Customs & Trade Regulatory Counsel

UPS•Parsippany, NJ

About The Position

This role sits at the center of global commerce, advising the enterprise on customs, trade enforcement, sanctions, and export controls that directly affect the movement of goods across the world’s largest integrated transportation, logistics, and customs brokerage network. On a normal day, over 2% of global GDP is entrusted to our care, crossing borders and touching regulatory regimes in more than 200 countries and territories. The Customs & Trade Regulatory Counsel plays a critical role in ensuring that this flow of commerce continues lawfully, efficiently, and sustainably, even as trade rules, enforcement priorities, and geopolitical risk continue to rapidly evolve. This senior attorney role acts as a trusted adviser to functional heads, senior corporate officers, and business leaders on six continents on issues that carry material regulatory, financial, operational, and reputational risk. The position is designed for an attorney who exercises impeccable judgment, independent decision‑making, and executive presence, and who can shape enterprise trade strategy at scale.

Requirements

Deep, demonstrated expertise in U.S. customs and trade regulations, with the ability to assess exposure at enterprise scale.
Strong command of export controls and sanctions frameworks, with the judgment to intervene decisively on high‑risk or geopolitically sensitive matters.
Proven ability to advise senior leaders with independence, clarity, confidence, and pragmatism in fast‑moving, high‑volume operational environments.
Strategic mindset capable of balancing legal risk, operational continuity, customer expectations, and long‑term regulatory credibility.
Exceptional ability to distill complex global trade issues into clear executive‑level guidance and decision frameworks.
Credibility operating across geographies, cultures, and functions in a global, matrixed organization.
High integrity, sound discretion, and consistent executive presence.
Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited U.S. law school.
Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar in good standing.
Bachelor’s degree (or internationally comparable degree).
Authorization to work in the United States; UPS does not sponsor visas for this position.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National of the U.S., an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or an alien authorized to work in the U.S. for this employer.

Nice To Haves

7+ years of legal experience, including significant experience advising on customs, international trade, or regulatory enforcement matters in large‑scale operations, in a large law firm, large corporation, or some of each.
Experience supporting or leading legal response during trade disruptions, enforcement surges, or major policy shifts.
Background in global logistics, transportation, customs brokerage, or highly regulated supply chain environments preferred.
Demonstrated ability to manage matters involving regulators, senior executives, and global stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Serve as enterprise lead counsel for U.S. customs (CBP) and international trade regulatory matters including OFAC, BIS/EAR, and DDTC/ITAR.
Advise business leaders worldwide on customs, trade, and sanctions‑related risk impacting operations, customers, and growth strategy.
Lead legal strategy for CBP inquiries, audits, investigations, and enforcement actions, including enforcement matters and sensitive port‑level concerns within a high‑volume brokerage environment.
Responsible for legal response to trade disruption events and enforcement shifts (including executive orders), changes in trade policy, and evolving agency priorities.
Act as senior legal adviser on government‑facing trade matters, including negotiations, inquiries, compliance reviews, and enterprise‑level engagement with regulators.
Guide resolution strategy for customer‑facing customs and trade disputes, balancing legal exposure, contractual rights, customer relationships, and enterprise risk tolerance.
Serve as authoritative legal lead for export controls, sanctions, embargoes, and denied party matters.
Provide strategic oversight of outside counsel, including alignment with enterprise objectives, cost discipline, and quality of regulatory advocacy.
Partner with Brokerage, Compliance, Operations, Accounting, Public Affairs, and International teams to define ownership, standardize escalation paths, and strengthen enterprise trade governance.
Anticipate regulatory risk across the global trade lifecycle and influence internal decision‑making to address small issues before they become large problems.
Draft and review executive‑level memoranda, regulatory submissions, and external correspondence intended for government agencies, senior leadership, and key stakeholders.