Senior Manager, Ocean Freight & Customs Compliance

Since 1869, we've connected people through food they love. We’re proud to be stewards of amazing brands that people trust. Our portfolio includes the iconic Campbell’s brand, as well as Cape Cod, Chunky, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Lance, Late July, Pacific Foods, Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Pace, Rao’s Homemade, Snack Factory, Snyder’s of Hanover. Swanson, and V8. 

Here, you will make a difference every day. You will be supported to build a rewarding career with opportunities to grow, innovate and inspire. Make history with us.

Why Campbell’s…

• Benefits begin on day one and include medical, dental, short and long-term disability, AD&D, and life insurance (for individual, families, and domestic partners).
• Employees are eligible for our matching 401(k) plan and can enroll on the first day of employment with immediate vesting.
• Campbell’s offers unlimited sick time along with paid time off and holiday pay.
• If in WHQ – free access to the fitness center. Access to on-site day care (operated by Bright Horizons) and company store.
• Giving back to the communities where our employees work and live is very important to Campbell’s.   Our “Campbell’s Cares” program matches employee donations and/or volunteer activity up to $1,500 annually.
• Campbell’s has a variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to support employees.

How you will make history here...

The Senior Manager, Ocean Freight & Customs Compliance owns the company's inbound ocean freight and U.S. customs clearance from booking through clearance and delivery to port drayage. The role manages ocean carrier and freight forwarder performance and leads a proactive customs compliance program designed to protect the company's importer-of-record responsibilities, ensure adherence to applicable customs requirements, and mitigate regulatory, financial, and supply continuity risk.

This role partners across Supply Chain (Transportation, Procurement, Customer Engagement), Legal, and other business functions while providing oversight and direction to external customs brokers and logistics providers.

What you will do...

Ocean Freight Management

• Support Procurement-led ocean freight RFPs and contract negotiations with ocean carriers, freight forwarders, and NVOCCs by providing lane, volume, performance, and operational requirements.

• Manage day-to-day ocean carrier and freight forwarder performance, including transit times, rolled bookings, and allocation compliance.

• Oversee bookings and container visibility from origin through U.S. port arrival.

• Own demurrage and detention cost by tightening the handoff between customs clearance and drayage.

• Coordinate with domestic Transportation on port drayage and inland moves.

• Audit ocean freight invoices against contracted rates and accessorials, and report on ocean spend.

• Plan for and respond to port congestion, blank sailings, labor disruptions, and rate volatility.

Customs & Import Compliance

• Own U.S. import and customs compliance as the company's primary internal expert.

• Provide oversight of importer-of-record responsibilities and establish appropriate controls for compliant import activity.

• Monitor changes in customs regulations, tariff actions (including Section 301 and 232), and import policies, and assess their impact on the business.

• Own entry-level compliance, including valuation, country of origin and marking, post-summary corrections, and prior disclosures.

• Provide guidance on complex, non-routine, and out-of-policy import activity.

• Establish standardized customs compliance processes, documentation requirements, and governance across imported products and materials.

Broker & Import Management

• Manage and audit the customs brokers supporting the company's import activity.

• Serve as a primary escalation point for import clearance, classification, tariff, and customs compliance matters.

• Conduct periodic reviews of import clearance data against underlying source documentation to identify potential errors and compliance risks.

• Establish expectations and performance measures for customs compliance service providers.

• Coordinate with domestic Transportation and ocean partners to resolve clearance holds and border issues quickly while maintaining compliance.

Tariff, Classification & Duty Management

• Own customs classification, tariff assessments, and applicable exemptions for imported products and materials.

• Review and provide guidance on tariff treatment affecting imported products and materials.

• Identify potential customs compliance risks and partner with Legal, Procurement, and Supply Chain stakeholders on appropriate resolution.

• Own duty-savings programs, including USMCA and other free trade agreement claims, duty drawback, and Foreign Trade Zone evaluation. Partner with Procurement on first-sale valuation, which depends on supplier data, while maintaining full regulatory compliance.

Customs Systems & Regulatory Governance

• Serve as the business owner for importer activity within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

• Maintain appropriate governance of importer account information and coordinate responses to relevant U.S. Customs and Border Protection communications.

• Support governance associated with customs bonds and importer-of-record information.

• Lead CTPAT participation, or assess whether the company should join.

• Own FDA Prior Notice filing and the resolution of FDA holds. Partner with Quality, which owns the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP).

• Own Importer Security Filing (ISF 10+2) timeliness and accuracy with ocean partners and brokers.

Compliance Controls & Audit Readiness

• Develop and maintain customs compliance controls, documentation standards, and recordkeeping practices.

• Establish periodic compliance reviews and spot-check processes to identify risks before they result in financial or supply disruption.

• Support government inquiries and customs audits and coordinate appropriate internal responses.

• Manage the response to CBP detentions, including Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) detentions, by working with Procurement to get supplier documentation.

• Lead investigations and corrective actions associated with customs compliance issues.

• Develop reporting that provides visibility to material customs risks, corrective actions, and emerging regulatory issues.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Transportation, Procurement, Customer Engagement, Legal, and other stakeholders to establish clear ownership and governance for import-related activities.

• Advise business teams on customs implications associated with new products, suppliers, sourcing decisions, and non-routine imports.

• Build customs compliance capability across the organization through education, standards, and practical guidance.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team covering ocean freight execution and customs compliance.

• Set clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations, and manage performance through regular feedback and reviews.

• Hire and onboard team members, and build cross-training and backup coverage for critical ocean and customs activities.

• Establish standard work, workload balancing, and escalation paths so the team can resolve routine issues independently.

Success Measures

• Ocean freight cost per container (FEU) compared with market benchmarks.

• Demurrage and detention cost per container.

• Ocean on-time arrival rate and average days from vessel arrival to customs clearance.

• Ocean invoice accuracy against contracted rates.

• Entry and classification accuracy, broker error rate, and audit findings.

• Penalties, liquidated damages, and CBP/FDA holds avoided.

• Duty savings identified and recovered.

• Corrective actions closed on time.

Who you will work with...

Scope: Leads a team responsible for the company's inbound ocean freight and U.S. import operations end to end. This includes ocean carrier and freight forwarder management, booking and container visibility, demurrage and detention, customs clearance, customs broker oversight, classification and duty management, and importer-of-record compliance. The role also supports Procurement-led ocean freight RFPs.

What you will bring to the table... (Must Have)

• Bachelor's degree

• 8+ years of experience in ocean freight, customs, import compliance, international trade, or related functions.

• Deep hands-on U.S. import expertise, including experience managing customs compliance for an importer of record.

• Strong knowledge of customs classification, valuation, country of origin, tariffs and duties, import documentation, customs broker management, and regulatory compliance.

• Experience managing ocean freight as a beneficial cargo owner (BCO) or with a freight forwarder or NVOCC, including carrier and forwarder management and demurrage and detention control.

• Experience working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection processes and ACE.

• Working knowledge of trade compliance systems (e.g., SAP GTS), ERP, and Excel or Power BI for reporting.

• Experience establishing or managing customs compliance controls and audit readiness.

• Ability to travel 25% to plants, ports, and broker and forwarder sites.

It would be great if you have... (Nice to Have)

• 10+ years of experience in ocean freight, customs, import compliance, international trade, or related functions.

• Experience within consumer packaged goods, food, manufacturing, or another high-volume importing environment preferred.

• Licensed Customs Broker or Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) preferred.

Compensation and Benefits:

The target base salary range for this full-time, salaried position is between 

$128,700-$177,000

Individual base pay depends on work location and additional factors such as experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training. Total pay may include other forms of compensation. In addition, we offer competitive health, dental, 401k and wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment. Please ask your Talent Acquisition Partner for more information about our total rewards package.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity for employees and qualified applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, including consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, marital status, protected veteran status, disability, age, religion, or any other classification protected by law.