Senior Director Global Trade Compliance

Position Overview: In this newly created policy and strategy-focused role, reporting to the Vice President and General Counsel, you will be a corporate subject matter expert and critical part of the team and will interact directly with the Executive Team and other business leaders, Legal, Supply Chain, Sales, Engineering, Operations, and Finance on leading and coordinating worldwide activities involved in import and export regulatory compliance. This is a truly global function, and you will have day to day responsibility for enhancing, leading, and elevating the company's Global Trade Compliance Function as a high performing core competency and center of excellence that serves as the point of entry and central hub through which all trade compliance policy and practices are coordinated.  The Senior Director will heighten senior leadership and institutional awareness of the landscape of rapidly evolving trade compliance regulations and will guide the company in navigating the increased regulation that the company is facing as a technology and manufacturing company that operates in certain high-tech industries in a range of geographies.  You will partner closely with business leaders to understand the existing business structure, emerging technologies, and growth strategies and to design compliance procedures that integrate into current business processes.  The Senior Director will proactively prioritize, link, and align all trade compliance activities and program success with strategic business objectives.  This includes developing and implementing best-in-class trade compliance standards, procedures, policies, systems, and innovative compliance solutions that promote the international flow of goods to meet our customer needs and position the global trade compliance function as a competitive advantage and strategic asset to the business.   
Principal Responsibilities: Functional leader of Global Trade Compliance team responsible for setting and implementing the vision, organizational structure, and strategic direction of the GTC function in alignment with Enterprise business objectives Overall responsibility for planning, budgeting, and coordinating delivery of worldwide GTC support for operations of business units of a growth-oriented technology and manufacturing company. Build, lead, and mentor a high-performance multicultural team of motivated trade compliance professionals. Develop and mature a trade compliance program in line with U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines criteria and other applicable regulatory standards, and regularly update program elements. Expand institutional awareness of the Global Trade Compliance function and its mission, purpose, and capabilities. Effectively communicate to senior management the GTC functional value proposition and opportunities for linking compliance initiatives and business performance, in order to fortify top-down support for the GTC vision and key initiatives.   Be positioned as a strategic advisor to the business, helping the business units understand the strategic value of the compliance function and the opportunities for linking compliance initiatives and business performance. Oversee implementation and success of the GTM/GTS system with Oracle platform. Serve as global leader subject matter expert for all issues related to import/export operations, product jurisdiction and classifications, country of origin shipping documentation. Help business leaders to understand the reach of U.S. law over controlled technologies and assist with developing strategic approaches to facilitate the commercialization of such technologies. Monitor changes to the US Customs Regulations (19 CFR), the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), NAFTA and other Free Trade Agreements and how they will affect the flow of products globally. Monitor and advise on laws and regulations related to import/export controls compliance, including Freight Classification, Harmonization Coding, Country of Origin, NAFTA Certificates of Origin Monitor and communicate the impact of proposed changes to trade regulations and work with affected stakeholders to determine appropriate response to proposed changes. Manage and drive compliance with preferential trade programs across the regions, capitalizing on available cost-saving opportunities. Support the company's M&A team in performing trade compliance due diligence on potential acquisitions. Develop policy and direction, overseeing and administering due diligence vetting process for the company's third-party commercial intermediaries, including risk assessment, third party database, red flag resolution and ongoing third-party monitoring. Develop and disseminate at all levels of the organization a clear statement of the corporate position on and strong executive commitment to global trade compliance. Facilitate high-level oversight, key gatekeepers, and accountability among company personnel to oversee compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and business ownership of compliance activities such as through the appointment of a trade compliance coordinator within each business unit as another point of contact for compliance issues and initiatives.  Develop and implement key metrics to continually measure and assess trade compliance program effectiveness across the business and to track progress and continuous improvement (helpline administration, training completion rates, noncompliance detection, response and prevention, benchmarking, etc.).   Develop ongoing compliance monitoring, auditing, and reporting standards and systems to maximize detection, remediation and prevention of compliance failures and system inefficiencies. Develop appropriate, consistent responses and remediation measures upon discovery of potential compliance violations. Collaborate with the General Counsel in formulating the company's response to government requests and investigations and in the preparation of voluntary self-disclosures and other regulatory filings and inquiries. Implement continuing, company-wide compliance awareness/training programs and communications, including t ravel to company locations as needed to conduct audits and training sessions. Ensure that trade compliance is an integral part of the company's annual training goals and curriculum development activities. Desired Experience: 15+ years of experience in global trade compliance / international transportation/logistics/customs brokerage, preferably in a mid/large-cap technology and manufacturing company with operations in semiconductor or other high-tech industries Experience building and leading a team of global trade compliance professionals and subject matter experts across multiple continents and cultures. Direct experience with Oracle or SAP global trade management system enterprise platform implementation, including preparation of test scripts and involvement in user acceptance testing. Skills, Competencies, Qualifications: Collaborates very well with, and effectively influences, business leaders and internal clients and is astute at assessing relevant business dynamics and tailoring recommendations/solutions accordingly.  Strong ability to build relationships at all levels in the organization. Able to quickly earn respect and inspire trust and credibility as a leader. Has the tenacity to make things happen and get things done (and stir others to action) through a proactive approach, strong interpersonal skills, and a steady hand under pressure. Adept at leading cross-functional teams during times of significant organizational change and coordinating actions of others across the company, regardless of whether a reporting relationship exists. Strong ability to communicate advice in a fashion that is appropriate to the audience, the complexity of the situation, and the time available. Strong ability to quickly scan an environment and accurately assess the risks, rewards, and pros and cons of various courses of action and see through the morass to what really matters. Can quickly synthesize information and deconstruct and critically analyze and make sense of complex problems and communicate findings clearly and concisely to different audiences. Deep understanding of complex trade compliance regulatory landscape and ability to distill complex requirements and competing interests into business-friendly solutions that simultaneously advance compliance goals and initiatives.  Knowledge of import/export freight classification, shipping documentation, and trade compliance within global regulatory guidelines Working knowledge of international commerce—international banking issues, sales and payment terms, Incoterms, customs regulations, and international supply chain processes Ability to interpret U.S. export regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) Proficient at applying experience to develop options, think through the consequences and "what it" scenarios, take appropriate risks and consistently make the right call to fulfill specific business objectives while advancing compliance goals. Ability to successfully recruit, motivate, and retain high-performing individuals. Ability to focus subordinates on high-impact activities by clearly communicating expectations, accountabilities, and responsibilities. Able to effectively prioritize and direct the flow of multiple projects and tasks concurrently. Capable of addressing conflict with tact, focusing on the issues, not the people, and finding constructive ways to discover common ground and "get to yes." Education and Certifications: BA/BS degree required. Certified Export Compliance Officer or affiliated trade compliance certification preferred. CUSECO, CUSICO, and/or other affiliated trade compliance certifications are preferred. Bachelor's or Master's Degree in international business, logistics, or supply chain a plus