Customs and Excise Manager

John Lewis plc; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

John Lewis Partnership in London seeks an experienced Customs and Excise Manager to own the excise function, shaping policies and delivering compliance. You will lead and define the operational and compliance landscape, serving as SME across excise duties for finance, distribution and supply chain.

The role offers hybrid working and travel to Bracknell or Waitrose DCs. Expect salary ranges discussed, with emphasis on specialist governance and continuous improvement of processes within a

Qualifications

• 3+ years in excise and customs regimes with proven track record.
• Expert knowledge of excise and customs legislation.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Full ownership of the customs and excise duty process, providing technical leadership and operational guidance.
• Monitor changes in UK customs and excise duty legislation and advise the business on adaptations to maintain 100% compliance.
• Act as the primary point of contact with HMRC for excise matters.
• Responsible for obtaining and maintaining all necessary excise authorisations and communicating the partnership’s plans and procedures to HMRC.
• Oversee and manage the duty drawback process, seeking opportunities for optimisation and efficient claim resolution.
• Ensure import/export entries in Waitrose name in the UK and Channel Islands are accurate.
• Act as the internal SME for all excise-related queries, supporting finance, distribution, and supply chain teams.
• Identify and implement improvements to current customs and excise-related financial and operational processes.
• Line manage 2 Excise and Customs Analysts.

Skills

Attention to detail

Stakeholder engagement

Work under pressure

Change adaptability

Leadership/management

Education

Level 3 Certificate in Excise Practices and Procedures

Level 5 World Customs Compliance and Regulations

Tools

Google Sheets

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a highly experienced and proactive Customs and Excise Manager to join our team in a newly created, pivotal role. This is an exceptional opportunity for a self-starter to be instrumental in shaping our excise duty operation. You will have high visibility and direct impact on our financial and operational efficiency, making this a challenging yet highly rewarding role for a seasoned professional looking to own the excise function. You will have the character and drive to take ownership of a new function, scoping out the role and defining the operational and compliance landscape. The successful candidate will be instrumental as the partnership’s subject matter expert on all aspects of excise duties, ensuring absolute compliance and operational excellence.

Expected salary - Salary up to £80,000 - £85,000 depending on experience.

Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.

Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business.

Location - Pimlico, London with travel to Bracknell or Waitrose DC’s as required.

Key responsibilities

• Full ownership of the customs and excise duty process, providing technical leadership and operational guidance.
• Monitor changes in UK customs and excise duty legislation and advise the business on the necessary adaptations to maintain 100% compliance.
• Act as the primary point of contact with HMRC for excise matters.
• Responsible for obtaining and maintaining all necessary excise authorisations and communicating the partnership’s plans and operational procedures to HMRC.
• Oversee and manage the existing duty drawback process, seeking opportunities for optimisation and efficient claim resolution.
• Ensure relevant controls are in place so import and export entries made in Waitrose name in the UK and Channel Islands are accurate.
• Act as the internal Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all excise-related queries, supporting finance, distribution, and supply chain teams.
• Bring external expertise to the partnership, establishing and driving ‘good’ and ‘great’ processes, and continually seeking to guide and shape this specialised area of the business.
• Identify and implement improvements to current customs and excise-related financial and operational processes.
• Line manage 2 Excise and Customs Analysts , focusing on Waitrose excise and customs matters.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• A minimum of 3 years of both excise and customs regime experience and a proven track record of dealing with excise and customs matters.
• Expert knowledge of excise and customs legislation.
• Ability to engage efficiently with internal and external stakeholders at different levels.
• Excellent attention to detail and good written communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Google sheets.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to a changing environment.
• Expert knowledge of excise warehousing.
• Previous management experience.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Level 3 Certificate in Excise Practices and Procedures.
• Level 5 World Customs Compliance and Regulations.
• Experience in retail logistics, highly advantageous.

Closing Date: October 14, 2026

Pay: £75,000.00 - £110,000.00

Annual Contract Type: Permanent

Hours of Work: 35 per week

Job Level: Partnership Level 6

Where You'll Be Working: London Central Office, 1 Drummond Gate, London, , SW1V 2QQ

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us. We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose. As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note: It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles. We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants. We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. At the John Lewis Partnership we’re not just employees; we’re co-owners, and that’s why we’re called Partners. Being a Partner means not only do we all collectively share the responsibilities of being the UK’s largest employee-owned business, but we also share in its rewards and successes. It’s this ownership model that makes the Partnership a very unique place to work.

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