls to ensure compliance with the requirements of 19CFR and 15CFR
• Logistics activities as per RDIL processes and procedures – SharePoint logs, interaction with service providers, and shared mailbox management.

Education & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree required, business, logistics/transportation, or another related field.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in import/export operations, international business or another related field.
• Good working knowledge of Logistics – preference for experience in fulfilment using multiple modes of transport (courier networks, air freight and sea freight). Candidate will able to book, price and monitor shipments.
• Sound analytical abilities and familiarity with enforcement of internal controls required.
• Knowledge of AEO, Taric and EU embargoed and Sanction regulations applicable to the medical device industry preferred
• Must occasionally use judgment to determine when strict enforcement of requirements vs. exploring compliant alternatives as appropriate.

• Ability to balance multiple priorities simultaneously and manage time appropriately.
• Effectively driving for results is a key competency Ability to implement compliance processes in areas outside department structures to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills with a strong attention to detail
• Must be self-directed, adept at juggling multiple projects and comfortable in a fast-paced and ever- changing work environment
• Proficiency in MS Outlook, MS Word and MS Excel