Senior Manager, Digital Transformation – US Customs Clearance
DHL · Plantation
Senior Manager, Digital Transformation – US Customs Clearance
Department: BIT – Net Ops Programs, Aviation, and PMO
Job location: This role may be located in Plantation, FL or Erlanger, KY and will abide by the Back-to-Office guidelines effective January 2027.
Job Purpose
Lead the digitalization of US customs clearance tools and processes by translating customs, operational, regulatory, and customer needs into a multi-year digital transformation roadmap. The role owns the alignment of business process redesign, technology delivery, data analytics, automation, AI enablement, and change adoption to improve clearance quality, speed, compliance, and customer experience. Acts as the senior business-technology interface for US customs clearance transformation, ensuring initiatives are structured, measurable, secure, and aligned with regional and global customs transformation priorities.
Key Tasks:
- Define and maintain the US customs clearance digitalization roadmap, prioritizing initiatives that improve clearance quality, speed, compliance, productivity, and customer experience.
- Assess as-is customs clearance processes, system workflows, data flows, and operational pain points to identify automation, AI, analytics, and process-standardization opportunities.
- Convert digital transformation strategy into structured business cases, requirements, delivery plans, milestones, KPIs, and measurable adoption targets.
- Partner with Customs Operations, Compliance, Product, IT, data science, finance, and external vendors to translate complex technical options into practical business solutions.
- Sponsor and govern delivery of customs digitalization initiatives, including AI/automation use cases, workflow tooling, reporting, and integration with US/regional/global platforms.
- Lead change-management, communication, training, and adoption planning so impacted teams can successfully transition to new tools and operating models.
- Use data analytics to monitor process performance, benefits realization, project risks, adoption, and customer-impact outcomes.
- Ensure digital tools and process changes comply with customs regulations, internal controls, cybersecurity, data protection, and audit requirements.
- Track emerging digital, AI, automation, and customs-technology trends and convert relevant opportunities into improvement proposals.
- Coach managers, project leads, and analysts; provide knowledge transfer and decision support across transformation teams.
- Present and make customs digitalization and improvement recommendations to senior and executive leadership.
Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain / Logistics, or related field.
- Master’s degree or equivalent business transformation experience preferred.
- Project / program management certification such as PRINCE2, PMP, Agile, or equivalent preferred.
- Typically, 8+ years of experience in digital transformation, IT/business program management, process improvement, customs/logistics operations, or related fields; including 3+ years leading teams, vendors, or cross-functional transformation initiatives.
- Experience with customs clearance, compliance-driven processes, AI/ML, analytics, RPA, Agile delivery, UX/UI, cybersecurity, and change management preferred.
- English – fluent written and spoken.
- Additional languages helpful for cross-regional collaboration.
- Strong executive communication and stakeholder-management skills.
- Ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences