Director Global Customs & Export Control

Leonid Group has been retained by a leading global manufacturing group to seek a Global Director of Customs & Export Control to shape and lead its international trade compliance strategy. This is a senior, high-impact role at the core of the organization’s global operations, with responsibility for steering customs, export control, and international trade processes across all regions.

You will serve as the key point of contact for global customs and export control matters, guiding an experienced team while ensuring full compliance with evolving international trade regulations. Reporting directly into executive leadership, this position combines strategic oversight with hands-on collaboration — driving efficiency, risk management, and regulatory excellence across multiple jurisdictions.

This is a rare opportunity to join a company known for its precision, innovation, and commitment to responsible global trade — where your expertise will directly influence how the organisation moves goods, manages risk, and shapes its future supply chain strategy worldwide.

The Opportunity

Are you an experienced customs and export control professional ready to take the next step into a global leadership role? This is an opportunity to lead a high-performing team and shape the customs and export control strategy of a truly international organisation. You’ll play a central role in building an efficient, compliant, and future-oriented global trade framework — working alongside experienced colleagues and senior stakeholders across functions and regions.

Key Responsibilities

• Global Expertise: Act as the central point of contact for customs and export control topics worldwide. Stay ahead of regulatory changes and ensure the organisation remains fully compliant with international trade and tax requirements.
• Strategic Oversight: Lead and harmonise global import/export processes, including tariff classification, AEO certification, and customs reporting, aligning them with evolving global standards.
• Leadership: Guide and inspire a team of trade compliance professionals. Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and accountability while developing individual strengths and supporting continuous learning.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with key stakeholders in Tax, Legal, Finance, and Logistics to optimise global trade processes and manage risks effectively.
• Audit & Training: Lead internal and external audits, design training initiatives, and ensure customs knowledge is embedded across the organisation.

Profile

• Background: You bring at least five years of experience in customs, export controls, or international trade compliance — ideally gained in a global company, consulting environment, or regulatory body.
• Education: Degree in Customs, Law, Economics, or a related field, with a strong interest in ongoing professional development and emerging regulatory trends.
• Leadership Potential: You have led projects, advised colleagues, or managed small teams — and are now ready to take on a broader strategic and managerial role.
• Stakeholder & Risk Management: Skilled in navigating complex, international environments, engaging with authorities and senior leadership, and assessing both legal and commercial risks.
• Analytical & Strategic Mindset: Able to connect the dots between compliance, business priorities, and operational efficiency.
• Language & Global Outlook: Fluent in German and English, comfortable operating in a multicultural and globally connected organisation.

The Leonid Group Corporate Governance is a talent acquisition consultancy that specialises in the placement of Legal, Compliance, Trade Compliance & Ethics professionals on an international scale across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Legal and compliance are both global, with teams worldwide, and our network reflects this. We work with multinational corporations to help structure their departments with the best people, from the Global Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel to the Compliance Analyst and Trade Compliance Specialist.