Senior Customs Operations Specialist

Polestar; Göteborgs kommun; On-site; SEK 900,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Polestar is seeking a Senior Customs Operations Specialist to join its Global Customs team in Gothenburg. This role merges regulatory excellence with strategic business enablement across Polestar’s global operations.

You will lead classification, valuation, and import/export compliance while collaborating with brokers, authorities, and internal stakeholders to optimize duties and ensure compliant cross-border flows.

Qualifications

• Experience in customs, international trade, or compliance.
• Knowledge of tariff classification, origin determination, and import/export requirements.
• Experience supporting international supply chains and cross-border operations.
• Experience working with customs authorities, brokers, and logistics providers.
• Understanding of customs risk management and compliance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance on classification, valuation, origin, and import/export compliance.
• Support launches, manufacturing footprints, logistics flows, and market expansion from a customs perspective.
• Ensure compliance with regulations across Polestar’s global operations.
• Identify and mitigate customs-related compliance, operational, and financial risks.
• Support continuous improvements in customs processes, governance, and internal controls.
• Assist with customs audits, compliance reviews, and interactions with authorities.
• Develop and maintain customs policies, standards, and best practices.
• Identify opportunities for duty optimization through FTAs and special procedures.
• Collaborate with brokers, providers, and authorities for efficient cross-border operations.
• Deliver customs training and awareness activities across the business.
• Monitor regulatory developments and translate requirements into practical solutions.
• Support the development of Polestar’s global customs capability and long-term strategy.

Skills

Customs operations

International trade

Risk management

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication in English

Job description

The opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Customs Operations Specialist to join Polestar’s Global Customs team within the Quality & Logistics organization.

As Polestar continues to expand globally, Customs has become a strategic business area that supports market growth, manufacturing expansion, supply chain resilience, and operational excellence across our international operations.

This is an opportunity to join a highly visible global function working at the intersection of logistics, manufacturing, procurement, finance, commercial operations, and legal compliance. Every vehicle launch, new market entry, manufacturing footprint, and cross-border supply chain flow relies on robust customs processes that enable growth while ensuring compliance.

Let us describe the challenge we offer

This role is not simply about compliance. It is about enabling business success in an increasingly complex international trade environment.

As a Senior Customs Operations Specialist, you will support strategic initiatives ranging from vehicle launches and manufacturing expansion to customs optimization and process development. You will play an important role in ensuring efficient customs operations, supporting compliance, and contributing to business decisions that impact Polestar’s operational performance and future growth.

This role is located at: Gothenburg, Sweden.

What you’ll do

As a Senior Customs Operations Specialist, you will act as a key customs specialist supporting international trade activities across the organization. You will work closely with internal stakeholders and external customs service providers to ensure compliant, efficient, and reliable customs operations throughout the supply chain.

You will contribute to both operational and improvement-focused initiatives while helping maintain high standards of customs governance and compliance.

This includes:

• Providing guidance on customs classification, valuation, origin determination, and import/export compliance.
• Supporting new vehicle launches, manufacturing footprints, logistics flows, and market expansion initiatives from a customs perspective.
• Ensuring compliance with customs regulations and trade requirements across Polestar’s global operations.
• Identifying, assessing, and mitigating customs-related compliance, operational, and financial risks.
• Supporting continuous improvements in customs processes, governance, and internal controls.
• Assisting with customs audits, compliance reviews, and interactions with customs authorities.
• Supporting the development and maintenance of customs policies, standards, and best practices.
• Identifying opportunities for duty optimization through free trade agreements and special customs procedures.
• Collaborating with customs brokers, logistics providers, and authorities to ensure efficient cross-border operations.
• Delivering customs training and awareness activities across the business.
• Monitoring regulatory developments and translating requirements into practical business solutions.
• Supporting the continued development of Polestar’s global customs capability and long-term strategy.

Who you are

We believe you are an experienced customs professional who combines strong technical expertise with a commercial and operational mindset. You are comfortable working across organizational boundaries, collaborating with stakeholders, and translating complex regulations into practical business solutions.

You enjoy solving complex challenges, driving improvements, and making a measurable impact on business performance in an international environment.

You bring:

• Experience within customs, international trade, trade compliance, or customs operations.
• Good knowledge of customs regulations, customs valuation, tariff classification, origin determination, and import/export requirements.
• Experience supporting international supply chains and cross-border operations.
• Experience working with customs authorities, customs brokers, and logistics service providers.
• Understanding of customs risk management and compliance frameworks.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Fluency in English, written and spoken.

In addition you:

Have experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Automotive industry.
• Manufacturing operations.
• Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes.
• Customs audits and governmental reviews.
• Multi-regional customs operations.
• Free Trade Agreements and customs optimization programmes.
• Export control regulations, sanctions screening, and broader trade compliance programmes.

People at Polestar

We know that change is needed. We also know that each one of us can help bring about that change. Our commitment to becoming climate-neutral by 2040 is just as important to us as being inclusive, diverse, and innovative. Together, we are creating, collaborating, and experimenting to usher in a new era of sustainable mobility.

We are an electric performance brand, determined to improve the society we live in.

Is this you?

To support a fair, objective, and competency-based selection process, candidates will complete work-related psychometric assessments as part of the recruitment journey.

Are you ready for the journey? Which is electric, by the way…