Import and Export Compliance Manager
Impact: Enabling businesses to trade internationally by managing the complex customs and regulatory compliance that governs global trade
Manage the customs and trade compliance of an import/export business, ensuring all international trade activities comply with customs regulations, export controls, and trade sanctions. Manage customs declarations; classify goods under commodity codes; manage import duty and VAT; advise on free trade agreements; manage export licences; and ensure compliance with trade sanctions. Develop expertise in a specific trade compliance domain such as post-Brexit UK customs, US export controls (EAR/ITAR), or EU customs.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 40% Team / 60% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 10-20% travel to ports and clients
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 38-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $65,000
- Entry-level
- $32,000 - $48,000
- Senior
- $100,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 10% (post-Brexit customs complexity and global trade regulation increasing demand)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- Very High -- 100-200% growth from customs coordinator to head of trade compliance or global trade director
- Typical student debt
- $20,000 - $50,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- UK customs declarations (CDS)
- Commodity code classification (UK Trade Tariff)
- Import duty and VAT management
- Free trade agreement management
- Export licensing (ECJU)
- Trade sanctions compliance (OFAC
- OFSI)
Soft skills
- Attention to detail
- Compliance awareness
- Analytical thinking
- Communication
- Problem-solving
Technical complexity: Very High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-12 years
- Career switching
- Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Freight Forwarder
- Logistics Coordinator
Where you can go from here
- Head of Trade Compliance
- Global Trade Director
Typical progression
- Customs Coordinator
- Trade Compliance Manager
- Head of Trade Compliance
- Global Trade Director
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% -- trade compliance requires human expertise and regulatory judgment
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 7.5/10
- Meaning
- 7.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 7/10
- Prestige
- 8/10
- Social perception
- High