Import Customs Specialist

Trade Affairs Coordinator - Import / Customs

The client with 70 + sites worldwide specialise in the manufacturing of products for the Fragrance, Beauty, Food and Well-being industry. They are a well established business with a long history and known for their best-in-class processes and procedures.

As a Trade Affairs Coordinator you will oversee and coordinate all customs-related activities at our Ashford site. In this pivotal role, you will optimize daily customs clearance procedures, ensure compliance with inward processing, trade regulations and manage customs duties effectively.

You will oversee & coordinate the day-to-day customs operational activities and will primarily be responsible to manage all requirements to clear goods at the border, ensure that documentation and data entry are consistent and compliant with our licenses.

The role includes a high degree of administrative tasks to comply with customs regulations as well as coordination and communication aspects with internal and external partners to ensure timeliness and efficiency of processes and prompt management of daily exceptions and requests.

Reporting directly to the Shipping / Planning Manager in Ashford with a functional reporting link to the UK Trade Affairs Manager, you will work closely with other departments and streams as part of an extended team.

Qualifications

Education: Degree level or certificate in Customs compliance level 4 or higher or working experience of minimum 2 years in an equivalent position.

Recognized experience in the import / export area including Inward Processing

In depth experience working in Import - Export Compliance and specifically in filing IPR submissions to UK Tax & Revenue

Languages: Fluency in English

Excellent communication & command skills

High level of accuracy

Accountability, initiative and integrity

SAP / GTS knowledge, advanced Excel knowledge.

Able to work in a matrix environment, in a team or independently and to interact with diverse stakeholders

Core Responsibilities

Management and documentation of daily local customs' activities
Official point of contact for local customs authorities - for day-to-day operations
Administration and maintenance of import & export records in our systems Ensure compliance to international trade regulations and local customs accreditations
Ensure continuity including local backup solution for Trade affairs
Coordination of import and export declarations with customs agents and forwarders
Control of import and export documents and duties.
Management of duties refund, duty drawbacks including optimizing and coordination of the IPR program.
Support with common customs audits
Ensure compliance and flawless execution of inbound and outbound duty processes
License Management.
Ensuring the correct duty is applied through checking the (url removed) websites
Monitoring SLA's and keeping them up to date with the customs broker / forwarders
Functional support to other departments