Adidas

Global athletic footwear, apparel, accessories provider

Manager Customs - Temp until 31st Dec 2028

Logistics & TransportationPosted on Nov 14

ContractGermanyNo salary listedIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

Good knowledge of customs, foreign trade, and origin/preference legislation, with a focus on imports.
Business reasoning, analytical, and critical-thinking abilities.
Excellent user skills in ATLAS and Microsoft Office.
A strong understanding of logistics processes.
Fluent German and English language skills.
Organisational and team skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Leadership experience.
A college degree or equivalent in customs business.
Further training or qualification in customs and/or imports.
At least five years of experience in a customs department in an international company.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day customs operations and ensure timely customs clearance by the five-person team and customs broker.
Organise daily operations and plan resources.
Collaborate with inbound teams on shipment prioritisation and clearance scheduling.
Collaborate with other European Union customs teams to establish and maintain a common understanding.
Manage preference savings and ensure that set key performance indicators are achieved.
Develop and implement processes, procedures, and controls to support ongoing compliance management, including drafting organisational and work instructions.
Clarify problem cases, such as customs inspections, with forwarders and customs offices.
Coordinate with forwarding agents in cases of clearance delays.
Serve as the contact person for the main customs office for submitting documents for month-end closing, refund applications, and related matters.
Handle special cases, when necessary, in coordination with the main customs office.
Support customs and foreign trade audits.
Support or independently manage projects in consultation with the Director Customs, such as S4 and automation projects.
Onboard new employees on ATLAS software and ensure team members receive appropriate training and technical knowledge in their areas of responsibility.
Onboard and train new carriers on adidas customs processes.

Desired Qualifications

Experience communicating with and influencing stakeholders at all levels.

Adidas is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all ages, genders (incl. gender identity), ethnic and social backgrounds, nationalities, sexual orientations, religions and beliefs, and those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities*. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees.

*We actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process.

Purpose:

Technical and disciplinary management responsibility for the import team (5 employees) & Customs Broker. Ensure on-time import customs clearance of all import consignments in compliance with customs and foreign trade regulations to ensure on-time delivery and thus optimal utilisation of incoming goods at all German warehouses, as well as maximising customs savings opportunities by taking advantage of preferences. Maintaining relationship with German customs as well as supporting the Director Customs Europe North in customs audits, projects, etc.

Key Responsibilities:

Day-to-day management of customs operations and ensuring the timely

customs clearance by the team (5 people) and the Customs Broker

Organisation of daily operations, resource planning
Collaborate with inbound teams on shipment prioritisation and clearance scheduling
Collaborate with other customs teams (EU) to establish and maintain common understanding
Manage preference savings and ensure that set KPIs are achieved
Developing and implementing processes, procedures, and controls to support ongoing compliance management, incl. drafting organisational and work instructions
Clarifying problem cases (e.g. in the case of customs inspections) with forwarders and customs offices
Coordination with forwarding agents in case of clearance delays
Contact person for the main customs office, for the submission of documents within the framework of the month-end closing, refund applications, etc.
Handling of special cases, if necessary, in coordination with the main customs office
Support with customs and foreign trade audits
Support/independent management of projects in consultation with the Director Customs (e.g. S4, Automation,...)
Onboarding new employees with the ATLAS software and ensuring that team members have the appropriate training and technical knowledge in their areas of responsibility
Onboarding and training of adidas customs processes for (new) carriers

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Ability to work and deliver within a complex, dynamic, multi-diverse stakeholder environment whilst adhering to strict and / or conflicting deadlines
Good knowledge in customs-, foreign trade- and origin-/preference legislation (focus on import)
Demonstrated business reasoning, analytical and critical thinking
Excellent user skills in ATLAS and MS Office
Strong understanding of logistics processes
Fluent German and English language skills
Organisational and team skills
Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) – experience of communicating with, and influencing stakeholders at all levels desirable
Leadership experience

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

College degree or equivalent in customs business

Further Training/Qualification in the areas of customs and/or Imports
At least 5 years’ experience in a customs department in an international Company

About the Company

Adidas

Global athletic footwear, apparel, accessories provider

Adidas designs, manufactures, and sells athletic footwear, sportswear, and accessories worldwide. It reaches customers through company-owned stores, e-commerce, and third-party retailers, plus strategic collaborations with athletes, celebrities, and brands to create exclusive product lines. Adidas products combine performance-oriented materials and construction with style, helping people train and live more comfortably. The company uses digital tools and AI to improve its product offerings and customer experiences, including managing digital content. A differentiator is its strong global brand, extensive distribution, and active affiliate program, as well as a balance between sport performance and lifestyle fashion through partnerships and targeted collaborations. Adidas’ goal is to maintain leadership in the sports and lifestyle market, grow its customer base and loyalty, and continue expanding digitally and through meaningful partnerships.

Company size: 10,001+
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
Founded: 1920

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