CONTRACTS & RISK MANAGER

“K” Line America, Inc. (KAM) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, a multi-billion dollar international ocean transportation company serving businesses worldwide.  We are seeking a qualified and motivated candidate to serve as a Contracts & Risk Manager at the company’s North American Headquarters in Glen Allen, Virginia.  This position contributes to the overall success of the organization by effectively managing all tasks as follows:

Responsibilities:

Contracts & Commercial Claims

·           At the direction of General Counsel, review legal documents such as Contracts, Agreements, MOU, etc., to be signed with customers, vendors, partners, in view of Maritime Law and other related laws, to check the contents and suggest modification as needed for the company’s interest to help other staff for their communication and negotiation with above-mentioned outside entities.

·           At the direction of General Counsel, be a point of contact in “K” Line America, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “KAM”) for “K” Line Tokyo Legal for lawsuit cases that take place in US.

·           At the direction of General Counsel, contact outside legal counsel to obtain legal advice, suggestion in case of need in reviewing legal documents, and to support other staff.

·           Analyze and fully research facts as to customs penalties and work on mitigation in support of General Counsel petitions for mitigation.

·           Communicate professionally with customers and the commercial team on all decisions.

·           Manage, work together with designated staff to handle cargo claims timely and professionally.  As needed, communicate with the Working Group that includes SALES Management and Port Captains to deal with difficult cases that may require commercial, technical & contract analysis and judgement.  Communication will be required with a claims team in “K” Line Tokyo.

·           Manage and give directions to a claim staff and ensure the staff is responding to customers who submitted claims in a timely manner.

Risk Management

·           Reads and understands insurance policies.

·           Leads KAM’s insurance renewal process by communicating with our insurance broker and “K” Line Tokyo’s concerned parties.

·           Consults with our General Counsel and other professionals on insurance and compliance matters.

o   Conduct compliance research that includes but is not limited to USA government regulation changes or any legal changes that impact on our shipping industry and international trade.

o   Study World Shipping Council’s reports and distribute internal awareness notices based on our needs.

o   Be KAM’s main contact point for “K” Line’s Tokyo HQs’ SDGs and Environmental group and respond to their request for data submission, internal trainings and environmental regulation research.

·           Periodically conduct audits and reviews to ensure execution of compliance standards and  company policy.

·           Write and distribute documents that educate others on how to improve compliance.

·           Spearheads and helps to design training programs that improve compliance in the company.

§          Fills out and files reports with various compliance agencies, such as Transportation Security Administration (TWIC card application), Maritime Bond Renewal, and C-TPAT.

·         When compliance problems arise, conduct investigations to discover the roots of the issue and create professional reports.

 Requirements:

·           College Degree is required and work experience in contracting and documentation at legal office is highly preferred.

·           Highly developed communication and cognitive abilities, including reading ability, enabling precise, complete acquisition and transmission of information to all who need to know.

·           Understanding of accurate compliance requirements within areas of your responsibility, as confirmed by General Counsel, or ability to acquire on an expedited basis. Areas will include ocean shipping regulation under federal Shipping Acts, Customs laws and procedures, limited, specific antitrust laws, and anti-corruption laws.

·           Knowledge of best practices for processing claims, with emphasis on cargo claims, and implementation of best practices for handling claims, or ability to acquire such knowledge on an expedited basis and establish implementation with effective supervision.

·           Insurance background, knowledge and experience is highly preferred.

·           Enforcement of compliance in all areas within your responsibility.

·           Demonstrates an approachable, professional demeanor and work on a team basis with other employees to benefit fully from their knowledge and experience to achieve the best results for KAM and “K” Line Tokyo.

“K” Line America, Inc. offers a challenging, fast paced environment along with an excellent compensation, benefits, and work life balance program.  This is a great opportunity to put your skills to work in a dynamic organization and to be part of a collaborative team!

At this time, “K” Line America, Inc. will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position. “K” Line America, Inc. is a drug free work zone and an equal opportunity employer.