Manager - Global Trade

Manager - Global Trade

North Canton, Ohio, United States, 44720 What Timken makes possible begins with you. Those who came before us helped land a man on the moon, create the world's infrastructure, and introduce renewable energy alternatives. Now you can join the Timken team to write your own unique story and help drive what's next. A career at Timken means you can have an immediate impact doing Work That Matters to the world— improving the efficiency of today's industrial equipment and preparing for the future of motion on our planet and beyond.

New employees can start contributing right away, and there are many opportunities to advance your career at your own pace. Join our global team of 19,000 people in 45 countries, and start helping our customers push the limits of what's possible in their world of motion.

Purpose:

The Manager – Global Trade oversees the day-to-day import and export compliance operations for a U.S.

-based multinational with significant global trade activity. This role ensures compliant execution of customs processes, accurate classification and documentation, effective broker management, and timely response to internal and external inquiries. The manager drives process improvements, develops KPIs, supports duty-savings programs, and partners closely with logistics, procurement, finance, and legal teams. The position requires strong technical knowledge of customs and trade regulations, analytical and problem-solving abilities, excellent communication and management skills, and the capacity to manage multiple operational workflows and priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic global trade environment.

Job Responsibilities:

• Daily Import & Export Operations
• Serve as the primary contact for import/export inquiries from internal teams, customs brokers, and government agencies.
• Oversee customs broker activities: manage key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate performance, enforce SOPs for all brokers to ensure adherence to data quality and customs requirements.
• Oversee all HTS and ECCN classification processes and procedures, ensuring accuracy, consistency and defensibility with CBP and act as final point of escalation on classification determinations.
• Ensure proper application of Incoterms across global shipments and support internal teams in selecting appropriate terms.
• Coordinate export control processes, including screening requirements, export license applications, and recordkeeping.
• Compliance & Regulatory Execution
• Maintain compliance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), BIS, OFAC, and other regulatory bodies' rules and regulations.
• Conduct periodic internal compliance audits and partner with external auditors as needed.
• Support the development and delivery of trade compliance training for employees and functional partners.
• Monitor regulatory changes and update internal procedures accordingly.
• Trade Programs & Duty Optimization
• Manage duty drawback activities, including data collection, claim preparation, and coordination with brokers or service providers.
• Oversee free trade agreement (FTA) programs such as USMCA, KORUS, etc. and ensure all products eligible for FTAs are claimed.
• Support tariff engineering, valuation reviews, and other duty-savings initiatives in partnership with finance and other business functions.
• Process Improvement & Performance Management
• Identify workflow inefficiencies and lead process improvement initiatives across import/export operations.
• Support implementation and maintenance of trade compliance systems and automation tools.
• Maintain SOPs, work instructions, and internal controls for trade compliance processes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with sales, logistics, supply chain, procurement, finance, and legal teams to ensure trade compliance is embedded in daily operations.
• Provide clear, timely communication on compliance requirements, shipment issues, and regulatory changes.

Technical / Functional

Skills:

• Strong working knowledge of U.S. import/export regulations, HTS classification, valuation, country of origin, duty drawback, foreign trade zones, Incoterms, and FTA programs.
• Experience managing customs brokers and/or outsourced trade compliance…