Freight and Customs Manager

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Position Overview

The Freight and Customs Manager is responsible for the end-to-end management of K18’s international and domestic freight, imports, customs compliance, and related transportation operations. This role owns the movement of goods between Vendors , Contract manufacturers (CMs), 3PLs, and customers — ensuring shipments are routed on time, in full, and in compliance with all applicable trade, customs, and EU/international regulations. The Freight and Customs Manager partners closely with 3PLs, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and cross-functional teams to Ensure service, optimize freight cost, mitigate risk, and support accurate financial close. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role combining operational ownership of parcel, US trucking and international shipping with strategic oversight of duty drawback, import cost analysis, and customs compliance. 

Responsibilities 

Freight & CM Movement 

• Act as the main point of contact for all freight movements between contract manufacturers, 3PLs, and warehouses. 

• Act as the main point of contact for parcel delivery at K18 owning the relationship with UPS and cost optimization of all parcel shipments. 

• Oversee all Vendor-to-CM and CM-to-warehouse movements, ensuring all safety processes are followed and being the main escalation point for security proactive and reactive protocol. 

• Conduct freight forwarders freight cost analysis to identify savings and optimize lane performance. 

• Drive process improvements in shipping, receiving, packaging, labeling, and freight documentation with a focus on double stacking and load optimization. 

• Oversee the filing and resolution of freight claims for loss and/or damages. 

International Shipping, Imports & Customs 

• Follow all international orders daily to ensure they are routed in time to make the month’s revenue. 

• Route shipments with international customers and freight forwarders in line with Incoterms and customer routing guides. 

• Create a Shipper’s Letter of Instruction (SLI) for every international shipment. 

• Coordinate with AGS to create Certificates of Origin (COO) for required customers and destinations. 

• Manage and resolve all mis-ships, including re-routing, documentation corrections, and claims. 

• Provide Omni approval of all imports and associated landed cost. 

• Conduct monthly import cost analysis and report variances and risks to Finance and Operations. 

• Route Amazon EU shipments with Passport and approve associated shipping costs. 

• Ensure all logistics activities adhere to ISO and other relevant trade and quality standards. 

Customs Compliance & Duty Drawback 

• Own EU and international compliance, including HS classification, country-of-origin documentation, and custom required paper in collaboration with the regulatory team. 

• Ensure compliance with all customs laws, trade regulations, and company policies across all import and export activities. 

• Lead the duty drawback program: clean up and provide all documentation required, including historical data from 2022–2025. 

• Partner with customs broker on bills, classifications, and breakdown of duties; review and approve custom broker invoices. 

Finance, Cost & Month-End 

• Approve vendor bills in NetSuite related to freight, customs, duties, and international shipping. 

• Break down all UPS invoices for the entire company, including DHL allocations. 

• Track performance, pricing, and OTIF delivery to ensure carrier and broker accountability. 

• Support end-of-month close by ensuring freight cost inputs, invoicing records, and import cost data are accurate and complete. 

• Communicate freight and duty variances, risks, and savings opportunities to Leadership. 

Risk Management & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Identify and mitigate risks in freight and customs operations, including supply chain disruptions, tariff changes, and compliance issues. 

• Liaise and negotiate with carriers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and international customers to ensure seamless cross-border operations. 

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Supply chain, procurement, sales, finance, and customer service teams to align freight activities with business objectives. 

• Lead and own additional duties as requested. 

Qualifications  

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, International Trade, or related discipline required. 

• 5+ years of progressive experience in freight, international logistics, imports/exports, or customs compliance. 

• Strong working knowledge of Incoterms, international shipping documentation (SLI, COO, BOL), and customs/duty processes. 

• Experience managing customs brokers and freight forwarders for road, ocean and air shipments. 

• Familiarity with duty drawback programs and the documentation required to support claims. 

• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (NetSuite or similar) for vendor bill approval and cost tracking. 

• Proven ability to build and maintain advanced Excel-based models and AI fluency for freight cost analysis, lane comparisons, and accruals. 

• Demonstrated success in carrier and broker negotiation, cost optimization, and OTIF performance management. 

• Knowledge of EU and international regulatory compliance, including vendor routing guides and labeling requirements (e.g., UCC-128). 

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including comfort facilitating decisions with Finance and executive leadership. 

• Analytical thinker with keen attention to detail and the ability to compile and analyze large data sets. 

• Strong organizational and time management skills; able to handle multiple priorities in a fast-changing environment. 

• Willingness to travel to company 3PL, CM, and broker locations throughout the U.S. and abroad as needed. 


• 15% travel may be required. 

Salary Range: 90-105k (in USD $)

This range represents the low and high end of the anticipated base salary range for this position. The actual base salary will depend on numerous factors such as: experience, knowledge and skills, and if the location of the job changes.

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