Customs Operations Team Leader (Rotterdam)

About Customs Support Group

Customs Support Group (CSG) is Europe’s leading independent customs services provider. Founded in 1964, we operate in 14 European countries with 100+ offices and a team of 1,700+ customs professionals.

We help companies move goods across borders smoothly and compliantly, taking the pressure out of customs.

What we do: We support more than 60,000 clients and process over 20 million declaration lines each year.
From day‑to‑day customs declarations to compliance, duty optimization and trade advice, we make cross‑border trade easier and more predictable.

How we work: We combine local customs expertise with modern digital tools to handle large volumes accurately and at speed.
Our technology helps teams work smarter, reduces manual effort, and improves turnaround times. In markets like the UK, this already led to clear productivity gains.

Why it matter: Customs rules are becoming more complex and mistakes are costly. Delays, compliance risks and unclear regulations can slow businesses down.
CSG helps clients stay compliant, reduce risk and keep their supply chains moving.

Why Join Us

At CSG, you will be part of a growing international organization that is improving how customs work gets done.

You will:

• Work with experienced customs professionals and technology teams

• Gain exposure to international trade and complex supply chains

• Contribute to services that have a real impact on global commerce

This is a chance to build a career in a stable but evolving industry, where expertise and good judgement still matter.

Purpose of the Position

As an Operational Team Leader at Customs Support Group, your job is straightforward: keep a team of declarants running at its best. You make sure declarations go out correctly, on time, and in line with every compliance requirement. You spot problems before they become delays, coach your team to get better, and push the team's digital maturity forward.

This is not a purely administrative role. You sit between the work and the strategy. You translate the Branch Manager's direction into day-to-day execution, and you translate ground-level operational signals back up. You own quality. You own compliance. And you do it in an environment that is actively transforming, where automation and digitalisation are changing what customs work looks like.

Customs Support Group operates across 14 European countries, processes declarations at scale, and is investing heavily in its CustomsTech platform. You will be part of that momentum.

Main Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily declaration assignments and steer the team in real time during volume peaks, keeping throughput on target.

• Preparing customs declarations

• Review declaration samples, identify structural errors, and provide direct coaching and substantive feedback to team members.

• Ensure full compliance with customs legislation, AEO licence obligations, GDPR, and internal audit requirements.

• Monitor declaration deadlines and claims closely; escalate bottlenecks to the Branch Manager without delay.

• Identify manual and labour-intensive processes within the team and propose digitalisation routes via IDP, interfacing, or data entry automation.

• Encourage consistent use of digital tools across the team and flag disruptions or opportunities to the Digital Lead and Branch Manager.

• Initiate and track process improvement proposals, with the goal of continuously raising service quality.

• Conduct client check-ins, handle operational complaints and claims in consultation with the Branch Manager, and maintain high-quality client contact.

• Contribute to KPI reporting: volumes, declarations per FTE, error rates, and digitalisation share.

• Build a work environment where accuracy, accountability, and teamwork are the standard.

What to Expect

• A role with real operational ownership. You are not a supervisor in name only. The team, its quality, and its development are genuinely in your hands.

• A high degree of autonomy in how you organise and run daily operations, with the Branch Manager as a strategic partner rather than a day-to-day director.

• A fast-moving environment where volumes fluctuate, regulations evolve, and the tools you work with are actively being improved.

• Visible impact. Your work on quality and digitalisation feeds directly into CSG's service delivery across the Netherlands.

• A company that is growing, PE-backed, and investing. The platform you work on today is being built into something bigger.

Job Requirements

• Minimum 2 years of coordinating experience with real accountability in customs, logistics, or supply chain operations.

• Solid knowledge of Dutch and EU customs legislation, compliance requirements, and AEO obligations.

• MBO+ or HBO level of thinking and working; background in customs-logistics, international trade, business administration, or supply chain management.

• Strong command of Dutch (written and spoken) and a good working level of English.

• Demonstrated ability to identify process improvements and manage their adoption within a team.

• Comfortable working with digital customs systems; experience with IDP, interfacing, or declaration platforms is a clear advantage.

• Hands-on mentality. You are not above diving into the details when the team needs it.

• Resilient under pressure. Customs does not pause for inconvenient timing.

• Quality-driven and compliance-minded. You set the standard and hold it.