Lead Billing Coordinator

JOB OVERVIEW:

Under the supervision of the Assistant Billing Manager, the main function of this position is reviewing all documentation for goods or services provided and giving the customer a clear, itemized bill in a timely fashion. Review all invoices that leave the business to ensure their accuracy and minimize negative customer feedback. The coordinator must follow all company billing procedures to make sure that sent bills and invoices are noted and tracked. The coordinator also works with accounts receivable to clear outstanding invoices or bills as they are paid.




To achieve this, the coordinator must be organized and well-versed in port terminal activities including transportation vernacular. The port is a multimodal distribution hub with transport links using sea, river, road and rail. The port terminals include: The Port of Savannah, largest single -terminal container facility in North America; Ocean Terminal, dedicated breakbulk and Roll-on/Roll-off facility; Port of Brunswick, fastest growing auto and heavy machinery ports in North America and Brunswick Mayor's Point Terminal which exports forest products. Any movement of cargo is normally a billable item which must be accounted for. The billing complexity makes it critical that the coordinator understands the operational and logistical flow of billable services and the varying components, products and personnel (internal and external) involved.

JOB DUTIES AND REQUIREMENTS:

Performs billing for all GPA locations, Savannah (Garden City & Ocean Terminal), Mayor's Point, Colonel's Island, Bainbridge.




1. Garden City Vessel Containers:

• Involves extensive communication with stevedores to ensure all containers are loaded onto or discharged from vessel. Also, must ensure all restows, power, storage and security charges are billed. The crane log must be reviewed to bill an additional fee for each container where an overheight bar is used. Information for each vessel must be entered into GPA's Executive Information System for tonnage reporting. Monthly balancing is required to ensure no billing is missed and to ensure correct container numbers are entered into EIS.
  
• Tonnage numbers, both container and breakbulk, are both very important as these numbers are used for reporting to Senior Staff, State of Georgia, and can be used for Media releases.
  

2. Garden City Miscellaneous Containers:

• Billing includes charges for draying containers to Customs, to and from rail, Reefer Facilitation Fees, Empty Storage billing, and all other container movement. This takes much coordination with Live Lift, Control Center and Intermodal Operations. External data entry is recieved from companies other than GPA (Stevedores, etc.), which requires audit and follow up. Weekly and monthly audits are performed to ensure billable service events are not missed, also to ensure incorrect service events are not billed.
  

3. Garden City Breakbulk:

• Biller must audit crane logs to identify breakbulk cargo being loaded onto or discharged from container vessels. Biller must then coordinate with Operations to verify owner of cargo and weight so crane charges, wharfage and stevedore fees can be billed to the appropriate party. This tonnage is entered EIS.
  

4. Garden City Bulk (Vopak):

• Must coordinate with our Lease customer Vopak to identify all vessels and owners in order to bill throughput charges. This tonnage is entered into EIS.
  

5. Garden City Warehouse (Stuffing & Stripping):

• Must coordinate with Operations to ensure billing is captured for all containers stuffed or stripped. Must receive accurate inventory for billing storage on cargo received into the warehouse but not stuffed within contracted free time. Monthly balancing with warehouse personnel is required to ensure all billing is captured, also to ensure all reporting is accurate prior to being sent to Senior Management.
  

6. Norfolk Southern:

• Reports must be received from I.T. to show all Norfolk Southern containers (international and domestic) loaded to or unloaded from railcars. These lifts are billed monthly to Norfolk Southern.
  

7. Ocean Terminal: Billing involves containers, but the majority of cargo is breakbulk. This is billed through our N4 Billing system.

• Handling: Audit every transaction is required to ensure correct Bill To party has been applied, correct rate has been applied based on handling type (forklift, crane, self propelled, etc), shipper, packaging type, length of boat, weight, etc. Handling rates vary based on each customer according to a contract, quote or GPA MTO Schedule. Also, rates can decrease when a customer's cargo reaches a certain level. This must be verified and balanced between our N4 Billing System and SAP, our Financial System.
  
• Storage: Checked to confirm correct Bill To Party, free time, rates and storage period.
  
• Dockage: Billed for each vessel based on duration of stay which must be confirmed by checking the GPA vessel schedule. Biller must confirm type and length of vessel with Lloyd's on-line service.
  
• Security: Billed for each vessel based on length of vessel.
  
• Wharfage: Biller must receive manifest from Line or Agent. Wharfage is billed based on cargo type and weight. Must ensure any applicable discounts are applied.
  
• Stevedore Fee: The appropriate stevedores are charged per ton for all cargo crossing our dock.
  
• Crane Billing: When GPA Crane is used, billing is based on hours. All vessels do not use GPA crane, therefore biller must confirm with Operations.
  
• Miscellaneous Services: Other miscellaneous services billed include removing and replacing gondola car covers, furnishing water to vessel, segregating cargo, labeling cargo, rehandling cargo, delivery order preparation, etc.
  

8. Volume Incentives:

• Both container and breakbulk customers receive rate incentives based on volume. Most of these rates can be set to change in the billing system, however each must be balanced on a monthly basis to ensure rates are changing correctly. Reasons for balancing discrepancies would be due to a credit memos being issued against the account, or manual billing due to stevedore errors.
  

9. Credit Memos:

• Due to the enormous amount of data entry received from outside sources, electronical data from Shipping Lines, Delivery Order creation from Shippers and Brokers, Vessel data from Stevedores, etc., we do not have total control over billable data, therefore credit memos are inevitable. Biller must assist in research of disputed invoices. Credit Memos are received from the collections department and must be entered into our financial system, SAP, then completed in an Access Database for monthly reporting to Director of Finance and CFO.
  

10. Data Transfers:

• All data from billing system (N4 Billing and Express) must be pulled into the Financial System (SAP). Once this is done, invoices must be completed and printed to the PDF Creator, which sends invoices through a 3rd system that matches SAP invoices with supporting documents and determines whether invoice is printed or emailed to customer.
  

11. Monthly Accruals:

• All information for billing is not always available prior to closing our monthly books, billers must know what they have not received and get estimates from customers or operations in order to accrue revenue.
  

12. Audits:

• Automated invoices for correctness of rates, bill to party, etc., prior to them being sent through system for emailing to customer.
  

13. Create Contracts in SAP in order to enter all contracted/quoted rates.




14. Enters MTO Rates in SAP.




15. Add Shippers to SAP for billing purposes.




16. Performs a variety of clerical duties such as mail distribution, copying, answering telephone.




17. Ensures all paperwork or billing information is received from field offices.




18. Performs other duties as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:


Knowledge of Microsoft Excel strongly desired. Knowledge of SAP and NAVIS desired. Ability to deal effectively and professionally with the GPA staff on all levels as well as customers in the shipping industry and the public required.




Education and/or Experience:


High school diploma or equivalent required. Computer experience required. Some college desired. Familiarity with operations of the shipping industry helpful. Must be able to work beyond the work day or work week as necessary.




Other Requirements:


Must meet the criteria for and obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). Valid state driver's license required.




Rev 7/2018