Manager- CSR & Logistics

Arxada is a global specialty chemicals business that’s committed to solving the world’s toughest preservation challenges through better science. [With a proud history of innovation dating back more than a century], we aim to help our customers develop more sustainable solutions that protect and maintain the health and wellbeing of people and extend the life of vital infrastructure while working to reduce our and our customers’ ecological footprint.

Sustainable preservation is one of our top priorities. We are making significant strategic investments that will not only decrease our own environmental footprint, but also help customers adapt to long-term environmental and social change through the development of cleaner, greener solutions.

Company portal : arxada.com

Essential Job Functions: ​

The Customer Service Manager (CSM) is responsible for leading and managing the Customer Service team to deliver an outstanding customer experience through efficient order management, timely communication, and prompt resolution of customer inquiries and complaints.

The CSM oversees the day-to-day operations of the Customer Service function, establishes and maintains service standards, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.

Key Responsibilities

The incumbent will be the primary point of contact and responsible for the following functions:

• Customer Service Operations
• Distribution Management
• Logistics Coordination
• Inventory and Stock Management
• Sample Management
• Export Order Management and Drop Shipment Coordination

The CSM will act as the key coordinator between Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, Planning, Manufacturing, Procurement, Warehouses, Third-Party Logistics (3PL) providers, Transporters, and major external customers to ensure seamless execution of customer orders and timely resolution of all customer-related issues.

The role requires a thorough understanding of sales operations, order-to-cash processes, supply chain activities, and business operations. The incumbent should possess strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills and be capable of independently handling both internal and external stakeholder interactions in a professional manner.

Core Responsibilities

1. Customer Service & Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers regarding orders, deliveries, shipments, documentation, product availability, and service-related inquiries.
• Provide timely and accurate responses to customer queries related to chemical products, including Product Specifications, Safety Data Sheets (SDS/MSDS), Certificates of Analysis (COA), regulatory certifications, and compliance documentation.
• Register, monitor, investigate, and coordinate the resolution of customer complaints by working closely with Quality, Technical Service, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Sales teams to ensure timely closure and effective corrective actions.
• Coordinate customer credit requests, validate special commercial terms, and support resolution of non-technical customer queries in collaboration with Finance and Sales.
• Build and maintain strong, long-term customer relationships by delivering a high standard of professionalism, responsiveness, and product knowledge.
• Monitor, analyze, and drive improvements in On Time In Full (OTIF) performance to achieve customer service excellence and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Help Logistics team to manage the end-to-end inventory flow, including inbound receipts, outbound dispatches, inventory movements, stock reconciliation, cycle counts, and accurate inventory record maintenance.
• Ensure timely and proactive communication with customers regarding order status, delivery schedules, potential delays, backorders, and any supply constraints.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Planning, Procurement, Manufacturing, Logistics, Warehouses, and Third-Party Logistics (3PL) providers to ensure seamless order fulfillment and customer satisfaction.
• Maintain customer master data, shipping instructions, and service-related records in the ERP system, ensuring data accuracy and compliance with company policies.

• Identify service improvement opportunities through customer feedback, service metrics, and trend analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions to continuously enhance the customer experience.

2. Order Management & Logistics Coordination

• Oversee the complete Order-to-Cash (O2C) process, ensuring efficient execution from order receipt and order entry through delivery, invoicing, and payment follow-up.
• Receive customer purchase orders and sample requests, validate order details, and accurately enter orders into SAP while coordinating with Sales, Commercial, Supply Chain, Planning, and Logistics teams for timely execution.
• Process and verify customer orders received through email, telephone, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), customer portals, or other communication channels with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Coordinate with Production, Planning, Procurement, Warehousing, and Logistics teams to ensure product availability and on-time order fulfillment.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, trade, and company requirements during order execution, including product documentation and statutory compliance.
• Support the Sales team in preparing quotations, tender submissions, customer documentation, and commercial proposals, while coordinating customer meetings and appointments when required.
• Maintain accurate Customer Master Data, pricing conditions, shipping instructions, and other master records in SAP to ensure data integrity.
• Prepare and maintain weekly and monthly sales reports, order status reports, backlog reports, and execution updates for the Sales and Management teams.
• Monitor open sales orders, identify aged or unexecuted orders, coordinate their closure or execution, and proactively follow up with customers for repeat orders and forecast updates.
• Manage and continuously improve key service performance indicators, including On Time In Full (OTIF) and Market Service Level (MSL).
• Plan, prioritize, and organize workload to ensure customer commitments and operational deadlines are consistently achieved.
• Manage customer expectations by providing timely updates on product availability, pricing, order status, delivery schedules, delays, backorders, product substitutions, and other supply-related issues.
• Handle export orders, ensuring complete and accurate export documentation and compliance with international trade regulations.
• Manage export transactions under Letter of Credit (L/C) payment terms by ensuring strict compliance with all L/C conditions, coordinating documentation with banks and freight forwarders, and following up until receipt of payment.
• Coordinate drop shipment orders by managing order entry in SAP, collaborating with overseas customers, manufacturing locations, freight forwarders, and logistics providers to ensure seamless execution and timely deliveries.
• Monitor inventory levels and collaborate with Planning, Supply Chain, Operations, and Warehousing teams to maintain optimal stock availability and meet customer demand.
• Coordinate with Finance and customers to follow up on outstanding payments, resolve payment-related issues, and support timely collections for both domestic and international customers.

• Proactively identify order execution risks and implement corrective actions to minimize delivery delays, improve service levels, and enhance customer satisfaction.

3. Compliance & Regulatory Support

• Ensure all customer interactions, order processing, product distribution, and export transactions comply with applicable chemical industry regulations, company policies, and statutory requirements.
• Maintain and distribute accurate and up-to-date customer documentation, including Safety Data Sheets (SDS/MSDS), Certificates of Analysis (COA), Technical Data Sheets (TDS), regulatory certificates, declarations, and other product-related compliance documents.
• Coordinate closely with Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, and Technical Service teams to support customer-specific compliance requirements, audits, product registrations, and regulatory documentation requests.
• Ensure compliance with customer-specific contractual requirements, quality standards, and regulatory obligations throughout the order fulfillment process.
• Adhere to established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Configuration Management Plans (CMP), ISO standards, and other applicable quality management systems.
• Review, update, and continuously improve departmental SOPs and work instructions to align with Global SOPs, business process improvements, and evolving regulatory requirements.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and auditable records of customer transactions, regulatory documents, approvals, and service-related activities in accordance with company record retention policies.
• Monitor and maintain special pricing agreements, customer-specific offers, rebates, and commercial terms within the ERP (SAP) system, ensuring appropriate approvals, validity periods, and pricing accuracy.
• Support internal and external audits by providing accurate documentation, reports, and evidence of compliance while ensuring timely closure of audit observations.
• Promote a culture of compliance, data integrity, and continuous process improvement across all customer service and sales operations activities.

4. Team Leadership & Performance Management

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop the Customer Service team to deliver exceptional customer service while effectively handling customer inquiries, technical documentation requests, export transactions, and key account requirements.
• Build a high-performance, customer-centric culture by providing regular coaching, performance feedback, training, and development opportunities.
• Establish, monitor, and review key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Customer Service team, including On-Time Delivery (OTD), On-Time In Full (OTIF), Order Accuracy, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), First Response Time, Order Cycle Time, Complaint Resolution Time, and Market Service Level (MSL).
• Conduct periodic performance reviews, identify skill gaps, and implement training and succession plans to strengthen team capabilities.
• Allocate workload effectively and ensure optimal resource utilization to consistently meet service levels and business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by identifying process bottlenecks, simplifying workflows, and implementing best practices to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Analyze customer complaints, service failures, and operational performance metrics to identify root causes and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Supply Chain, Planning, Manufacturing, Finance, Quality, Regulatory, and Logistics, to improve end-to-end Order-to-Cash (O2C) processes and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Promote a culture of accountability, operational excellence, compliance, innovation, and continuous improvement across the Customer Service function.

• Lead and support digital transformation initiatives, ERP (SAP) enhancements, automation projects, and process standardization to improve service quality and operational productivity.

5. Reporting & Analytics

• Prepare and present periodic reports and dashboards on Customer Service performance, including order fulfillment, OTIF, OTD, customer complaints, backlog orders, inventory status, export performance, and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT).
• Analyze order patterns, sales trends, customer demand, inventory levels, and customer feedback to provide actionable insights for Sales, Supply Chain, Demand Planning, and Production teams.
• Monitor and report key operational KPIs, identify service gaps, recommend corrective actions, and drive continuous performance improvement.
• Provide regular business updates to senior management by highlighting key operational challenges, business risks, improvement opportunities, and performance against established targets.
• Support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Demand Planning processes by providing accurate order pipeline, backlog, forecast, and customer demand information.
• Coordinate SAP enhancement projects by working closely with Global and Local IT, Finance, Supply Chain, Sales, and Business teams to implement system improvements, master data changes, workflow enhancements, pricing updates, and Order-to-Cash (O2C) process optimization.
• Participate in SAP implementation, testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), system upgrades, process automation initiatives, and continuous improvement projects to enhance operational efficiency and customer service performance.
• Ensure the accuracy, integrity, and governance of sales, customer, pricing, and order-related master data within SAP and associated business systems.
• Develop and maintain standard operating reports, dashboards, and performance analytics to support informed business decision-making and operational excellence.
• Foster a data-driven culture by leveraging business analytics to improve customer experience, optimize service performance, and support strategic business objectives.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Technical & Functional Competencies
• Strong knowledge of Customer Service, Order-to-Cash (O2C), Supply Chain, Logistics, Distribution, Inventory Management, and Sales Operations within the chemical manufacturing industry.
• Sound understanding of chemical industry regulations, product stewardship, regulatory compliance, export/import procedures, and documentation requirements.
• Strong knowledge of international trade practices, Incoterms, Letter of Credit (L/C) transactions, export documentation, customs regulations, and global logistics.
• Proficiency in ERP and business systems, including SAP (SD/MM modules), Salesforce (CRM), Microsoft Office (Advanced Excel, PowerPoint), and reporting/analytics tools.
• Good understanding of demand planning, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), forecasting, inventory management, and customer service KPIs such as OTIF, OTD, MSL, and CSAT.
• Knowledge of customer documentation requirements, including Safety Data Sheets (SDS/MSDS), Certificates of Analysis (COA), Technical Data Sheets (TDS), regulatory certificates, and quality documentation.
• Experience in SAP master data management, pricing, sales order processing, export order management, and process improvement initiatives.
• Leadership & Behavioral Competencies
• Strong leadership and people management skills with the ability to coach, mentor, and develop high-performing customer service teams.
• Excellent customer relationship management skills with a proven ability to build and maintain long-term partnerships with B2B customers and key stakeholders.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional and multicultural teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities with a proactive approach to resolving customer and operational issues.
• Excellent negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.
• Highly organized with strong planning, prioritization, and time management capabilities, capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Customer-centric mindset with a strong focus on service excellence, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.
• High level of integrity, accountability, professionalism, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly regulated, quality-driven, and safety-conscious environment while ensuring compliance with company policies and industry standards.
• Adaptability and resilience to manage change, lead transformation initiatives, and support digitalization and business process improvements.
• Preferred Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Commerce, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline. An MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification is preferred.
• 5-8 years of progressive experience in Customer Service, Supply Chain, Logistics, Sales Operations, or Export Management, preferably within the chemical, specialty chemicals, or manufacturing industry.
• Proven experience in leading customer service teams and managing complex domestic and international customer operations.
• Hands-on experience with SAP ERP, export documentation, global customer service, and cross-functional project management.

Arxada has world class offering in two distinct areas:

Microbial Control Solutions (MCS) focuses on threats posed by microorganisms to people and planet through five distinct business lines including Professional Hygiene, Home & Personal Care, Wood Protection, Paints & Coatings and Material Protection.

Nutrition, Care & Environmental (NCE) provides materials used to manufacture composites for electronics, aerospace and other markets, as well as vitamins and nutritional ingredients, chemicals and performance intermediates, and raw materials for a wide range of high-performance applications.

 

Arxada is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a qualified individual with disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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