Director of Trade Compliance - North America (United States, Canada & Mexico)

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the North American Trade Compliance program aligned with global governance and risk frameworks
• Serve as the regional subject matter expert on international trade and regulatory compliance
• Advise executive leadership and brief the Board as required on compliance performance, risks, and remediation
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, including:
• U.S.: ITAR, EAR, OFAC, CBP, ACE, CTPAT/OEA.
• Canada: CGP, CBSA, Export Control List
• Mexico: SAT, VUCEM, IMMEX Maquiladora program management
• Oversee licensing, classification, valuation, documentation, and recordkeeping
• Deliver training and compliance awareness across all levels of the organization
• Lead compliance and optimization under CUSMA / USMCA / T-MEC
• Direct HTS classification, valuation, including the Reconciliation program, broker oversight, and duty recovery initiatives such as Chapter 98, FTZ and Bonded Whse opportunities.
• Advisory on landed cost, MFN tariff engineering, Section 301, 232, 122 and IEEPA tariffs and trade strategy
• Act as the designated Empowered Official under 22 CFR §120.25
• Hold signing and certification authority for U.S. export licenses, TAAs, MLAs, and related authorizations
• Exercise independent legal judgment to approve or deny export and re-export transactions
• Serve as primary liaison with DDTC, BIS, OFAC, and other U.S. government agencies
• Lead team leadership and program development
• Lead and mentor trade compliance professionals across the region
• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and internal controls
• Implement automation and digital tools for licensing, audits, and analytics
• Monitor regulatory changes and ensure timely implementation
• Auditing, Risk & Governance
• Conduct compliance audits across all North American sites
• Develop standardized audit tools, metrics, and corrective action tracking
• Support internal audit alignment, voluntary disclosures, and regulatory remediation
• Lead trade compliance due diligence for M&A and business integrations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Law, Supply Chain, or International Trade
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive trade compliance leadership across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico
• Deep expertise in ITAR, EAR, OFAC, CBSA, SAT, and CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC
• Experience with ACE (U.S.), CARM (Canada), and VUCEM (Mexico)
• Recognized Empowered Official (EO) under ITAR with defense/aerospace experience
• Proven experience auditing trade compliance programs and leading corrective actions
• Multi-industry background (e.g., aerospace, defense, land vehicles, oil & gas, medical devices)
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred

Core Competencies

• Highly analytical and detail-oriented
• Decisive, ethical leader with strong regulatory judgment
• Collaborative and hands-on leadership style
• Adaptable and resilient in complex regulatory environments
• Strategic and credible executive communicator