Director,Global Trade Job Milford area,Massachusetts USA,Business

Overview

The Director, Global Trade Compliance & Trade Operations is a senior enterprise leader responsible for defining and advancing the company’s global trade strategy, integrating regulatory compliance with world-class import/export operations. This role operates at the intersection of risk governance and supply chain execution, ensuring the organization can scale globally while maintaining strict adherence to international trade laws.

This role carries elevated scope, visibility, and influence—serving as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and a key enabler of global growth. The Director will lead transformation initiatives, shape global policy, and build a forward-looking trade capability that supports a complex, innovation-driven life sciences business.

Responsibilities

Global Trade Strategy & Executive Advisory
- Define and lead the enterprise-wide vision and multi-year roadmap for global trade compliance and operations.
- Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on trade-related risks, opportunities, and geopolitical developments.
- Translate complex regulatory environments into actionable business strategies that enable growth while safeguarding compliance.
- Drive alignment between global trade strategy and broader supply chain, commercial, and innovation priorities.
Enterprise Compliance Governance & Oversight
- Establish and maintain a robust global compliance framework, including policies, controls, and governance mechanisms across all regions and business units.
- Provide executive-level oversight of compliance with:
  - Export controls (EAR)
  - Sanctions/embargo regulations (OFAC, EU, UN)
  - Global customs and import/export regulations
- Lead enterprise risk assessments, compliance audits, and regulatory readiness efforts.
- Oversee investigation, escalation, and resolution of complex compliance issues, including voluntary disclosures where necessary.
- Interface directly with regulatory authorities and internal / external counsel on high-impact matters.
Integrated Global Trade Operations Leadership
- Own end-to-end global import/export performance, ensuring seamless integration between compliance requirements and operational execution.
- Drive operational excellence and standardization across regions, balancing global consistency with regional regulatory needs.
- Oversee strategic partnerships with customs brokers and freight forwarders.
- Establish and govern performance metrics tied to service, cost, compliance, and customer impact.
- Lead initiatives to enhance resilience, visibility, and agility across global trade flows.
Risk Mitigation & Trade Optimization
- Anticipate and proactively manage risks related to sanctions, export controls, classification, valuation, and country-of-origin.
- Lead advanced trade optimization strategies, including:
  - Free Trade Agreement (FTA) programs
  - Duty savings and avoidance mechanisms
  - Tariff mitigation and classification strategies (e.g. FSFE, NRI)
- Continuously evaluate global trade landscapes to identify risks and opportunities tied to geopolitical shifts and regulatory changes.
Digital Transformation & Data-Driven Leadership
- Own the global trade technology strategy, including the implementation and optimization of Global Trade Management (GTM) systems.
- Champion automation, data integrity, and analytics to enhance compliance accuracy and operational efficiency.
- Drive integration of trade systems into core ERP and supply chain platforms to enable end-to-end visibility.
- Leverage advanced analytics to inform decision-making, monitor risk indicators, and improve performance outcomes.
Cross-Functional Influence & Business Partnership
- Serve as a key partner to Supply Chain, Legal, Manufacturing, Finance, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial leadership.
- Provide proactive guidance on trade implications for product development, technology transfers, market expansion, and M&A activities.
- Influence enterprise decision-making by embedding trade considerations early in strategic initiatives.
- Elevate trade compliance as a business enabler rather than a control function.
Organizational Leadership & Capability Building
- Lead, scale, and develop a globally distributed organization spanning compliance and trade operations.
- Buil…