FTZ Support Engineer Team lead

QAD•Houston, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

QAD is seeking a highly specialized FTZ Support Engineer /Team Lead to serve as the primary FTZ Support Team Lead and Tier 2 escalation point for QAD FTZ software. This is a critical "player-coach" role that bridges the gap between software troubleshooting and FTZ rules and regulations. Reporting directly to the Director of Supply Chain Support, you will serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for Customs compliance and the operational gatekeeper, coordinating with our Engineering team. You will lead and upskill our FTZ Tier 1 support agents.

Requirements

2+ years of direct experience in Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) operations, preferably administering a zone using QAD FTZ software (Formerly SmartZone).
Knowledge of how FTZ software interacts and relates to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and the Automated Broker Interface (ABI).
Deep operational understanding and experience in processing FTZ transactions, from CBP Form 214 admissions through shipments from the Zone, including CBP Forms 7512, 3461, and 7501.
Experience with understanding required reporting, CBP, and PGA interaction when operating an FTZ.
Strong understanding of how software, specifically FTZ software, uses integration to process transactions.
Previous experience leading or mentoring, ideally in a globally distributed environment.
Exceptional stakeholder management skills; ability to confidently navigate high-pressure situations with enterprise FTZ operators and internal executive leadership.
Ability to understand how issues should be triaged based on how they affect customer’s operations and compliance.
Full work authorization already in effect in the U.S. No Visa sponsorship available.

Nice To Haves

The ability to troubleshoot and review integration files is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Intercept and triage complex compliance tickets (e.g., ABI rejections, HTS logic errors, missing MPF calculations) to significantly reduce Engineering escalations.
Translate CBP response codes into actionable data fixes for the customer rather than passing them to Development.
Manage, mentor, and train our frontline FTZ Support Agents on all aspects of FTZ ICRS utilization.
Develop playbooks to empower the team to resolve E214 admission and 7501 entry workflow confusion on the first touch, expanding overall team capacity.
Partner closely with FTZ Product and Engineering leadership as the internal SME.
Provide real-world Customs and broker feedback to help shape the FTZ product roadmap, translating customer pain points into self-service tools and automation feature requests.
Serve as the senior technical point of contact for Top FTZ enterprise accounts.