Customs Compliance Manager
Wherever there are imports and exports, there are two or more jurisdictions with potentially very different legal frameworks. And there are also free trade zones where customs play a minor part, as long as there are other rules in place regarding sourcing, manufacture, materials and so on. Of course, if you’re a customs compliance manager, you’ll be well aware of all this layperson’s stuff – and you’ll know all about the hurdles and paperwork required to get products across international borders.
Customs compliance manager jobs require people with a good understanding of the legal aspects of imports and exports in logistics, who will be able to apply that knowledge to a busy freight operation. They’ll be working alongside cargo managers and other logistics team members to ensure the path from country to country is as smooth as possible. Rejection of cargo at a far-flung port is not an option.
The skills required
Much of the work of the customs compliance manager is done using specialist software, so you’ll be expert in the various solutions, or one particular brand for some positions. You’ll need to know exactly where to look to find specific, accurate, up-to-date rules for the import and export of certain products, and may need to study the regulations from entirely new jurisdictions if the employer is expanding.
The role will also require you to keep on top of the state of the law in the destination and originating nations, including potential law changes and political shifts that could have a strategic impact on your business. A legal background can therefore be useful.
Customs Compliance Manager Jobs in Stevenage
Located about 28 miles (45 km) directly north of the centre of London, Stevenage was one of the new towns that were planned after the Second World War to provide new lives for those whose homes and livelihoods had been shattered in the Blitz. As with other towns such as Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead and Crawley, it was built on an existing village, although the infrastructure had to be upgraded. Stevenage boasted a pedestrianised town centre, the first purpose-built one in the UK, although ironically it was cars that would go on to put Stevenage on the map …
The town is well connected, with the A1(M) skirting its west side and the East Coast Mainline having a stop in the town. Luton airport is just to its west and Stansted is 16 miles (27 km) to the east. There’s a good deal of light industry in Stevenage, mainly concentrated in two industrial estates in its north-east and south-west corners, and these employ a good deal of its population.
The town has produced a number of top-ranking sportspeople in its recent history. Aston Villa, Manchester United and England winger Ashley Young was born there, and golfer Ian Poulter was born just outside the town in the neighbouring town of Hitchen. But in pole position is Lewis Hamilton, the local boy who started his career racing remote controlled cars before rising through the ranks and becoming Formula One world champion in 2008 for McLaren.
As with most of the purpose-built new towns, whose infrastructure was designed in the motoring age, Stevenage has attracted a healthy cross section of industries. With all the raw materials and finished products to move around, and a local population of around 90,000 to serve, Customs Compliance Manager positions are not unusual in the town.
Popular locations
Customs compliance manager positions
Nobody needs to remind a UK citizen that rules surrounding customs and trade can change on a whim, and that the implementation can be fuzzy and unpredictable. But the same can apply between any two trading nations. That’s why customs compliance managers are in demand more than ever before.
If you’ve got the know-how and the experience to make sure a supply chain operation gets its products through international ports with the minimum of delay, your skills are needed right now. Please follow the link below to register as a candidate.
Companies looking to fill these compliance roles are finding highly qualified talent through Cast UK. If you want the best candidates, give us a call on 0333 121 3345, because we can find them for you, wherever you are located.
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