National Customer Services and Documentation Manager

National Customer Services and Documentation Manager

South Africa

DRIVING CONNECTIVITY

Chart your Course with PIL

With over 55 years of leadership in the global shipping industry, Pacific International Lines (PIL) is looking for proactive individuals to drive innovation and sustainable shipping solutions. If you’re fueled by pioneering ideas, enjoy challenging the status quo, and are determined to make a significant impact, PIL wants you as a part of our dynamic community of maritime professionals.

At PIL, we provide local experiences with a global reach. With our headquarters in Singapore, and services offered at over 500 locations in 90 countries, you will have ample opportunities to work with colleagues from different cultures and communities.

Get On Board for a Dynamic and Purposeful Career.

We’re seeking a National Customer Service and Documentation Manager to build, lead and embed a centralised function that delivers consistent, high quality service across all branches. This role owns end‑to‑end customer service performance while driving standardisation, capability uplift, and continuous improvement. It also leads the national documentation function, ensuring governance, compliance, and effective risk and exception management.

Key Responsibilities:

National Customer Service:

• Establish and embed a centralised national Customer Service model based in the PIL Durban head office, transitioning from branch-based practices to a standardised, national operating model.
• Establish and lead a specialised reefer customer service vertical with national coverage of the perishable and deep-frozen reefer markets, ensuring compliance and risk management.
• Ensure gradual reefer Customer Service knowledge transfer to enable customer service provision (complementing Cape Town when needed) to the reefer vertical from the national Customer Service centre in Durban too.
• Introduce industry best practice in customer service processes, governance, escalation and communication.
• Lead customer sensitisation and change management to ensure a smooth transition with no service disruption.

Operations & Performance Ownership

• Lead, coach and manage the national CS team, including redeployed staff, with full accountability for service quality, responsiveness and data accuracy.
• Own the team structure, capacity planning, performance management and skills development.
• Act as the senior escalation point for key customers and complex service issues.
• Ensure all bookings are processed accurately and on time, aligned with internal processes, commercial priorities, equipment availability and network constraints.
• Own the customer service data quality and system discipline, ensuring accuracy across bookings, documentation and downstream processes.
• Drive proactive customer communication, defining clear standards for updates, exceptions and escalations.
• Resolve recurring service issues through root-cause analysis and measurable corrective actions. Drive adoption of digital customer service tools and ensure CRM discipline.
• Monitor and report on Customer Service KPI’s, trends and risks, recommending improvements as the business evolves.

National Documentation:

Leadership, Governance & Oversight

• Lead and supervise the in-country documentation function, ensuring strong performance, service continuity, and compliance with company standards.
• Own and maintain documentation controls, policies, and escalation processes.
• Provide day-to-day oversight of any outsourced documentation functions, ensuring service quality, turnaround times, accuracy, and adherence to SOPs.

Exception Handling & Operational Support

• Manage complex or non-standard documentation cases, such as:
  • Customs stops / detentions
  • Long-stay cargo
  • Legal or regulatory document holds
  • Shipment disputes or corrections
  • Release issues or fraud-risk cases
  • Destruction of abandoned cargoes
• Act as the in-country escalation point for documentation queries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Work closely with other internal departments and external authorities to resolve documentation issues quickly and effectively.
• Support key customer relationships where documentation handling impacts service delivery.

Compliance, Risk &…