Customs Brokerage Expert

CMA CGM•Chicago, IL

54d•Onsite

About The Position

The Customs Brokerage Expert supports operational teams, customers, and leadership through customs guidance, customer onboarding, compliance support, and workflow monitoring. The role assists with complex customs transactions, Power of Attorney support, tariff implementation, regulatory requirements, and customer-specific procedures while promoting strong customer service, operational efficiency, and customs compliance. The Customs Brokerage Expert monitors the flow of transactions, identifies potential risks, assists in resolving operational challenges, and supports the people performing the work through practical guidance and collaboration. The role works with team members, compliance resources, and the Licensed Customs Broker to find appropriate solutions while promoting strong customer service, operational efficiency, and customs compliance.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required; relevant bachelor’s degree preferred.
Significant customs brokerage, freight forwarding, international trade, or import compliance experience.
Experience supporting operational personnel, complex transactions, customer onboarding, and cross-functional projects.
Advanced knowledge of customs brokerage operations, documentation, valuation, country of origin, tariffs, trade programs, government agency requirements, and Power of Attorney support.
Strong customer communication, collaboration, prioritization, and follow-through skills.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and job-specific customs brokerage systems; CargoWise experience preferred.

Nice To Haves

U.S. Customs Broker License strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide practical customs brokerage guidance and operational support to team members, supervisors, and customers.
Monitor transaction flow and help identify missing information, compliance concerns, workload constraints, and critical milestones.
Collaborate with team members to find practical, compliant solutions to difficult or unusual transactions.
Help address operational bottlenecks and coordinate timely escalation when service or compliance may be affected.
Support customs brokerage onboarding for new customers, programs, and expansions of existing business.
Coordinate collection and review of customer information, import documents, Power of Attorney materials, account profiles, requirements, and operating instructions.
Support implementation plans, customer-specific procedures, escalation paths, and readiness checkpoints.
Collaborate with Operations, Compliance, Customer Success, Technology, Finance, Sales, and other stakeholders.
Guide teams and customers on customs documentation requirements for entry processing.
Support validation of Power of Attorney documentation and customer authorization requirements.
Collaborate with team members, compliance resources, and the Licensed Customs Broker on classification-related matters.
Collaborate on valuation, country of origin, tariffs, trade programs, and participating government agency requirements.
Monitor customs and tariff changes and help communicate clear operating guidance.
Escalate matters requiring formal compliance interpretation, legal review, or Licensed Customs Broker approval.
Act as an accessible customs help-desk resource for operational teams and customers.
Research complicated questions, organize relevant facts and documents, and collaborate with the appropriate team members to reach a solution.
Maintain visibility on escalated issues and support timely resolution.
Provide knowledgeable and professional customer support, clear communication, and consistent follow-through.
Share practical customs knowledge with team members during day-to-day collaboration.
Identify knowledge gaps and suggest training needs or topics to the Director for consideration.
Provide operational input and recommendations to the Director or designated owner regarding procedures and reference materials.
Support cross-functional projects involving customer onboarding, regulatory change, systems, workflow, or service improvement.
Maintain assigned project actions, milestones, risks, and stakeholder communications.
Support implementation of agreed procedures and monitor workflow to help ensure they are followed.