Responsible for establishing and executing the North American customs and trade compliance strategy to ensure compliance with U.S., Canadian, and Mexican customs regulations while optimizing the company's duty, tariff, and free trade agreement position. This leadership role oversees USMCA qualification, regional trade programs, customs compliance governance, import/export controls, duty recovery initiatives, and regulatory risk management across a complex automotive supply chain.
The manager serves as a key subject matter expert and strategic advisor on USMCA, customs valuation, tariff mitigation, automotive rules of origin, duty optimization, and emerging trade regulations. This position partners with executive leadership, Finance, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Engineering, Tax, Legal, and Supply Chain organizations to assess the impact of sourcing, product development, and trade policy changes on the company's financial performance and regulatory compliance.
The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership for customs compliance programs, government relations activities, external audits, regulatory inquiries, and trade transformation initiatives while leading a team of customs and trade professionals responsible for ensuring compliance across North American operations.
Functions and ResponsibilitiesStrategic Leadership & Governance - Provide direction and help develop the company's North American customs, tariff, and USMCA compliance strategy
- Maintain and expand governance frameworks, internal controls, and compliance monitoring processes to ensure adherence to customs regulations and free trade agreement requirements
- Serve as a key advisor to senior leadership regarding customs, trade compliance, tariff exposure, and regulatory risk
- Monitor emerging trade legislation, tariff actions, free trade agreement negotiations, and regulatory developments; develop executive recommendations and mitigation strategies
Rules of Origin Strategy - Provide strategic oversight of USMCA qualification for vehicles, powertrains, batteries, and component supply chains
- Lead reviews of sourcing changes, product programs, supplier resourcing decisions, and engineering changes that may impact origin qualification or compliance
- Assist teams in developing long-term strategies to improve regional content and maintain compliance under evolving USMCA requirements
Tariff Optimization & Duty Recovery - Lead strategies to minimize customs duties, tariffs, and regulatory costs through utilization of:
- USMCA and other Foreign Trade Agreements (FTA)
- Reconciliation Programs
- Preferential Duty Programs
- Oversee duty recovery initiatives and identify opportunities to reduce landed costs and improve financial performance
- Assess financial implications of trade policy changes, tariff actions, and supply chain shifts and communicate impacts to executive leadership
Trade Compliance Risk Management - Work with team to provide customs risk assessments and compliance reviews
- Provide subject matter knowledge for responses to customs audits, regulatory examinations, government inquiries, and enforcement actions
- Partner with Legal and Internal Audit on compliance investigations and risk mitigation activities
Government Relations & External Engagement - Serve as a key representative with:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Trade associations and industry working groups
Team Leadership - Lead and develop a team of customs, USMCA, and trade compliance professionals
- Establish organizational capabilities, training programs, and talent development initiatives
- Foster a culture of compliance, continuous improvement, and operational excellence
Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Economics, International Trade, Engineering, or related discipline
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in customs, international trade, USMCA administration, trade compliance, or related disciplines
- Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience managing customs, trade compliance, or international trade functions
- Demonstrated expertise in:
- Rules of origin for manufactured products
- Customs valuation
- Tariff classification
- Duty minimization strategies
- Experience leading cross-functional strategic initiatives with significant financial and operational impact
Preferred Qualifications - USMCA qualification
- Government audits and compliance programs
- Master's Degree (MBA, MS, JD, or related field)
- Licensed U.S. Customs Broker
- Certified Customs Specialist (CCS), Certified Export Specialist (CES), or equivalent trade certification
- Automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier experience
- Experience managing large-scale USMCA qualification programs and automotive origin calculations
- Experience working directly with CBP or other government regulatory agencies
- Knowledge of advanced trade compliance technology platforms, customs automation, and data analytics tools
- Proven success influencing executive-level decisions and leading complex global
- Experience aligning customs compliance with various IT systems
