Global Trade Manager

The Opportunity
An international apparel retail organisation is seeking an experienced Global Trade Manager to own import quota management and related trade operations in Indonesia.
This is a hands-on role for someone who understands how Indonesian import quotas work in practice — from initial planning and submission through approval, utilisation and balance monitoring. The successful candidate will sit at the intersection of supply chain, logistics, procurement, finance and regulatory compliance, ensuring quota availability supports planned imports and that potential problems are identified before they disrupt the business.
The position would particularly suit someone who has managed high-volume or complex importing operations and is comfortable working with detailed data, regulatory documentation and multiple internal and external stakeholders.

The Company
The employer is a company with a substantial global sourcing and supply-chain operation and an established presence in Indonesia.
Its scale makes global trade and import management commercially important: product availability depends on goods moving across borders efficiently, compliantly, and on schedule.

Key Responsibilities
The Global Trade Manager will:

Manage import quota requirements from initial planning and submission through approval, utilisation and balance monitoring.
Maintain accurate visibility of quota applications, approved allocations, usage and outstanding balances.
Regularly reconcile quota information, identifying discrepancies, delays, shortages or potential over-utilisation before these affect imports.
Coordinate with logistics, supply chain, procurement and finance to align quota availability with upcoming shipments and business requirements.
Liaise with suppliers, agents, regulatory authorities and other external parties to resolve quota-related issues.
Maintain the supporting documentation, operational trackers and reporting required for effective quota control.
Review existing quota-management processes and introduce practical improvements to make them more structured, consistent and less vulnerable to manual error.
Investigate quota-related operational problems and drive corrective action through to resolution.
Give management early warning of regulatory, documentation and quota-utilisation risks.
Support wider import, logistics, trade compliance and supply-chain activities as required.

Critical Requirements
The strongest candidates will bring:

At least five years’ relevant experience in import/export, customs, trade operations, logistics or supply chain.
Practical experience of Indonesian import quota management and a strong working understanding of the regulatory environment.
Exposure to import licences, permits, approvals and other regulatory documentation.
Familiarity with Indonesian customs, import and trade regulations and, ideally, direct interaction with government agencies or customs authorities.
Strong Excel capability, including maintaining operational trackers, reconciling information and handling significant volumes of data.
Strong numerical and analytical skills with a high degree of accuracy.
The ability to manage detailed manual processes without losing control of deadlines, documentation or outstanding actions.
Good working proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia and English.

Experience within apparel, retail, consumer goods or another high-volume importing environment would be particularly relevant, although direct Indonesian import-quota expertise is more important than sector background.

Qualifications & Working Style
A bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, International Trade, Business Administration or a related discipline is preferred.
This role needs someone who takes genuine ownership of business-critical operational detail. They should be structured and disciplined, persistent in following issues through to completion and confident coordinating across functions.
Just as importantly, the successful candidate should be able to anticipate problems rather than report them — identifying quota, regulatory or documentation risks early and proposing workable solutions.

Interested?
If you have substantial experience managing Indonesian import quotas, customs or trade operations and would be interested in joining a major international organisation, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Please apply with your CV or contact Kate Porter at Bridgeworks Consulting for a confidential discussion.