National Customs Business Development Manager

Kuehne+Nagel; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Kuehne+Nagel pension plan

Route 2 Rewards scheme

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Kuehne+Nagel is seeking a National Customs Business Development Manager in the United Kingdom to optimise logistics and lead the national customs growth strategy. You will drive new business, expand partnerships, and collaborate across Sea, Air, Road, Contract Logistics, and Sales teams to deliver innovative customs and trade compliance solutions.

You will identify opportunities, build a strong sales pipeline, and develop value propositions in customs brokerage, trade compliance, duty

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, Supply Chain, International Trade, or a related field.
• Proven experience in customs brokerage, trade compliance, business development, or international logistics.
• Strong commercial mindset with a successful track record in business development and customer growth.
• Expertise in strategic account management, solution selling, and customs-related service offerings.
• Solid understanding of customs regulations, international trade processes, and compliance requirements.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including pricing, profitability, and margin management.
• Proven ability to collaborate across cross-functional, regional, and global teams in a matrix organization.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the corporate customs business development strategy aligned with country growth objectives.
• Identify, qualify, and secure new customs brokerage opportunities across key industry verticals while building and managing a healthy sales pipeline through CRM.
• Develop compelling value propositions covering customs brokerage, trade compliance, duty optimization, and consulting services to meet customer needs.
• Work closely with the Customs Operations team to ensure smooth implementation and customer onboarding and collaborate with Sea, Air, Road, Contract Logistics, and Sales teams to generate cross-selling on custom standalone opportunities.
• Support strategic RFQs, tenders, and customer presentations with customized customs solutions.
• Participate in customer business reviews (QBRs/MBRs) and executive meetings to strengthen strategic relationships.
• Support pricing strategy and ensure commercial proposals achieve targeted profitability.
• Represent the company at industry events, chambers of commerce, and customer networking activities.
• Mentor and support local sales teams to improve customs knowledge and opportunity generation.

Skills

Communication skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Logistics, Supply Chain, International Trade, or related field

Job description

It's more than a job
As a National Customs Business Development Manager at Kuehne+Nagel, your job is to optimise logistics to keep our global supply chains running smoothly. But the impact of your work goes beyond that. In fact, your expertise makes both special and ordinary moments possible for people around the world. For example, your work could ensure that a global product launch happens on time—such as ethically sourced beauty and bath products stocked at local stores for your loved one's valued self-care routine. It's import and export work, but it's also so much more than we imagine.

Lead the development and execution of the national customs growth strategy by driving new business acquisition, expanding existing customer partnerships, and collaborating across the organization to deliver innovative customs and trade compliance solutions.

How you create impact

• Develop and execute the corporate customs business development strategy aligned with country growth objectives.
• Identify, qualify, and secure new customs brokerage opportunities across key industry verticals while building and managing a healthy sales pipeline through CRM.
• Develop compelling value propositions covering customs brokerage, trade compliance, duty optimization, and consulting services to meet customer needs.
• Work closely with the Customs Operations team to ensure smooth implementation and customer onboarding and collaborate with Sea, Air, Road, Contract Logistics, and Sales teams to generate cross-selling on custom standalone opportunities.
• Support strategic RFQs, tenders, and customer presentations with customized customs solutions.
• Participate in customer business reviews (QBRs/MBRs) and executive meetings to strengthen strategic relationships.
• Support pricing strategy and ensure commercial proposals achieve targeted profitability.
• Represent the company at industry events, chambers of commerce, and customer networking activities.
• Mentor and support local sales teams to improve customs knowledge and opportunity generation.

What we would like you to bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, Supply Chain, International Trade, or a related field.
• Proven experience in customs brokerage, trade compliance, business development, or international logistics.
• Strong commercial mindset with a successful track record in business development and customer growth.
• Expertise in strategic account management, solution selling, and customs-related service offerings.
• Solid understanding of customs regulations, international trade processes, and compliance requirements.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including pricing, profitability, and margin management.
• Proven ability to collaborate across cross-functional, regional, and global teams in a matrix organization.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

What's in it for you

If you would like to become a valued member of our team, we will make sure that you’re rewarded for your commitment and expertise. You can join the contributory Kuehne+Nagel pension plan and enjoy our Route 2 Rewards scheme, which offers everything from discounts, benefit information, recognition and its own wellbeing centre. We care for our colleagues (and their immediate family) with our employee assistance programme providing access to 24/7 GP, legal and financial advice along with mental health counselling. All of this to help you live a happier and healthier life. As proud holders of the Gold Covenant, we are a forces-friendly employer who recognise the skills, expertise and value service leavers bring to our organisation.

Who we are

Logistics shapes everyday life - from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world.

As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life-saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine.

We kindly advise that placement agencies refrain from submitting unsolicited profiles. Any submissions of candidates without prior signed agreement will be considered our property and no fees will be paid.