The Senior Counsel, Global Trade Compliance serves as the lead legal and operational advisor for all U.S. import and export compliance matters Rohde & Schwarz USA, Inc. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing a robust global trade compliance program covering ITAR, EAR, OFAC, CBP customs compliance, sanctions, licensing, and cross-border movement of products, software, technical data, and defense services. The position provides strategic legal advice to executive leadership, sales, operations, logistics, engineering, contracts, and the parent company, while directly managing two trade compliance professionals.
Your tasks
- Lead all matters involving U.S. export controls under ITAR, EAR, and OFAC sanctions regulations
- Prepare, submit, and manage export licenses, license amendments and renewals, Technical Assistance Agreements (TAAs), Manufacturing License Agreements (MLAs), DSP applications and other DDTC filings
- Manage commodity jurisdiction (CJ) and classification determinations, including ECCN / USML analyses
- Oversee DDTC registration, annual renewals, and related correspondence
- Prepare and submit voluntary disclosures / voluntary self-disclosures to DDTC, BIS, OFAC, and other agencies
- Draft and respond to agency general correspondence requests
- Advise business teams on deemed exports, reexports, retransfers, technical data sharing, and defense services
- Develop and maintain export compliance policies, procedures, screening protocols, and training
- Interface directly with U.S. regulators, outside counsel, and auditors
- Support internal investigations involving potential trade compliance violations
- Serve as lead counsel for U.S. customs and import compliance matters Manage end-use certificates (EUCs), customs bonds, customs broker relationships, HTS classification and tariff strategy, country of origin / marking issues, customs valuation and transfer pricing considerations
- Pull and analyze CBP data and reports from the ACE Portal
- Lead compliance relating to: tariffs, Section 301 / Section 232 duties, reconciliation, duty drawback, post-entry corrections and protests
- Support C-TPAT registration and maintenance
- Advise on Know Your Customer (KYC) and denied party / sanctions screening principles
- Conduct sanctions and beneficial ownership reviews using tools such as Sayari
- Manage internal audit and documentation retention requirements for import transactions
- Lead and supervise two trade compliance professionals
- Establish team priorities, workflow, and professional development plans
- Partner with legal and export compliance teams of German parent to ensure global alignment
- Create and maintain SOPs, escalation procedures, and risk matrices
- Provide training to sales, logistics, engineering, contracts, and senior leadership
- Lead internal audits and remediation plans
- Support M&A, channel partner onboarding, and distributor due diligence