Customs Specialist

C.H. Robinson Worldwide; Rolling Meadows (IL); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Dental and Vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) with company matching

Paid holidays and PTO

Career development

Job summary

C.H. Robinson Worldwide is seeking a Customs Specialist to protect compliance and minimize risk while ensuring smooth import clearance. You will manage complex exceptions, government examinations, and high-impact shipment issues, acting as a trusted customs expert across daily operations.

The role is on-site three days a week with remote work two days, enabling collaboration and autonomy in a global logistics setting.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED is required.
• 2–3 years of entry-writing experience or international transportation experience.

Responsibilities

• Review and validate customs entry data for accuracy and compliance.

Skills

Customs compliance

Entry writing

Regulatory interpretation

Problem solving

Communication

Automation knowledge

Microsoft Office

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate or Bachelor's degree (preferred)

Tools

HTS databases

ABI/AMS knowledge

Job description

C.H. Robinson is looking for a Customs Specialist who will play a critical role in protecting compliance, minimizing risk, and ensuring the seamless movement of customer shipments through the customs clearance process. In this role, you will serve as a trusted customs expert, managing complex exceptions, government agency examinations, and high-impact shipment issues while delivering exceptional service and operational excellence. You will leverage your regulatory expertise and problem-solving skills to support accurate customs clearance, drive continuous improvement, and help optimize automated customs operations.

At C.H. Robinson, we’re firm believers in the power of in-person collaboration to fuel innovation and propel success. In this role, you will engage with peers on-site three days a week, igniting creativity and driving impactful results. With the flexibility for remote work two days a week, this role strikes the perfect balance between teamwork and autonomy.

Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of this position consist of, but are not limited to, the following:

• Review and validate customs entry data to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely cargo clearance
• Resolve complex customs exceptions, including documentation gaps, classification issues, valuation discrepancies, and regulatory concerns
• Manage government agency holds and customs examinations, including CBP, FDA, CPSC, VACIS, CET, and Tailgate inspections
• Serve as a trusted customs compliance expert, interpreting regulations and applying them across daily operations and automated processes
• Prioritize critical shipment issues to prevent delays and maintain exceptional service for customers
• Partner with customs brokers, transportation providers, and internal teams to ensure seamless import clearance and delivery
• Own and maintain customer-specific SOPs, HTS databases, and compliance requirements to support operational excellence
• Investigate and resolve cargo damage claims, insurance matters, demurrage, detention disputes, and other high-impact shipment issues
• Conduct quality reviews of customs entries and automated decisions to ensure compliance, accuracy, and process effectiveness
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying workflow enhancements, supporting automation initiatives, and helping optimize customs operations and exception management

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED
• Minimum 2-3 years of entry-writing experience, international transportation or experience with AI Agents

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in related field
• Experience supporting automation-enabled workflows or BPO-integrated operations
• Familiarity with customs exams, government agency holds, or dangerous goods processes
• Knowledge of ABI, AMS queries, or entry summary components
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite of programs
• Prior experience in customer-facing operational support or escalation management
• Knowledge of Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and the supply chain
• Excellent communication, prioritization, and multi-tasking skills
• Excellent customer service skills and follow up to be utilized with customers and the network
• Proven track record of dealing with customers and being client focused
• Critical-thinking, flexibility, and problem-solving skills to adapt to ever-changing tasks and customer needs
• Reputation for logical, methodical and expedient approach to problem resolution
• High level of attention to detail
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and deadline-driven office environment
• Values a diverse and inclusive work environment
• Must comply with 19 CFR 111.53(e) requirements, including eligibility to work in a Customs Brokerage role.
• Candidates must be able to pass an initial and annual background check,

Compensation

Compensation Range $25.38 - $40.21 The base pay range displayed on the job posting reflects the minimum and maximum base pay for this specific location. Your individual base pay within this range is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base pay only and do not include additional variable compensation.

Equal Opportunity C.H. Robinson is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We are committed to a workplace and performance culture that reflects the strengths of our worldwide marketplace.

We value unique experiences and diverse backgrounds of our people within our company, our business relationships, and our communities.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive environment, free from harassment and discrimination, where all employees feel welcomed, valued and respected.

EOE\Disabled\Veteran Benefits

Benefits

We provide the top-tier benefits that matter to you most, including:

• Three medical plans which include Prescription drug coverage
• Enhanced Fertility benefits
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account (including employer contribution)
• Dental and Vision
• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Paid observed holidays 2 paid floating holidays for U.S. hourly employees
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) offered to U.S. salaried employees — no accruals and no caps.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) offered to all other employees in the U.S. and Canada
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off to volunteer in your community
• Charitable Giving Match Program
• 401(k) with 6% company matching
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Plus a broad range of career development, networking, and team-building opportunities

Learn more about our benefit offerings on our BENEFITS & WELLBEING page

Why Do You Belong at C.H. Robinson?

C.H. Robinson solves logistics problems for companies across the globe and across industries, from the simple to the most complex. With $22 billion in freight under management and 19 million shipments annually, we are one of the world’s largest logistics platforms and rank in the FORTUNE 200. We’ve been an innovator in logistics for over 100 years. Our global suite of services accelerates trade to seamlessly deliver the products and goods that drive the world’s economy. With the combination of our multimodal transportation management system and expertise, we use our information advantage to deliver smarter solutions for more than 90,000 customers and 450,000 contract carriers on our platform. Our technology is built by and for supply chain experts to bring faster, more meaningful improvements to our customers’ businesses. As a responsible global citizen, we contribute millions of dollars to support causes that matter to us and our people. FORTUNE has named C.H. Robinson one of the World’s Most Admired Companies 2024, showcasing our position as a leader in our industry. Our commitment to excellence is further affirmed by being named a Great Place to Work 2023-24 by the Great Place to Work Institute, one of Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity and one of America’s Greatest Workplaces in 2023 by Newsweek.

For more information, visit us at www.chrobinson.com.