Customs & Trade Compliance Manager (m/f/d)

Your mission & challenges
You make sure our robots cross borders smoothly and compliantly. At our Zurich site, you own customs and export control end to end, from day-to-day import and export handling to building a compliance programme that grows with our scale-up. You are the central point of contact for authorities, internal teams and our headquarters in Metzingen.

• Import, export & transit: You own all import, export and transit processes at the Zurich site, from documentation to handling with freight forwarders and customs agents. Together with Procurement, you select and manage our brokers.

• Tariff classification: You classify robots, components, spare parts and software/hardware bundles (HS/TARES/CN) and build and maintain the related master data.

• Preferential origin: You determine and prove preferential origin under the CH–EU free trade agreement and PEM, manage supplier declarations, the approved exporter status and origin calculations.

• Customs procedures: You optimise our procedures, including inward and outward processing, temporary admission, ATA Carnets for trade fairs and demos, customs warehousing and returned goods.

• Import VAT & finance interface: You manage the import VAT and VAT interface (ZAZ account) and the billing flow between NEURA DE and CH, and you align with Finance and Tax on transfer pricing and customs value.

• Passar migration: You drive the switch to Passar, the new customs system of the FOCBS (BAZG), and adapt our processes accordingly.

Export control & sanctions

• Dual-use classification: You classify goods against dual-use criteria: in Switzerland under the Goods Control Ordinance (GKV) with licences via SECO/ELIC, in Germany under EU Regulation 2021/821 and BAFA. Where US content is involved, you also check re-exports under the EAR.

• Embargo & sanctions screening: You run embargo and sanctions checks, restricted party screening and end-user declarations. In robotics and AI, end use is a particularly sensitive topic.

Compliance, governance & interfaces

• Internal compliance programme: You build and maintain an internal compliance programme for customs and export control, covering policies, work instructions and controls.

• Audits & risk analysis: You conduct internal audits and risk assessments and are the point of contact for audits by the Swiss customs authority (BAZG).

• Central contact: You are the go-to person for authorities, Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales, Legal and our headquarters in Metzingen.

• Training & monitoring: You train colleagues and keep an eye on changes such as US tariff policy, new sanctions packages and amendments to free trade agreements.

• Digitalisation (optional): You digitalise processes, for example with SAP GTS or another trade compliance tool.

What we can look forward to
What you bring:

• Education: A degree in Business Administration, International Trade, Supply Chain or Logistics, or vocational training with further qualification, e.g. Swiss Federal Diploma as Customs Specialist (Zollfachmann/-frau) or Foreign Trade Specialist (Aussenhandelsfachmann/-frau).

• Experience: Several years of experience in customs and/or export control in a manufacturing company, ideally in a technical industry (mechanical engineering, automation, electronics).

• Swiss customs expertise: In-depth knowledge of Swiss customs law, tariff classification, preferential and origin rules and free trade agreements.

• Export control: Knowledge of export control law in Switzerland and the EU, as well as sanctions.

• Systems: Experience with customs software and ERP systems (SAP or similar).

• Languages: Business-fluent German and English.

• Working style: You work in a structured, process-oriented way, with assertiveness and initiative. This matters, because in a scale-up the structure is still being built.

Nice to have:

• German & EU customs law: Knowledge of the Union Customs Code (UCC) and ATLAS, given the close ties with our German headquarters.

• US export control: Experience with the US EAR and re-export topics.

• Trade compliance tools: Experience with SAP GTS or other trade compliance tools.

• Building from scratch: Experience setting up a customs function from the ground up.