Director of Customs Compliance

Tailored Brands•New York, NY

5d•$141,107 - $188,157•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Customs Compliance leads Tailored Brands’ enterprise Import Compliance function as the accountable Supply Chain leader for customs compliance, broker governance, duty optimization, and audit readiness. This role elevates Import Compliance from a transactional customs activity to a strategic supply-chain capability, establishing the policies, controls, systems, reporting, and cross-functional operating model needed for compliant, efficient import activity. The Director partners with Sourcing, Product Development, Transportation, Distribution, Finance, Accounting, Legal, Corporate Responsibility, IT, and external trade partners to manage regulatory risk, improve landed-cost outcomes, and build a defensible end-to-end import process.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Supply Chain, International Trade, Legal Studies, Finance, or related field preferred).
Minimum of 10 years of progressive customs/global trade/import compliance experience (15+ preferred), including at least 5 years at the Director level leading a comparable function.
Expert knowledge of CBP requirements, HTS/HS classification, customs valuation, country of origin, importer-of-record governance, broker management, ACE portal, and apparel/textile classifications.
Proficient in customs valuation methodologies (transaction value assists, royalties, related-party pricing) with ability to identify, quantify, and remediate exposure in multi-tier sourcing structures.
Experience governing U.S. free-trade/preferential-tariff programs (CAFTA-DR, USMCA, AGOA, short-supply, rules of origin, duty drawback, first sale, tariff-rate quotas).
Strong knowledge of CTPAT and supply-chain security requirements, able to support the CSCO’s CTPAT ownership.
Demonstrated experience designing and strengthening internal controls in audit, remediation, and regulatory-scrutiny environments.
Proven ability to lead enterprise programs across Legal, Supply Chain, Finance, Sourcing, and external partners; strong judgment and analytical capability; excellent written/verbal communication translating technical requirements into business guidance; ability to build trust and drive accountability across all levels.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or Licensed Customs Broker (LCB) credential preferred.
Prior Merchandising, Product Development, or Sourcing experience is a plus.
Director-level apparel-industry experience strongly preferred.
PLM experience preferred (Centric a plus).
Strong grasp of internal-control design, audit defensibility, and data governance.

Responsibilities

Lead and continuously improve the enterprise Import Compliance program — policy ownership, controls, governance forums, risk assessment, escalation, remediation, and executive reporting. Set the annual roadmap and clarify ownership across Classification, Trade Programs, and Import Operations.
Build, lead, and develop the Import Compliance team (Import Compliance; Vendor Compliance Analyst teams) and coordinate the broader execution of classification, valuation, broker management, analytics, and documentation through internal and external partners. Establish role clarity, training, succession coverage, and consistent work instructions.
Own broker/advisor governance: selection, scope, service levels, entry-quality standards, escalation, scorecards, business reviews, corrective actions, and continuity planning. Ensure consistent instructions for entry documentation, post-entry corrections, protests, valuation support, and record retention.
Establish centralized governance for HTS classification, customs valuation, country of origin, duties/fees, and vendor onboarding; implement controls that preserve approved classifications across product creation, sourcing, and entry workflows.
Direct periodic validation of high-risk classifications and valuation considerations (assists, royalties, related-party pricing). Establish a formal origin/traceability program capturing supplier certifications and FTA documentation from raw material through finished product.
Own importer-of-record governance across legal entities — entity onboarding, importer data, powers of attorney, ACE/CARM portal access, and recordkeeping. Coordinate with Sourcing, Legal, Finance, Tax, and Logistics on entity changes and notifications.
Partner with Risk Management to ensure each importer’s continuous surety bond is maintained at ≥10% of total duties, taxes, and fees paid over a trailing 12 months.
Serve as the enterprise governance partner for Sourcing, Product Development, Transportation, Logistics, Distribution, Finance, Legal, Corporate Responsibility, and Technology on decisions affecting import compliance or trade risk.
Participate in Product Development cycles on country of origin, FTA impacts, HTS changes, and tariff/duty/royalty impact; embed compliance checkpoints early in sourcing, PO issuance, and routing decisions rather than relying solely on shipment-level review.
Lead a duty optimization and recovery agenda — preferential tariff programs (USMCA, CAFTA-DR, AGOA), short-supply provisions, tariff-rate quotas, duty drawback, first sale, FTZ, Section 321, and other lawful mitigation opportunities. Document eligibility, quantify impact, and monitor realized savings and exposure.
Partner with Finance, Accounting, and Tax on duty accruals, landed-cost modeling, broker-invoice reconciliation, and forecasting; reconcile invoices, entries, POs, and DC receipts, initiating timely corrections.
Direct a risk-based monitoring program covering pre/post-entry controls, broker performance, classification, valuation, origin, screening, and remediation tracking.
Maintain a recurring executive dashboard tracking: entry and HTS classification accuracy, broker performance, exam rate, duty savings/recovery, customs penalties (target zero), on-time clearance, post-entry corrections, audit remediation status, UFLPA/CTPAT compliance, cycle time, and vendor routing-guide adherence. Use analytics to drive root-cause corrective action.
Lead the company’s response to CBP audits, CF28/CF29 actions, inquiries, prior disclosures, and protests — coordinating documentation, exposure quantification, and corrective-action planning with Internal Audit, Finance, Legal, and trade counsel. Maintain an audit-ready evidence file tracking commitments to closure.
Own the Import Compliance role in UFLPA and supply-chain security controls (supplier due diligence, traceability, withhold-release-order risk) and support CTPAT compliance. Monitor regulatory/tariff changes and translate them into guidance, process changes, and executive recommendations.
Own the Vendor Compliance program; maintain the Vendor Routing Guide, monitor vendor adherence, track violations and corrective actions, maintain scorecards, and oversee chargeback calculation/approval in coordination with Finance, Sourcing, and Merchandising.
Establish a formal training/certification framework (onboarding, refreshers, playbooks, effectiveness testing) and a centralized electronic record-retention program.
Own business requirements and the continuous-improvement roadmap for import-compliance technology (PLM, ERP, broker interfaces, ACE workflows, HTS validation, traceability) in partnership with Technology, Sourcing, and Finance.