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Senior Manager – Customs & Compliance (FMCG, Food)
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About the job
Role - Senior Manager – Customs & Compliance (FMCG, Food)
Location - London/Hybrid
Salary - Up to £90,000 + Car Allowance + Bonus up to 20%
We're recruiting on behalf of a well-established, multi-market FMCG business for a Senior Manager to take ownership of customs and compliance as the function moves from an ad-hoc setup to a properly structured, group-wide capability.
This is a role for someone who wants to build rather than babysit: you'll be the business's go-to authority on customs risk, shaping how the function runs from the ground up while managing a network of broker and logistics partners across several European markets.
What you'll be doing as Senior Manager, Customs & Compliance
- Becoming the internal expert business leaders turn to before making decisions with customs implications, from where products are sourced to how supply chains are designed
- Taking a fragmented, informal customs setup and turning it into a properly governed function, covering everything from process and systems to how the team itself is structured
- Putting clear ownership and control in place across customs activities, so accountability doesn't sit with any one person
- Protecting the business's compliance position, from accurate classification and origin work through to safeguarding key authorisations like AEO status
- Working out the right balance between building internal capability and relying on external brokers, and making that model as cost-efficient as possible
- Setting up a proper framework for managing broker relationships, including leading the transition of broker arrangements across several European countries
- Owning the strategy for SPS and export health certification, including deciding what should sit in-house versus with a partner going forward
- Reshaping the team to match the new operating model, with a clear eye on upskilling and building longer-term resilience
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What you'll bring to the position of Senior Manager, Customs & Compliance
- A track record of building or overhauling a customs function inside a large, multi-country business, ideally within food or FMCG
- Strong technical grounding across customs regimes and SPS requirements
- Experience putting governance and controls in place where none existed before, not just running an existing framework
- The credibility to challenge and influence senior leaders, including at COO/CPO level, on customs risk
- Hands-on experience managing brokers and third-party logistics providers, including negotiating and holding them to commercial terms
- A genuine track record of leading teams through structural change across multiple sites and functions
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Why this one's worth a look:
You won't be inheriting someone else's function, you'll be building it. Real ownership, direct exposure to senior leadership, and a clear mandate to shape how this works from day one.
Interested, or know someone who fits the brief? Get in touch for a confidential conversation. Email Holly@Pod-Talent.com or apply below.
Whilst we aim to respond to every applicant, due to the high volume of applications this isn't always possible. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of applying, please assume that your application has unfortunately been unsuccessful on this occasion.
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