How To Become An Import Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an import manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average import manager salary is $67,615. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become an import manager. Import managers with a Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 189,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreImport ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $67,615

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.36%

Black or African American 6.17%

Hispanic or Latino 15.15%

Unknown 4.34%

White 67.51%

Gender

female 49.26%

male 50.74%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an import manager

Explore import manager education requirements

Most common import manager degrees

Bachelor's

65.6 %

Associate

13.2 %

Master's

11.7 %

Start to develop specific import manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	19.21%
Logistics	11.34%
Forwarders	5.79%
Customs Compliance	4.97%
Freight Forwarders	4.80%

Complete relevant import manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New import managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an import manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real import manager resumes.

Research import manager duties and responsibilities

Support EDI technology system to manage essential company data.
Negotiate letters-of-credit with suppliers and manage customs brokers and forwarders.
Work in compliance with multiple shipping companies and freight forwarders to ensure their containers make their arrival time.
Handle the branch s largest pharmaceutical account with minimal rejects by utilizing a working knowledge of FDA and CBP regulations.

Prepare your import manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your import manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an import manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable import manager resume templates

Build a professional import manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your import manager resume.