Customs Analyst - Argos

For more than 50 years, Argos has been a familiar name in British retail, growing from its iconic catalogue beginnings into one of the UK’s best-known digital and multichannel retailers.

While our heritage is something we’re incredibly proud of, we’re always looking forward. We continue to evolve how we serve our customers, combining the strength of our brand with digital innovation, technology and a convenient shopping experience that brings together online and physical retail.

It’s an exciting time to join Argos. We’re building on everything that has made the brand successful while continuing to transform for the future. Whatever your role, you’ll have the opportunity to shape what comes next and play your part in the next chapter of an iconic British brand.

Location: London, Coventry or Manchester Store Support Centre & Home – colleagues go into the office 1-2 days per week on average.

About the team

The Customs team helps the Group manage its customs obligations and keep imports and exports compliant, efficient and supported by accurate evidence. Working within Finance, the team partners with Supply Chain, Procurement, external customs agents and other business areas to identify risk, resolve issues and improve customs data and controls. This role offers broad exposure to the movement of goods and the opportunity to make a practical difference to compliance, cost and operational decision-making.

More about the role

As Customs Analyst, you will support the Customs Manager with the preparation, validation and monitoring of customs declarations and duty. You will maintain records for tariff classification, customs valuation and country of origin decisions, complete reconciliations across customs systems, broker data, deferment accounts and Finance records, and investigate exceptions or data-quality issues.

Your day-to-day work will include responding to customs queries, supporting registrations, guarantees and authorisations, and helping monitor compliance with agreed procedures and controls. You will provide analysis for duty optimisation, customs reliefs and preferential origin under applicable free trade agreements. You will also gather evidence for audits and authority enquiries, track actions through to completion and contribute to improvements in customs reporting, controls, data and automation.

More about you

You will bring practical knowledge of UK customs requirements, including tariff classification, valuation and origin, together with experience of customs declarations, import data, brokers, duty and import VAT records. You will be able to reconcile high-volume information, identify exceptions and reach conclusions that are supported by evidence. A working knowledge of Excel and experience using Finance, Supply Chain or customs systems will support your delivery.

You will be organised and precise in the way you manage records, controls and deadlines. You will communicate customs requirements clearly to colleagues and external partners, know when to escalate material risks or recurring errors, and take a practical approach to resolving issues. A relevant customs, tax or accounting qualification, or progress towards one, would be beneficial but is not essential.

Essential criteria

• Practical knowledge of UK customs requirements covering tariff classification, customs valuation and country of origin.
• Demonstrable experience of working with customs declarations, customs brokers, import data, duty and import VAT records.
• Evidence of reconciling high-volume data across multiple sources, identifying exceptions and documenting evidence-based conclusions.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and experience of using at least one Finance, Supply Chain or customs system to maintain or analyse records.
• Proven ability to explain customs requirements to internal stakeholders or external partners and maintain auditable records against agreed controls and deadlines.

#LI-SA1

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you here at Sainsbury’s. For a FTSE business, we move incredibly fast. When we’re not leading projects, we’re supporting teams across the wider group to achieve their goals. And here, you can see the impact of your work as soon as you walk into a store, giving you a real sense of purpose and responsibility. Better still, the team around you will listen to your ideas and opinions, and you’ll have every chance to try something new. The scale and complexity of our business mean there’s always something new to learn, and we’ll support you every step of the way. We’re trusted to get on with it. So get ready to make things happen.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).