Summary
The Manager, Transportation, Customs & Control Tower leads customs compliance and national transportation activities across Canada. This role manages a small internal team and external brokers/consultants, serves as the customs and carrier subject matter expert, and partners with Buying, Finance, Store Operations and DC teams to ensure regulatory compliance, cost control and smooth movement of goods.
Responsibilities
- Oversee national customs operations, manage inquiries and audits, and ensure CSA program compliance.
- Maintain oversight of free trade agreement utilization, HS code classification, valuation and country of origin determinations through broker governance and internal reviews.
- Identify and manage duty drawback and duty recovery opportunities.
- Develop and oversee national transportation strategy across modes, manage carrier relationships, SLAs and issue resolution.
- Partner with Sales and Planning to pre-plan carrier capacity for promotions and peak periods and ensure accurate commercial invoices and international shipping documentation.
- Oversee vendor shipping requests, resolve discrepancies with Buying and Accounts Payable, and pursue AI automation and process improvements.
Requirements
- Post-secondary degree or equivalent experience.
- 5+ years of experience in customs, trade compliance and transportation management.
- Proven experience managing teams and external service providers, including customs brokers and carriers.
- Strong knowledge of Canadian customs regulations, CSA requirements, free trade agreements and valuation principles; CCS designation strongly preferred.
- Advanced Excel skills with the ability to analyze large data sets, complete audits and build reporting tools.
- Experience in retail, luxury or high-volume distribution environments.
