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 Torquay
Torquay is located on the East-facing coastal area of Devon, in the area called Torbay. Exeter is 17 miles (27 km) to the north and Plymouth is 27 miles (43 k) to the west. Torquay was a tiny fishing and farming village until the Napoleonic wars, when the Royal Navy would take anchor in the bay and the members of the upper ranks would often go to shore in the area. It soon gained a reputation as being a healthy place to stay and by the 19th century, just in time for the arrival of the railways it became a famous spa town and later, a tourist resort. Nowadays it has a static population of around 65,000 but in high season this can swell to 200,000, the size of a small city.
Tourist towns almost always have great logistical requirements, which is why Customs Compliance Manager jobs can sometimes become available in the town or the surrounding area. Torquay is not particularly industrialised, but there are several trading estates dotted around the outskirts. Plymouth and Exeter are better employers and are both nearby, which does make Torquay a popular commuter town, and people living there seeking non-tourism related work will often look north and west.
For its population, Torquay has produced a fair number of world-famous people. Top of the pile is thriller author Agatha Christie, for whom a mile of plaques, the “Agatha Christie Mile”, is dedicated. Peter Cook, one half of Pete and Dud, was born in the town, as was comedy actor Miranda Hart and model Lily Cole. Sketches of The Goodies and Monty Python’s Flying Circus were filmed there, and it was during one of the latter’s stays that the team happened upon a grumpy hotelier who became the inspiration for Basil Fawlty, TV’s most famous Torquay-based hotel owner.
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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