Customs Associate Manager

Job Description

About the position:

We are looking for an experienced Associate Manager to guide our daily customs operations and mentor our growing teams. In this role, you will be the operational anchor for our European Customs & Exports (EC&E) department. You will ensure that daily activities are efficient and compliant, while directly overseeing the execution of our teams' trade and customs objectives. You'll be reporting into the EC&E Senior Manager. You're constantly looking for improvement activities within EC&E. In this position, you act as a bridge between strategy and daily operational delivery.

In brief, you are responsible for:

• Operational leadership, manage the daily workflow of the EC&E team, ensuring customs compliance and accurate documentation across our existing lanes (UK, NI, ROI, ES, FR, NL, PL) for finished goods, and for Raws and Packaging in the near future.
• Managing our customs vendor spend (€ 5 million per year) and ensuring our import tax, duties and VAT are applied correctly (€ 160 million per year).
• Mentorship and development, provide day-to-day coaching to our customs analysts, helping them troubleshoot complex matters and supporting the teams' growth.
• Escalation management, serve as the primary point of contact for resolving high-priority logistics bottlenecks, or complex customs disputes with internal or external partners.
• Enforce adherence to SOP's and compliance standards. You will be responsible for auditing documentation and identifying potential risks before they impact the business.
• Monitor KPI's (clearance lead times, broker performance, extra costs, etc.) and drive corrective actions when service levels fall below targets.
• Cross-functional bridge, aligning with internal stakeholders to resolve operational friction.
• Act as systems expert for OTM/GTM/SAP issues, supporting the team in managing master data and resolving technical system blockers.

Qualifications:

Please kindly note that you need to have an EU Working Permit (Orientation Year Visa not included) in order to apply for this position.

• Master's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in shipping, transportation, or warehouse/logistics operations; CPG or food industry strongly preferred.
• A solid grasp of European trade dynamics, and familiarity with customs. Familiarity with customs regimes (transits, warehousing, Inward Processing, import/export documentation) is a plus
• Advanced Proficiency with ERP/TMS/WMS systems (SAP preferred), EDI transactions, carrier portals, and appointment scheduling tools.
• Excellent knowledge of export/import processes, Incoterms, and shipping documentation.
• Advanced Excel skills; experience with analytics/reporting tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Excellent communication skills, customer focus, and cross-functional collaboration; strong problem-solving and organizational abilities.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple priorities, and drive continuous improvement.

Professional Attributes:

• Communication Skills - It is important to have excellent interpersonal skills, to take care of all kinds of different collaborators.
• Confident / Ability to give pushback - We like people who are go-getters and are not easily thrown off their game, not even when getting resistance.
• Ability to Simplify - We like to keep it simple. And to implement fast. Your simplification skills will be highly appreciated, when providing simple solutions dealing with sophisticated challenges.
• Analytical - We're a very data-driven company, making it crucial to be able to translate complex data into a simple solution with an analytical approach.
• Project management skills - You're organized, structured and always have an overview of all the deliverables. You know how to bring multiple projects to a successful ending within the given timeframe.

Location(s)

Amsterdam

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes.