Head of Customs

About the role

GEODIS, a global logistics provider owned by SNCF Group, is looking for a Head of Customs to lead all customs-related activities across Switzerland. The position can be based in the Zurich or Basel office and is open to anyone recognized as a disabled worker.

Key responsibilities

• Lead all customs activities in Switzerland and set up a unified customs organization covering standalone brokerage and embedded customs activities, defining structures, responsibilities and performance expectations.
• Oversee customs clearance for imports, exports, transit and special procedures, monitor performance, quality, productivity and customer satisfaction, and drive efficiency through process optimization, automation and digitalization.
• Ensure compliance with Swiss, EU and international customs regulations, maintain the compliance framework, oversee AEO certifications, authorizations and licenses, and act as the escalation point for audits, investigations and claims.
• Serve as the main contact for customs authorities and regulatory agencies, represent the company in industry forums and forums, and monitor regulatory changes.
• Implement country-wide operational standards, support customs technologies such as OCR, EDI and AI tools, and manage operational budgets and KPIs.
• Support strategic customer relationships and recruit, train and develop customs staff, including performance evaluations and succession planning.

Required profile

• Minimum 5 years of experience in customs brokerage, customs operations or trade compliance.
• Minimum 2 years of leadership experience managing multi-site customs operations.
• Proven experience managing customs operations, compliance programs and organizational transformation.
• Experience working with customs authorities and regulatory agencies.

Required skills

• Extensive knowledge of German, EU and international customs regulations.
• Strong understanding of AEO requirements, customs authorizations and compliance frameworks.
• Leadership, stakeholder management, communication, analytical, financial and strategic planning skills.