Execution Officer

Role: Senior Execution Officer

Department: Contract Execution

Reporting to: Contract Execution Manager

Scope of the role:

• Manage all activities related to contract execution, including planning, coordination and control of goods movement, storage, quality follow-up, documentation, invoicing and cost control.
• Ensure that purchase and sales contracts are executed accurately, on time and in line with contractual terms, internal procedures, company policies and budgeted costs.
• Deliver the right goods to the right place at the right time, while minimizing costs, losses, delays and operational risks.
• Maintain high standards of execution discipline, accuracy, compliance and documentation completeness across all operational activities.
• Demonstrate strong business understanding, risk awareness, adaptability and proactiveness. The role requires the ability to connect operational details with contractual, financial, quality and compliance implications.
• Work independently within delegated authority, take ownership of assigned contracts and tasks, and escalate relevant risks with clear context, impact, options and recommendations.
• Identify inefficiencies in daily execution processes and propose practical improvements to increase efficiency, reduce manual work, improve accuracy and strengthen controls.
• Support a team culture based on trust, responsibility, learning and continuous development. The job holder is expected to think independently, learn from experience and contribute to better execution standards.
• Perform any other business-related tasks assigned by the department head and uphold COFCO values, behaviours, guidelines, procedures and internal workflows.
• Contract execution responsibility covering a minimum annual volume of 500,000 MT.

The holder of the role will be a hard-working professional able to work diligently with tight and recurrent deadlines. This person will be comfortable with working in a developing environment, implementing all applicable policies and procedures.

Main Job Responsibilities:

Cargo contracts execution and coordination

• Coordinate delivery, receipt, movement and product line execution for assigned purchase and sales contracts
• The purpose is to ensure full contract execution in accordance with contractual clauses, timelines and budgeted costs.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Contracts are executed on time, no default due to execution or logistics performance, payments are enabled/cashed in time.
• Senior Expectations: Take ownership until closure, anticipate risks and escalate with options and recommendation.

Budgets and resources

• Monitor and control department expenditure, resources and inventory-related costs.
• The purpose is to ensure effective cost control, efficient use of resources and good service quality versus price.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Costs are within budget.
• Senior Expectations: Identify cost exposure early and propose practical solutions to avoid unnecessary costs.

Inventories

• Monitor and control cargo quality, ownership transfer, credit limits, quantity losses and quality risks.
• The purpose is to reduce quantity loss, quality depreciation and credit risk during storage, handling, transport and transfer.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Good quality inventories, no cargo misappropriation, abnormal loss above legal limits, cargo depreciation or avoidable extra costs.
• Senior Expectations: Connect stock status with contractual, financial, quality and risk implications.

Systems and documents

• Register, issue, manage and archive documents, correspondence, invoices and system entries.
• The purpose is to ensure accurate information in databases, correct cost allocation and complete documentary flow.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Invoices and documents are correctly issued and registered, correspondence and reports are issued and filed on time, no legal risk due to incomplete documentation.
• Senior Expectations: Follow matters until documentation is complete and payment/invoicing flow is enabled.

ISCC certification administration

• Monitor, control, manage and report ISCC transactions and supporting documentation.
• The purpose is to ensure traceability and evidence of ISCC goods in line with ISCC standards and COFCO quality policy.
• The expected outcome/KPI: ISCC rules and principles are respected, no legal risks due to missing, incorrect or incomplete documentation, no deficiencies reported by auditors.
• Senior Expectations: Understand the compliance impact and escalate missing evidence before it becomes a risk.

Procedures and compliance

• Follow and apply COFCO policies, procedures and workflows.
• The purpose is to ensure compliance and correct implementation of internal rules and audit requirements.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Procedures are implemented and respected, no deficiencies reported in internal or external audits.
• Senior Expectations: Apply judgment in situations not fully covered by procedures and escalate material risks with recommendations.

Risk management and structured escalation

• Identify operational, contractual, quality, financial and documentation risks and escalate them in a structured manner.
• The purpose is to prevent delays, additional costs, defaults, claims and control gaps.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Risks are identified early, escalations include context, impact, options and recommendation, critical matters are not left unresolved.
• Senior Expectations: No escalation without context; no problem without a proposed next step; no risk without impact assessment.

Process improvement

• Identify inefficiencies and propose practical improvements in workflows, reporting, tools, documentation and coordination.
• The purpose is to increase efficiency, reduce manual work, improve accuracy and strengthen controls.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Processes are improved, repetitive issues are reduced, the department works more efficiently and with better control.
• Senior Expectations: Show proactiveness, ownership and a continuous improvement mindset.

Team guidance and knowledge sharing

• Support less experienced colleagues and share knowledge on execution standards, procedures and business logic.
• The purpose is to ensure consistent execution quality and support team development.
• The expected outcome/KPI: Team members receive practical guidance, execution standards are applied consistently, knowledge is retained in the department.
• Senior Expectations: Act as a reliable reference point for the team, without replacing managerial sign-off where required.

Requirements:

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor degree; minimum 5 years of relevant experience.
• Technical knowledge: Incoterms, GAFTA/FOSFA regulations, VAT applicability, grain and oilseed handling and quality, basic accounting.
• Strong business understanding, with the ability to link contract terms, logistics flows, stock status, quality, costs, documentation and payment implications.
• Dynamic, organized, proactive and solution-oriented, with good communication skills and good resistance to stress.
• Ability to find practical solutions, prioritize based on business impact and adapt to changing commercial structures, market practices, logistics constraints and internal priorities.
• Good resource management and numerical skills.
• PC skills: MS Office (Excel for data/formulas, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint), internet, communication tools (Teams), SAP and Sharp - advanced.
• English language: advanced spoken and written.

Competencies

• Technical knowledge

• Business understanding and risk awareness
• Ability to connect operational, contractual, financial, quality and compliance aspects
• Ownership and accountability
• Independent thinking and sound judgment within delegated authority
• Proactiveness and continuous improvement mindset
• Adaptability to changing business needs
• Structured escalation with context, impact, options and recommendation
• Clear communication and stakeholder coordination
• Teamwork, knowledge sharing and support for less senior colleagues
• Results orientation and personal effectiveness

Decision-Making

What decisions/actions can the job holder take without referral to others?

• Stock monitoring and control.
• Normal document issuance and registration.
• Invoice registration.
• Cargo insurance follow-up.
• Daily coordination and follow-up of assigned execution matters within approved contract terms, internal procedures and budget.
• Proposal of solutions, process improvements and corrective actions for operational issues within the job holder's area of responsibility.

What decisions/actions need to be signed off and by whom?

• Contract claims, loss justification, inventory transfer, invoice payments and department expenditures - to be signed off by the Execution Manager.
• Booking extra costs on survey/analysis/transport/documents above contract budget - to be signed off by the Execution Manager.
• Any matter with material contractual, financial, quality, compliance or reputational risk - to be escalated to the Execution Manager with context, impact, options and recommendation.

Building relationships (internally- externally): 

• Maintain clear and effective communication with all relevant stakeholders, including Execution and Logistics teams, Department Managers, Traders, Finance, Suppliers, Customers, Inspection companies, Laboratories, Warehouses and Stock Keepers.
• Act as the main execution contact for assigned contracts, ensuring proper coordination between internal teams and external service providers.
• Ensure alignment on contract status, timelines, operational priorities, documentation requirements and potential risks.
• Proactively share updates, identify potential issues and escalate matters in order to avoid delays, additional costs or disruptions in execution.
• Support timely decision-making by providing accurate, complete and relevant information.
• Provide guidance and operational support to less senior colleagues to ensure consistent execution standards across the team.

Position based in Bucharest office, full-time working in the office.