Trade Compliance Specialist

We have a great opportunity at Pavers to join our Head Office Team as a Trade Compliance Specialist. This is a full-time permanent opportunity, based at our Northminster Business Park offices in York. As our Trade Compliance Specialist, you'll run Pavers' day-to-day customs operations across all UK and Irish import flows, keeping goods moving and ensuring every declaration is accurate, documented and compliant. The role operates within an established compliance framework: classification logic, valuation positions, origin rules, justification-sheet templates and standing broker instructions codified in SOPs and reference logic maintained by the function. This role will include working with volume transactions, preparing and lodging 60+ import entries a month and classifying around 3,500 new product lines a year. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong customs knowledge who enjoys problem-solving, managing data accuracy and working across a fast-paced international supply chain and is a key stand-alone role within the wider finance area of the business, reporting directly to the Finance Director., Operational Control & Documentation

• Track inbound shipments and manage customs clearance timelines.
• Prepare and submit accurate customs clearance instructions and import entries (60+ per month) using Customslink.
• Maintain shipment documentation, ensuring invoices, packing lists and bills of lading are complete and audit-ready.
• Liaise with freight forwarders and escalate unresolved documentation issues.
Commodity Classification
• Classify in line with HMRC requirements and internal SOPs, primarily within footwear (Chapter 64).
• Maintain classification records, justification sheets and supporting documentation.
• Obtain missing supplier data and escalate complex classifications for review.
Rules of Origin & Preference
• Manage supplier origin documentation, including LTSD requests and renewals across multiple languages.
• Maintain origin records and apply preference claims in line with approved procedures.
• Escalate unsupported or non-standard preference claims.
Customs Valuation
• Apply approved customs valuation methods, including transaction value and HMRC-agreed discounts.
Mailbox & Query Management
• Manage customs and classification inboxes, ensuring queries are logged, resolved and archived.
• Support internal teams, suppliers, carriers and freight partners with customs-related queries.
• Maintain key customs reference data and broker instructions.
Post-Clearance Compliance
• Identify import entry errors and support corrections, adjustments and voluntary disclosures.
• Ensure compliance records remain accurate and audit-ready.
Reporting & Auditing
• Audit import entries using MSS data and produce monthly UK and Ireland import compliance metrics.
  
  Proven experience managing UK import customs processes, including preparation and submission of customs declarations and working with freight forwarders/brokers.
• Experience completing import entries, including commodity codes (HS classification), customs values, country of origin, preference claims and CPC procedures.
• Practical experience classifying products using HS codes and applying HMRC classification guidance, ideally within retail, footwear, fashion or consumer goods.
• Experience managing supplier origin documentation, Long-Term Supplier Declarations, certificates of origin and preference claims.
• Experience performing post-clearance checks, identifying errors, supporting amendments and maintaining audit-ready records.
• Strong experience managing import documentation, including commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading and compliance records.
• Stakeholder Management experience
• Experience using customs entry systems and databases
• Complete audits and produce accurate compliance reports
• High attention to detail
Desirable
• Multilingual capability (particularly European languages) would be beneficial for supplier communication.
  
  The Pavers story began in York in 1971 when Catherine Paver took out a £200 bank loan (for a sofa she told them) to fund her new business. She had big dreams of changing the world of footwear and a passion to provide comfortable and stylish shoes for all.
Starting small, she sold shoes at village halls and homeware parties before opening the first Pavers shop in Scarborough in 1981, when Catherine's three sons joined the business. One of her sons, Stuart, ran the business as Managing Director for over 40 years, joined by his son Jason in 2016. As of September 2023, Jason Paver is now the Managing Director of Pavers Ltd, with Stuart Paver moving to Chairman, taking the company into the 3rd generation of family run leadership. From these modest beginnings, Pavers Shoes has grown to be a UK leader in today's footwear industry, with over 180 stores nationwide encompassing our more recently acquired brands including Jones Bootmaker, Herring Shoes, Padders & Van Dal. We remain acquisitive, highly profitable, and are an ever-growing, independent family-run business, employing over 1,900 people. We were delighted to be recognised as a 3
• Employer with 'World Class' levels of workplace engagement and named the '2nd Best Retailer to Work For' by Best Companies in November 2024. In June 2025, we were also recognised as a 3 employer for workplace engagement and received an 'Excellent' rating for our Employee Experience from WorkL. Building on this success, Pavers has now also been recognised in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 list, celebrating organisations that lead the way in employee engagement, wellbeing and workplace culture across the UK.
We know our colleagues are our greatest asset, and we value the talent, passion and unique skills every individual brings to our team. We have created a workplace culture that promotes inclusivity, ambition, opportunity and growth for all colleagues because we know their dedication and commitment are the driving force behind our success. At Pavers, our colleagues feel part of the family.


• Competitive salary of circa £40,000 dependent on experience.
• Enrolment into company's pension scheme.
• Discretionary Annual Bonus scheme.
• Generous colleague discount scheme, some of which can be shared with your family and friends!
And that's not all, working for Pavers comes with so much more to enjoy:
• Free onsite parking at York Head Office.
• Death In Service Benefit.
• Holiday Entitlement (Increases with service).
• Access to RetailTRUST (Wellbeing & Financial Support).
• Access to the Pavers Foundation: employee-led grant application and charitable giving scheme.
• Access to wider training and development opportunities through Pavers Academy., Holidays that increase with service
Company Pension Contribution Wellbeing Assistance through Retail Trust Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Pay Gym Discounts Multiple Retailer Discounts