At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global Trade Services strategy and ensure compliance in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Join Cencora, a forward-thinking company dedicated to healthier futures.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible hybrid work, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to equal opportunity and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in healthcare logistics while leading innovative trade solutions.
- Qualifications: 8-10 years in trade or logistics with strong leadership and financial skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Our team members are at the heart of everything we do.
At Cencora, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures, and every person here is essential to us being able to deliver on that purpose.
If you want to make a difference at the center of health, come join our innovative company and help us improve the lives of people and animals everywhere.
Apply today!
Job Details
This role is in support of Cencora's global logistics and storage services marketed through our World Courier business.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President of Services, the Director – Trade Services Solutions is accountable for the strategic direction, profitable growth, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence of World Courier’s Trade Services portfolio.
This role provides enterprise level leadership across regions and functions, and in close collaboration with Finance and other Cencora business units, to design, scale, and optimize trade related services that address current and future customer needs while ensuring flawless execution in a highly regulated environment.
This position is classified as compliance critical and carries executive responsibility for ensuring continuous compliance with all applicable corporate, divisional, and regulatory requirements.
This role is available on a hybrid basis, European or UK location preferred.
The successful candidate will require access to a World Courier office location to work on a hybrid basis.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership & Service Line Ownership
- Owns the global Trade Services strategy, including the evolution and reassessment of offerings such as Importer of Record and other trade‑related value‑added services.
- Sets the long‑term vision and roadmap for Trade Services, translating strategy into clear commercial, operational, and financial objectives.
- Drives profitable growth and operational scalability, ensuring alignment with World Courier and Cencora enterprise priorities.
- Financial & Commercial Accountability
- Partners closely with Finance throughout the service development lifecycle to ensure adherence to financial policies, governance standards, and best‑in‑class performance for Trade Services.
- Accountable for overall financial management of the Trade Services portfolio, including budgets, project accounting, financial planning, expense control, and achievement of agreed targets.
- Works with Pricing to define pricing strategies for Trade Services that balance competitiveness, regulatory considerations, and margin optimization.
- Solution Design & Cross‑Functional Collaboration
- Leads the development of Trade Services solutions, including (but not limited to) importer of record, enhanced liability frameworks, order‑to‑cash models, tax and duty optimization, and future trade‑related service offerings.
- Ensures strong alignment across Operations, Quality, Legal, Tax, Pricing, Sales, and Customer Service to enable compliant and operationally viable Trade Services solutions.
- Establishes and maintains effective governance and decision‑making frameworks for Trade Services development and execution.
- Client & Market Engagement
- Acts as senior sponsor for strategic customer relationships and complex trade‑related opportunities, supporting business development, bid defenses, issue resolution, and deal closure.
- Engages directly with key clients, prospects, and partners at critical stages of the Trade Services commercial lifecycle.
- Maintains a strong external outlook on trade regulations, customs environments, and competitive offerings, ensuring World Courier’s Trade Services differentiation remains current.
- Partnerships & External Relationships
- In collaboration with the VP of Services and Finance leadership, develops and oversees strategic partnerships and suppliers that enhance the Trade Services value proposition.
- Ensures partnerships deliver measurable value, contractual compliance, and appropriate risk management for World Courier and its customers.
- Compliance, Risk & Governance
- Ensures all Trade Services solutions comply with local customs regulations, trade legislation, legal requirements, and Cencora AB Risk & Compliance policies.
- Works with Legal, Tax, and Regulatory Affairs at both World Courier and Enterprise level to identify and manage compliance, financial, and reputational risks related to trade activities.
- Establishes and enforces clear policies, guidelines, and controls to ensure consistent operational trade compliance across regions.
- Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
- Drives adoption and adherence to Trade Services processes across Operations and Customer Service teams.
- Champions a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring corrective and preventive actions related to trade execution are implemented consistently across the network.
- Oversees regular reporting on Trade Services KPIs, including commercial performance, financial results, operational effectiveness, and compliance metrics.
- People Leadership & Organizational Impact
- Provides leadership and mentorship to direct and indirect teams, promoting development, succession planning, and capability building (where applicable).
- Partners with Human Resources to ensure leadership behaviors and people practices align with company standards and policies.
- Additional Requirements
- Acts as a senior escalation point for Trade Services and is available outside normal working hours in exceptional or emergency situations when required.
- Flexibility and availability to travel internationally as business needs require.
- Required Skills, Knowledge & Experience
- Proven senior leader with 8–10+ years of relevant experience managing complex, regulated trade, customs, or logistics‑related services.
- Strong understanding of logistics, clinical trial supply chains, 3PL operations, and associated trade and customs frameworks, preferably in healthcare or life sciences.
- Advanced financial acumen to assess trade‑related cost structures, risk, and profitability.
- Deep knowledge of trade compliance principles, governance frameworks, and regulatory environments.
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Logistics, Healthcare, or Business Administration; Master’s degree preferred.
- Strategic thinker with demonstrated success scaling global service lines in regulated environments.
- Strong influencing skills suited to matrixed, multinational organizations.
- Executive‑level communication, presentation, and stakeholder management capability.
- Strong analytical and data‑driven mindset with experience linking trade, operational, and financial performance.
- Ability to represent the company in senior internal and external trade, regulatory, and customer forums.
Desirable
- Experience within pharmaceutical or life sciences trade and customs environments.
- Exposure to importer of record, customs brokerage interfaces, and regulatory trade models. Familiarity with sustainable and compliant trade practices.
- What Cencora offers
Benefit offerings outside the US may vary by country and will be aligned to local market practice.
The eligibility and effective date may differ for some benefits and for team members covered under collective bargaining agreements.
- Full time
- Full time
- Affiliated Companies
- Affiliated Companies: World Courier Management Inc
- Equal Employment Opportunity
Cencora is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or membership in any other class protected by federal, state or local law.
The company’s continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals.
Therefore, harassment is prohibited and all matters related to recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles and are non-discriminatory.
Cencora is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the employment process which are consistent with legal requirements.
If you wish to request an accommodation while seeking employment, please call or email
We will make accommodation determinations on a request-by-request basis. Messages and emails regarding anything other than accommodations requests will not be returned
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We think this is how you could land Director - Trade Services in London
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We think you need these skills to ace Director - Trade Services in London
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Make sure you brush up on key pharmaceutical concepts and recent developments in the industry. You might get asked some technical questions during the interview at World Courier that show your grasp of drug development processes or regulatory requirements, so be ready to discuss them clearly.
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