Transformation Principal Customs Brokerage North America

Description

The Transformation Principal - Customs Brokerage - North America is a senior-level principal role leading the North America transformation of Customs brokerage and clearance from a transactional support function into a standardized, digitally enabled, performance-driven global product. The role leads and partners across a matrix environment of Operations, Finance, IT and Engineering focusing on modernizing, scaling, and optimizing customs operations through technology, process improvement, strategic and change leadership owning transformation and response to current and emerging Tariff and Customs complexities by providing strategic expertise and driving automation to enhance operational efficiency and compliance. This role bridges the gap between traditional regulatory compliance (CBP, PGAs) and digital innovation (AI, automation, TMS enhancement) to enhance efficiency and accuracy enabling improved productivity, profitability and growth. Provides strategic leadership and it is accountable for setting direction for the deployment, optimization, and governance of the transformation Program of the Nth America Customs clearance processes as well as digitalization initiatives including RPA, machine learning and AI for customs processes. Ensuring systems and digital solutions are effectively designed, deployed, adopted, and scaled to deliver measurable business outcomes. The role translates complex business and regulatory requirements into actionable program roadmaps, ensures disciplined execution, and advances the Nth America customs brokerage clearance strategy.

The role specifically defines and drives the on time and on budget execution of the transformation program and delivering value to the business tracking KPIs to measure adoption, operational performance, customer experience impact, and return on investment such as but not limited to

• Reduction in entry processing time and cost.
• Improvement in entry accuracy rates and compliance scores.
• Increased automation percentage for document processing.
• Successful implementation of system updates and new tools.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES    

• Strategic Leadership: Develop jointly with leadership  and own  execution of  a multi-year operational transformation strategy roadmap, defining direction, priorities, and national deployment strategy in partnership with operations and engineering , while guiding functionality expansion and long‑term optimization aligned with digital transformation, compliance priorities, and company growth.
• Process Transformation: Work and steer Brokerage OPEX teams to evaluate, re-engineer, and standardize operating procedures (SOPs), KPIs, and workflows to improve efficiency. Provide leadership oversight for the implementation and scaling of automation solutions and capabilities, ensuring strong data governance and process alignment.
• Technology Implementation: Partner with IT/AI teams to implement automation tools, such as AI/ML classification, OCR, and API integrations to maximize TMS (e.g., CargoWise) features.
• Regulatory & Compliance Oversight: Ensure full adherence to U.S and CA regulations such as . Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations (19 CFR), PGAs, and bond management.
• Change Management: Drive adoption of new processes and technologies across the organization ensuring leadership buyin and ownership  and employee adoption, Establish governance, adoption strategies, and performance metrics to maximize utilization, business value, and user effectiveness through structured training, feedback mechanisms, and analytics.
• Operational Excellence: Oversee daily execution of the transformation plan and operational and financial KPI improvements to target measuring performance and outlining  improvement plans and driving the execution  to reach targets
• Team Leadership: Mentor and develop staff, building a high-performance, compliant culture.
• Program and Project Management -  Develop and Deliver structured transformation plans and  milestones including P&L harmonization, capability mapping, digital deployment, KPI tracking and accelerated methodologies for delivery including regular updates on progress to leadership

Other

• Align regional and local leadership on strategic priorities and performance expectations.
• Establish governance forums and reporting cadence across all levels of the organization
• Drive regular communications and updates across the Customs clearance and brokerage organsiation
• Define KPIs and reporting standards ensuring transparency across project phases and lines of business including driving  performance reviews and profitability optimization
• Integrate best practices into the standard operation model promoting consistency across regions, collaborate with overseas and partners  to ensure solutions focus on end-to-end efficiencies
• Support in Reviews of  current processes, able to identify opportunities for improvement and create plans with teams to bridge any gaps.
• Establish metrics to measure performance e.g. productivity / accuracy and create action plans to drive performance.
• Addressing issues across the spectrum and advise on solutions and plans to address and or mitigations
• Provide advisory on the use of technology and systems specifically  CargoWise.
• Ensuring processes are documented and kept up to date
• Holding teams accountable for delivery and working with them to ensure they have the support for success
• Logging and tracking incidents that needs to be escalated.
• Establish and maintain operational scorecards across regional branch network.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE

Academic:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of 10 years work experience in business domain

Experience & knowledge:

• Minimal 10- years’ experience in Freight Forwarding Customs Brokerage operations in leadership role
• In depth knowledge about North American Freight Forwarding processes specifically in Customs clearance and brokerage operations
• In depth knowledge of the Transport Management System CargoWise One
• Good knowledge MS-Office solutions: Excel, Visio, PowerPoint
• QDM Expert certified and/or Green Belt (Six Sigma) certified preferred
• Good knowledge & demonstrable experience in project management and change management specifically systems and process  automation improvements
• Strong commercial acumen with understanding of service profitability and cost allocation models Good data analytical skills
• Able to build & maintain relationships with Front Line Management & employees as well as with regional and functional leadership.
• Customer centric mindset
• Strategic mindset with strong program management discipline.
• Process thinking
• Ability to work under pressure and influence change
• Self-directed working style with High resilience, ownership, and influence without direct authority.
• Good facilitation and coaching skills
• Executive-level stakeholder management across regions and cultures
• Good communication, motivation and interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with clients and internal leadership
• Good knowledge in English (verbal/written) and Spanish preferred
• Sound acceptance from colleagues (desk level and management)

Preferred Qualifications: Shift: Mon - Fri 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST Location: This is a remote role.

Pay Transparency: This compensation range is provided as a reasonable estimate of the current starting salary range for this role across all potential locations. If this opportunity includes multiple job levels, the range is a reasonable estimate of the current starting salary for the lowest level to the current starting salary of the highest level. Actual starting pay would be determined by experience relative to the job, market level, pay at the location for this job and other job-related factors permitted by law. An employee may be eligible for additional pay, premiums, or bonus potential. The Company offers eligible employees health, vision and dental insurance, retirement, and tuition reimbursement.

Pay: $180k

Additional Details:

FedEx Logistics provides freight forwarding, as well as import and export services that allow companies to reach markets throughout the world. They help customers of all sizes solve the intricacies of shipping goods globally by providing comprehensive international ocean and air freight forwarding, surface transportation and distribution, customs brokerage, trade and customs advisory services, and advanced e-commerce and trade facilitation solutions. We’re glad you stopped by and hope your job search experience with FedEx Logistics, Inc. will be rewarding. We look forward to hearing from you!

FedEx Logistics is an Equal Opportunity Employer including, Vets/Disability.

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FedEx Logistics will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the FAIR Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHOO) for the City of Los Angeles (LAMC 189.00)

FedEx Logistics will not rely on the wage history of a prospective employee from any current or former employer when determining the wages for such individual at any stage in the employment process, including in the negotiation or drafting of any employment contract in accordance with Philadelphia Ordinance No. 160840.