Customs Manager - Bedford

Customs Manager

It doesn’t matter how well a logistics or supply chain operation is planned in terms of getting fully laden vehicles between factories, warehouses and fulfilment centres if the customs aren’t all in order. If you’re moving goods from one country to another, it can be the weak link in the process, adding days, hours or weeks to journeys, or in the worst case, revealing exports that should never have been attempted.

Enter the customs team, whose job it is to stress test all ongoing and future logistics activities for a company to ensure that both export and import are legally compliant as regards customs. And at the head of that team is the customs manager. Their job is to oversee the team, which might cover multiple jurisdictions, to keep all that freight flowing freely between parties. In smaller organisations, the customs manager might be a one-person team, tasked with operating over multiple territories or dealing with diverse classifications of goods.

The skills required

When looking for customs manager jobs, you should be an experienced and fully accredited specialist in the field of import and export, perhaps in a specific sector or between certain jurisdictions. Some jobs require you to have a hands-on role checking consignments yourself to ensure they are compliant in terms of quality, weight, size or count. You’ll be expert in the customs declaration procedure in your field, and will know how to optimise supply chain and logistics within the remit of customs procedures.

Communication of often complex laws and protocols will be essential, as you may often be asked to explain the scope of certain customs rules if a company is looking to make strategic decisions based on the trading laws between two nations. Experience in customs compliance, tax or duty applications will be essential.

Customs Manager Jobs in Bedford

Bedford is a town of about 80,000 people situated in the heart of England, about halfway between London and Leicester. With its surrounding towns the population of the urban area tops 100,000, but it remains a relatively small town as county towns go. (In case you were wondering, it’s the county town of Bedfordshire.) The town has a largely rural past, but the growth in population has seen the usual diversity of small industries, retail and local government spring to life, and this is where the majority of the town’s employment comes from.

The world of TV, especially in the 1970s, would not have been the same without the Bedford influence. Sitcom stars Ronnie Barker and John le Mesurier were both born in the town, and much of Some Mothers do ’Ave ’Em was filmed in the town. Bedford also produced sometime Countdown maths genius and all-round numerically astute adder-upper Carol Vorderman.

As the largest town surrounded by several hundred square miles of countryside and within commuting distance from Milton Keynes, Northampton and Luton, Bedford has become something of a hub in the region. This does mean that sometimes Customs Manager positions come up to fill the town’s natural need for procurement, logistics and supply chain managers and executives.

Popular locations

Customs managers at Cast UK

The world is changing fast, and it’s vital for importing and exporting businesses to know exactly what is allowable, and how to get the most out of the regulations. That’s why high performance customs managers are regularly sought. 

If you’re running an import/export operation and need a customs manager, call 0333 121 3345 today – Cast UK will be able to put you in touch with experts in your sector.

Candidates looking for this kind of work should register with us using the link below, even if you haven’t seen a specific role today. We’ll be able to match you up with global businesses looking for your skills.

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