Customs Operations Manager, UK & EU

THE ROLE

About the Role

Quince is seeking a Customs Operations Manager, UK & EU to support the day-to-day execution of customs clearance operations as we expand our international footprint. This role will be responsible for managing third-party customs brokers and clearance providers supporting shipments into the United Kingdom and European Union, ensuring shipments clear accurately, efficiently, and within agreed service levels.

This is a highly operational role for someone who has hands-on experience managing customs clearance activity, working with brokers, resolving shipment-level issues, and driving accountability through metrics, escalation management, and regular performance reviews. The ideal candidate is a fully qualified customs operations professional who can work independently, assess complex clearance issues, coordinate across internal and external teams, and know when to resolve directly versus escalate to Trade Compliance leadership.

This role will partner closely with Logistics, Global Trade Compliance, Sourcing, Merchandising, and external customs brokers to ensure Quince's UK and EU clearance operations are scalable, controlled, and responsive to business needs.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day performance of third-party customs brokers, clearance agents, and related service providers supporting shipments into the UK and EU.
• Monitor daily customs clearance activity to ensure brokers are meeting agreed SLAs for entry preparation, customs submission, clearance, issue resolution, and post-clearance follow-up.
• Serve as the primary operational escalation point for broker questions, shipment delays, customs holds, missing documentation, entry rejections, product data gaps, and other clearance-related issues.
• Coordinate with internal teams to obtain information required for customs clearance, including product descriptions, invoices, packing lists, HS/classification data, country of origin information, product attributes, and supporting documents.
• Track and analyze broker performance metrics, including clearance cycle time, exception volume, rejection rates, documentation defects, aged holds, and recurring issue patterns.
• Lead regular broker performance reviews, including weekly business reviews, monthly scorecards, and quarterly business reviews, as applicable.
• Identify broker performance gaps and work with external providers to implement corrective action plans, improve response times, and reduce recurring clearance issues.
• Partner with Logistics to ensure customs clearance milestones are visible, actionable, and aligned with delivery expectations.
• Partner with Global Trade Compliance to escalate compliance-sensitive issues, including classification questions, valuation concerns, origin questions, duty/VAT issues, customs authority inquiries, and regulatory interpretation questions.
• Support process development for UK and EU customs operations, including SOPs, escalation playbooks, broker operating procedures, reporting templates, and issue-resolution workflows.
• Help ensure customs brokers are using accurate and complete data in customs declarations and following Quince's documented clearance requirements.
• Support post-clearance issue resolution, including broker follow-up on amendments, duty/tax discrepancies, customs queries, missing documents, and operational root-cause analysis.
• Work cross-functionally with Sourcing, Merchandising, Product, Logistics, and Trade Compliance to resolve upstream data or documentation issues affecting customs clearance.
• Provide practical operational guidance to internal stakeholders on UK/EU customs clearance requirements, documentation needs, broker processes, and escalation paths.
• Identify opportunities to improve broker performance, reduce shipment delays, improve data quality, and scale UK/EU customs operations as volume grows.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in customs operations, import operations, trade compliance operations, customs brokerage, freight forwarding, or global logistics with a strong customs clearance focus.
• Hands-on experience supporting customs clearance activity in the UK and/or EU.
• Experience managing or working closely with third-party customs brokers, freight forwarders, carriers, or clearance providers.
• Strong understanding of import documentation, customs entry processes, HS classification usage, country of origin, customs valuation concepts, duty/tax assessment, and broker clearance workflows.
• Ability to manage daily shipment-level escalations while also identifying broader process, data, or vendor performance issues.
• Experience tracking operational KPIs, SLA performance, exception trends, and provider scorecards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess unusual clearance issues, identify root causes, and drive practical resolution.
• Ability to work independently on problems of diverse scope, using judgment to determine the right course of action based on available information, precedent, and business impact.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal stakeholders and external partners who may not be familiar with customs requirements.
• Ability to influence brokers and cross-functional partners, drive accountability, and escalate issues clearly when needed.
• Strong attention to detail and comfort working with shipment data, product data, customs documents, and operational reporting.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where processes are still being built and improved.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent practical experience in customs operations, logistics, trade compliance, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with:

• Ecommerce, parcel, direct-to-consumer, or high-volume B2C customs clearance models.
• UK customs processes, EU import processes, import VAT, IOSS/OSS concepts, or low-value parcel clearance programs.
• Supporting imports into the Netherlands, France, Germany, or other key EU markets.
• Working for or closely with a customs broker, freight forwarder, ecommerce logistics provider, or importer.
• Experience developing SOPs, broker playbooks, escalation matrices, or operational dashboards.
• Familiarity with customs systems, logistics platforms, broker portals, product master data, or trade compliance tools.
• Prior experience working within apparel, home goods, consumer products, or other retail product categories would be advantageous