Germany Import Desk Specialist/Germany Import Account Lead

Job Title: Germany Import Desk Specialist / Germany Import Account Lead Job Location: Peoria, Illinois Department: Ocean Freight Import Desk: DE IMP Position Summary The Germany Import Desk Specialist will be responsible for developing, managing, and continuously improving the US-side handling of German sold and/or controlled ocean import business. This position will serve as the primary US point of contact for DHL Germany for business managed through the Germany Import Desk. The role requires an individual who can develop a deep understanding of both the German origin requirements and US destination expectations, ensuring strong alignment between origin teams, US operations, local service providers, and customers. This is not intended to be a transactional shipment-processing role alone. The successful candidate will take end-to-end ownership of the German-controlled business portfolio, proactively identify opportunities to improve service and processes, strengthen relationships with US customers and internal partners, and support the continued development and growth of the Germany-US trade relationship. The ideal candidate is highly engaged, customer-focused, organized, commercially aware, and comfortable taking ownership of issues from identification through resolution. Key Responsibilities Germany Desk Ownership Serve as the dedicated US point of contact for DHL Germany for assigned German sold/controlled import business. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the German-controlled customer portfolio, including individual customer requirements, routing expectations, service commitments, shipment patterns, and escalation needs. Build strong working relationships with DHL Germany stakeholders and maintain consistent communication across the Germany-US trade lane. Understand both the German origin perspective and US destination requirements to help bridge operational or communication gaps between the two countries. Become the subject-matter resource within the US operation for the assigned German-controlled business. Create structure and ownership for the desk rather than simply reacting to individual shipments or exceptions. Customer Relationship Management Establish and maintain strong relationships with US-based customer contacts. Act as a reliable and knowledgeable point of contact who understands the customer's business, expectations, priorities, and recurring challenges. Provide proactive shipment communication rather than waiting for customers to request updates. Identify recurring customer concerns and coordinate appropriate corrective or preventive actions. Support customer meetings, business reviews, operational discussions, and escalations as required. Build customer confidence by demonstrating ownership, transparency, responsiveness, and follow-through. Partner with DHL Germany to provide customers with a consistent experience across both origin and destination. Ocean Import Operations Manage and oversee German-origin ocean import shipments through the US destination process. Monitor shipments proactively and identify potential service issues, documentation gaps, customs concerns, carrier delays, delivery challenges, or other operational risks. Coordinate with origin offices, carriers, customs brokerage, trucking providers, warehouses, CFS locations, and other internal or external parties as required. Ensure customer-specific SOPs and handling instructions are followed consistently. Manage shipment exceptions through resolution and provide timely communication to all impacted parties. Ensure operational milestones, system updates, documentation, billing requirements, and file completion standards are maintained. Support both routine operations and higher-priority escalations requiring cross-functional coordination. Proactive Exception & Escalation Management Take ownership of operational issues from identification through final resolution. Escalate risks early instead of waiting until they become customer compla…

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