Global Trade Compliance Director & Counsel

Overview

This role leads the organization’s global trade compliance program, providing legal advice and operational guidance to translate applicable trade laws and regulations into practical, standardized business processes and controls. The position also manages government inquiries, audits, investigations, disclosures, enforcement matters, and related remediation, while building and developing a high-performing global team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global trade compliance program, including strategy, governance, risk assessments, policies, procedures, controls, and continuous improvement, aligned with Ethics and Compliance leadership and business priorities.
• Provide legal advice and operational execution guidance for the trade compliance program in collaboration with key stakeholders to implement compliant, standardized processes and controls.
• Assess the impact of global import, export, customs, sanctions, and related regulatory developments on businesses, products, customers, and supply chains; drive timely implementation of required changes.
• Lead, develop, and appropriately resource a high-performing global trade compliance team, promoting engagement, accountability, innovation, and alignment with program purpose and priorities.
• Partner with stakeholders to embed trade compliance requirements into business processes, systems, and decision-making.
• Oversee risk-based training and communications to increase awareness, reinforce governance and control requirements, and address higher-risk activities by country, region, function, and role.
• Establish and monitor controls for restricted-party screening, sanctions, embargoes, end-use and end-user restrictions, including escalation and resolution of potential matches.
• Direct trade compliance due diligence and integration for acquisitions, divestitures, new products, new markets, and material supply-chain or business changes.
• Manage and provide legal counsel on government inquiries, audits, investigations, disclosures, and enforcement matters; oversee related corrective actions and remediation.
• Develop analytics, metrics, and periodic reporting to evaluate program effectiveness, identify trends and control gaps, support data-driven decisions, and communicate material risks and progress to leadership and other stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Juris Doctor required.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 8+ years of international trade compliance experience within a global organization, including responsibility for import and export compliance and demonstrated experience leading a global team and program.
• Experience supporting manufacturing, engineering, technology, or other complex global supply-chain operations.
• Experience interacting with customs authorities and other government agencies, including handling government investigations, disclosures, audits, and remediation.
• Expert knowledge and understanding of global trade laws and regulations, including those administered by CBP, BIS, OFAC, DDTC, or similar global regulatory agencies.
• Strong knowledge of Global (including US, Latin America, EU, EMEA/I, APAC) import/export compliance regulations.
• Strong executive communication and change-management skills, with demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional, geographically dispersed teams in a global matrix environment.
• Ability to translate complex trade laws and regulatory requirements into practical, scalable business controls.
• Knowledge of government procurement and domestic-content certification requirements, including the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) (preferred, not required).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) and related domestic-content certification requirements (preferred, not required).

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation Range: $172,900.00 - $257,000.00

• Depending on the position offered, the employee may be eligible for other forms of compensation, such as annual incentives.

Benefit Overview (for eligible full-time employees):

• Medical, dental, and vision plans; flexible spending accounts; short-term and long-term disability benefits; critical illness, accident insurance, and life insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan and an employee stock purchase plan—both include a company match.
• Other supplemental benefits may include tuition reimbursement; caregiver, personal and parental leave; back-up care services; paid time off including volunteer time; a well-being program; and/or legal & identity theft protection.

Location

• Principal office in London.
• Management office in the United States is in Minneapolis.

Pay Transparency

Pay scale is based on the expected range of base pay for this job and the employee’s work location. Employee pay within this range will be based on a combination of factors including knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, education, and performance. Where federal, state, or local minimum wage requirements exist, employee pay will comply.