Lead Customs Waters

Danone; Hoofddorp; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gym membership discount

Premium pension

30 days annual leave

Health care allowance

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Danone Waters seeks a senior Customs leader to own the customs agenda across Europe, with a focus on French operations (Evian, Volvic, Badoit). You will guide import/export flows, governance, and compliance, interfacing with sites, Supply Chain, Finance, IT and external partners.

The role requires strong EU/French customs knowledge, fluent French and English, and the ability to translate complex rules into pragmatic guidance for diverse stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Customs, International Trade, Supply Chain, Law, Business Admin or related field.
• 5+ years of customs and trade compliance experience in international environments.
• Strong knowledge of EU customs legislation and French regulations.
• Fluent French and strong professional English.
• Experience with customs authorities, brokers and senior internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the customs agenda for Danone Waters, focusing on French Waters operations.
• Ensure import/export flows are compliant, efficient and translated into business processes.
• Set and maintain the governance framework for Waters sites in Europe.
• Lead applications, maintenance and governance of customs authorizations and AEO matters.
• Lead customs audits and interactions with authorities and compliance reviews.
• Influence projects by integrating customs considerations early in processes.
• Build customs awareness and provide targeted training to business teams.
• Manage brokers and service providers with performance follow-up.
• Monitor EU customs changes and coordinate implementation.
• Use customs data to identify risks and drive process improvements.

Skills

French fluency

EU customs knowledge

Stakeholder management

Translate complex requirements

Languages: English

Education

Bachelor's degree in Customs/International Trade/Supply Chain/Law/Business Admin or related

Tools

SAP

Customs software solutions

Job description

About the job

Lead Customs Waters (DPA - fulltime)

As Lead Customs Waters, you will own the customs agenda for Danone Waters, primarily supporting the French Waters operations and associated international flows, including the production and distribution activities of iconic brands such as Evian, Volvic and Badoit. The role covers strategically important customs scope across multiple manufacturing sites, a broad distribution network and numerous stakeholders across the Waters business.

As category lead, you will combine strategic and operational responsibilities: shaping the customs direction for Waters, ensuring compliant and efficient import and export flows, and embedding customs requirements into business processes and key decisions.

You will be the main customs counterpart for local sites, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance/Tax, IT, customs brokers and customs authorities. A key part of the role is to strengthen customs governance, improve customs processes and build the right level of customs knowledge, control and accountability across the category.

In this role, as part of Danone's European Customs Centre of Excellence, you will take ownership of:

• Leading the customs agenda for Danone Waters, primarily focused on the French Waters operations (Evian, Volvic and Badoit), and acting as the senior customs point of contact for business stakeholders.
• Ensuring import and export flows are compliant, efficient and fit for purpose, with customs requirements translated into clear and workable business processes.
• Setting and maintaining the customs governance framework for Waters sites in Europe, including procedures, controls, roles and responsibilities.
• Leading the application, maintenance and governance of customs authorizations, simplifications and AEO-related matters, while providing expert guidance on customs valuation, tariff classification and origin.
• Leading customs audits, customs authority interactions and compliance reviews, in close cooperation with the relevant local teams.
• Influencing projects and daily operations by making sure customs is taken into account early and correctly by Transport, Warehousing, IT, Supply Chain and Finance/Tax.
• Building customs awareness in the organization by identifying training needs and providing targeted, practical training to business teams.
• Managing customs brokers and customs service providers, including performance follow-up, compliance monitoring and continuous improvement.
• Monitoring changes in EU customs and trade legislation, assessing the impact for Waters and coordinating implementation where needed.
• Using customs data to identify risks, drive process improvements and support more efficient and digital customs ways of working.

NOTE: Hybrid working model possible. This position can be based in Evian, Paris, Rueil-Malmaison, or another Danone location in France; Wevelgem, Belgium; or our office in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.

About you

We are looking for a strong customs professional who can operate at senior stakeholder level, take ownership and bring structure in a complex international environment. More specifically:

• You have a bachelor's degree in Customs, International Trade, Supply Chain, Law, Business Administration or a related field.
• You bring at least 5 years of solid customs and trade compliance experience, preferably in an international business environment with multiple countries and stakeholders.
• You have a strong command of EU customs legislation and solid knowledge of French customs regulations and practices.
• You are confident advising on customs valuation, tariff classification, origin, Free Trade Agreements, customs authorizations and AEO.
• You have experience dealing with customs authorities, customs brokers and senior internal stakeholders across Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance/Tax and IT.
• Fluent French is required, combined with strong professional English skills.
• Experience in FMCG, food & beverage, manufacturing or supply chain is a plus.
• You are able to translate complex customs requirements into clear, pragmatic guidance for non-customs stakeholders.
• You take ownership, challenge where needed and bring structure, clarity and follow-up in a complex environment.
• Knowledge of SAP, customs software solutions, or customs process digitalization is a strong advantage.

About Danone

At Danone we are committed to our mission "bringing health, through food to as many people as possible". Working together to make sure that our brands, like Hipro, Nutricia, Alpro, Activia, Nutrilon and Evian, create real benefits for people, communities and the planet. You will be part of one of the largest Certified B Corps in the world. Being B Corp means to be part of a select movement of companies verified to be meeting the highest standards of social and environmental criteria and using business as a force for good.

We Offer

All Danoners receive a complete package of benefits. This includes a competitive salary and yearly bonus, a premium free pension, 30 days of annual leave (with the opportunity to purchase more) and you will receive a monthly health care allowance. In addition, you can get discount on your gym membership, and we offer initiatives focused on nutrition, physical, and mental health. We provide continuous learning opportunities through workshops, online courses and training sessions.