Import & Export Specialist
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
We're partnering with a highly respected manufacturing business that exports (and imports) across the globe. As they continue to grow, they're looking for an Import & Export Specialist to become a key part of their close-knit team, ensuring products reach customers worldwide whilst navigating the complexities of international trade and compliance.
This is a role for someone who enjoys variety, thrives on problem-solving and takes pride in keeping things moving behind the scenes. You'll work across multiple departments, build relationships with international customers and distributors, and become a trusted expert within the business.
Why Join?
This is a business that truly values its people. Collaboration sits at the heart of how they operate, with teams working closely together to achieve shared goals rather than operating in silos.
Employee voices are actively encouraged, ideas are welcomed regardless of job title, and open communication is embedded throughout the organisation. You'll be joining a supportive environment where people are trusted to take ownership, contribute improvements and make a meaningful difference.
The culture is friendly, down-to-earth and highly collaborative, making it an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys building strong working relationships and being part of a team that genuinely supports one another.
The Role
You'll be responsible for coordinating international shipments from order through to delivery, ensuring all documentation is accurate, compliant and delivered on time.
Working closely with Sales, Production, Purchasing, Engineering and Finance, you'll act as a central point of coordination, helping to ensure customers receive an exceptional service whilst maintaining compliance with import and export legislation.
Key responsibilities include:
- Managing international customer orders and export shipments
- Preparing and processing export documentation
- Coordinating shipments with freight partners and distributors worldwide
- Managing and presenting Letters of Credit
- Supporting customs compliance and import/export regulations
- Coordinating Carnets and exhibition shipments where required
- Supporting Inward Processing Relief (IPR) administration and reporting
- Building strong relationships with customers, distributors and internal stakeholders
- Working closely with production teams to ensure smooth order fulfilment
- Providing support with quotations and wider commercial activities when required
About You
We're looking for someone who combines strong import/export knowledge with excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
You'll likely bring:
- Experience within import/export, international logistics or global trade
- Knowledge of export documentation and customs procedures
- Experience working with Letters of Credit
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
- Confidence communicating with customers and stakeholders at all levels
- Experience within a manufacturing environment (desirable)
- Knowledge of Carnets and/or Inward Processing Relief (advantageous)
What's On Offer?
- £40,000 - £45,000 salary
- 25 days annual leave – increasing with service to 30
- Pension scheme with employer contribution (7% employer)
- Life assurance
- On-site parking
- A supportive and collaborative working environment
- The opportunity to join a business where your expertise is valued and your voice is heard
If you're looking for a role that combines international trade, customer engagement, operational coordination, and genuine influence within a business, we'd love to hear from you.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your Personal Statement with explicit mention of Letters of Credit and IPR experience, as the advert lists both as key responsibilities and they are specialist differentiators.
📊 Quantify your logistics scope: e.g. 'Coordinated 200+ international shipments annually across 30 countries, achieving 98% on-time delivery'.
🎯 Highlight cross-departmental collaboration experience — the advert stresses working with Sales, Production, Purchasing, Engineering and Finance, so name the departments you've liaised with.
🌐 If you have manufacturing sector experience, call it out prominently in your CV summary; the advert flags it as desirable and it will differentiate you from pure logistics candidates.
📋 Create a dedicated 'Trade Compliance' skills section listing Carnets, IPR, customs procedures and relevant regulations (e.g. HMRC import/export rules) to pass ATS screening for this compliance-heavy role.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Coordinated 160+ annual international export shipments across 28 countries, maintaining 98% on-time delivery and zero customs penalties over a 2-year period.
- •Administered Inward Processing Relief (IPR) claims for a UK manufacturer, producing quarterly HMRC reports that secured £42,000 in duty relief annually.
- •Managed Letters of Credit for 35 international customer accounts, resolving 12 documentary discrepancies within 72 hours to prevent shipment delays worth £250,000 in combined order value.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to The One Group
Dear Hiring Manager,
The One Group's search for an Import & Export Specialist at a Cambridge-based global manufacturer aligns precisely with my background in customs compliance and Letters of Credit management. Coordinating complex international shipments whilst maintaining rigorous documentation accuracy is where I add the most value, and I was drawn to this role by the breadth of trade activity — from IPR administration to Carnet processing — that few positions at this level offer.
My background in international logistics within a manufacturing environment has equipped me to act as a central coordination point across Sales, Production and Finance teams. In my most recent position, I managed over 150 export shipments annually to 25 countries, maintained a 99% documentation accuracy rate and resolved a Letters of Credit discrepancy that had held up a £180,000 order — recovering the shipment within 48 hours through direct negotiation with the issuing bank.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk us through the end-to-end process you follow when preparing export documentation for a complex international shipment.
- ›How have you managed Letters of Credit — what checks do you carry out to ensure compliance before shipment?
- ›Describe your experience with Inward Processing Relief: how did you administer and report on IPR claims?
- ›What steps do you take to ensure customs compliance when shipping to markets with differing import regulations?
- ›How have you coordinated Carnets for exhibition shipments, and what challenges did you encounter?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time a shipment was at risk of missing a critical deadline — how did you resolve it?
- ›Describe a situation where you identified a compliance risk in an export process and what action you took.
- ›Give an example of building a strong relationship with an international distributor or freight partner that improved outcomes.
- ›Tell me about a time you had to work across multiple internal departments to deliver a complex order — how did you manage competing priorities?
- ›Describe a situation where you had to explain a complex trade regulation or documentation requirement to a non-specialist colleague or customer.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time a shipment was at risk of missing a critical deadline — how did you resolve it?
Describe a situation where you identified a compliance risk in an export process and what action you took.