Global Head of Customs

Göteborg, Västra Götalands Län, Sweden

Do you want to be a valued part of the critical infrastructure that serves communities across Europe and beyond? Are you an experienced leader, with relevant customs experience, who can bring strategic management experience and strong leadership skills? If so, then you could be the newest addition to our team as Global Head of Customs.

Be part of the movement - and play your part.

About the role

In DFDS A/S we have an ambitious target for future growth and for standardising our customs operations. To drive this growth and to lead our global operational efforts, we now seek an experienced and optimisation-driven executive for the position as Global Head of Customs.

DFDS Customs covers 13 individual customs locations supported by a strong customs production centre in our Shared Service Centre in Poznan, and the offering span across more than 10 different customs document types with the most commonly produced and sold services including import, export and transit procedures.

The full customs network of DFDS encompasses more than 200 FTEs with around 100 of those reporting directly to the operational organisation.

In the positionyou will join on Director level and report to our VP for Operations.

You will have 3 Regional Head of Customs from Nordics, Continent and UK&IE reporting to you. Together with the regional leads and the local teams, you will be leading the continuous improvement of our solid customs operations and will be driving the strategic management of the full customs organisation.

Together with our commercial product organisation, you will support in defining and executing global, regional and local strategic initiatives, and you will support on investigating new development opportunities, such as geographical expansion or new product offerings.

Importantly, you will be the primary link between local Logistics and Ferry operations and customs across all of DFDS and should expect communication with and management of a wide network of stakeholders across the DFDS organisation.

Your location is flexible, as our customs offices are located all across Europe including UK, and you must expect to travel across the locations on very regular basis.

Key Responsibilities

Coordination of operational efforts including technology prioritisations on a global basis focusing on customs with key focus on integrating customs as part of a broader DFDS offering

Development of business plans with clear targets/ goals on both financial targets and operational efficiencies

Prioritization of the many relevant operational projects and activities in our customs organisation

Alignment of operational customs processes across DFDS

Advancement of customs knowledge across the DFDS organisation including training of colleagues and informative internal campaigning

Tracking and reporting of performance to executive management

Control of organizational capabilities, resources, and planning within customs

Establishment of customs expert network to support across locations

Engagement with and coordination of all relevant internal stakeholders

Support of and collaboration with regional and local customs departments on strategic direction

In the short term, you are expected to help standardise and optimise our operational processes in collaboration with regional leads and internal operational excellence experts. You are expected to lead the efforts to set up a strong collaboration between each local customs team, our central functions in the DFDS headquarter and our Shared Service Centre in Poznan.

In the longer term, you are expected to contribute to the overall DFDS 2030 strategy by setting and achieving clear strategic goals with the customs organisation and contribute to the continuous growth of the product; all while ensuring a mindset of continuous improvement and operational excellence is implemented in the organisation.

About you

To be able to succeed in this role we believe that the following requirements are crucial for you as a candidate:

Hands-on experience with operations of Logistics solutions or operational excellence experience. Not necessarily in customs, however, this would be an advantage

Knowledgeable in process analysis with an eye for performance optimization and combination of commercial and operational focuses

Experience with leading and working in a team fostering a collaborative and value-based mentality

Ability to work in complex international organizations, possibly with companies that have carried out customs activities either internally or for third-party customers

Working effectively with differences in national cultures, personality styles, and professions while interacting with executive decisionmakers

Show a genuine passion for diversity, and preferably having a broad and diverse personal and professional background

Drive for continuously improving own performance and DFDS performance and a “can do” attitude

Prior experience with customs is an advantage but not a pre-requisite; most importantly, the ideal candidate has a strategic optimisation mindset and a desire to lead a high-growth business area in the right direction.

Further, the candidate should have an operational attention, understanding how to optimally produce and perform customs processes across locations and customers.

Your onboarding to the role will be supported by a strong established network of regional and local customs experts as well as a team of operational excellence experts. Additionally, a corresponding commercial organisation with dedicated customs expertise is established to support on the commercialisation of the solution and growth of the product to customers.

We think the strongest teams are built on diversity and inclusivity. Contrasting opinions, varied skills and strong characters bring out the best in us all. And we cannot wait for you to join.

Working at DFDS

Join the movement and grow with us.

While you’re with us, we want you to develop. At DFDS, we believe that development happens first and foremost through activities in the workplace. We will also offer training courses that can support you in your role, if needed.

Are we a match? Then what are you waiting for? Apply Now.

If you think your personality, skills, experience, and desire match this role, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us your CV as soon as possible, as we’re keen to meet potential candidates on an ongoing basis.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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