Senior Manager Global Trade Compliance

Tennant Company•Eden Prairie, MN

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

With more than $1B in revenue, Tennant Company is a globally recognized leader in the cleaning equipment industry. For the past 150 years, we have been passionate about developing and manufacturing innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers. At Tennant Company, we are committed to stewardship and creating a cleaner, safer and healthier world. With manufacturing, operations and sales, service, and support functions across the globe, your journey at Tennant can take you places you never expected. The Global Trade Compliance Senior Manager operates within a center led Global Supply Chain framework and will be responsible for all trade compliance matters and manage all trade compliance teams globally for Tennant Company, reporting directly to the Director of Global Supply Chain COE & Strategy. The position leads a team of 7 global trade compliance analysts and is on-site located at our Global Headquarters in Eden Prairie, MN with a hybrid work model. This role will lead our global SAP GTS implementation stabilization and then transition to lead Tennant’s global trade compliance strategy, ensuring compliant, efficient, and cost-effective import and export operations worldwide. The role will oversee the development, implementation, and enforcement of trade compliance policies, processes, procedures and trade services systems; supervise and coordinate the activities of the trade compliance team to accomplish all assigned responsibilities; and coordinate with the Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Supply Chain and Transportation functions to ensure the development and execution of compliant business decisions and solutions. This includes but is not limited to advising on the interpretation of trade laws/regulations for export approvals, training content, and requirements for the appropriate action and required documentation for the physical export and/or import of all commodities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in supply chain, logistics or business.
Minimum 10 years’ experience in global trade compliance, including at least 5 years in a leadership role
Must have working experience with SAP S/4HANA and SAP GTS systems
Experience and knowledge of U.S. export control and sanctions regulations, including EAR, OFAC, and ITAR
Experience in developing, implementing, and training on global trade compliance policies and procedures
Up to 10-20% travel domestically or internally annually as needed.
Strong people leadership skills; encourage team contributions and team members to support each other
Team player, proactive, self-motivated, highly organized, ability to handle shifting priorities
Exercise discretion and independent judgement in the performance of duties and tasks assigned
Make decisions using sound judgement while complying with policies, procedures, appropriate principles
Communicate effectively and professionally (both orally and in writing) at all levels of the organization
Analyze, evaluate, develop and implement processes and procedures assignments within budget and time
Leads confidently through high‑stakes, ambiguous, and rapidly changing situations, taking well‑reasoned risks and standing firm on behalf of the organization.
Shows strong self‑awareness, actively seeking feedback, leveraging strengths, and understanding how their leadership style impacts teams and stakeholders.
Navigates complexity with ease, connecting systems, synthesizing diverse information, and anticipating future challenges before they emerge.
Directs work with clarity and purpose, coordinating cross‑functional efforts, delegating effectively, and removing obstacles to enable team success.
Demonstrates strong organizational savvy, influencing across formal and informal channels to gain buy‑in, build partnerships, and move strategic initiatives forward.
Plans and prioritizes with discipline, aligning resources to strategy, communicating clear objectives, and setting achievable yet ambitious timelines.
Applies a strategic, future‑focused mindset, exploring scenarios, shaping long-term direction, and building sustainable competitive advantage for the business.

Nice To Haves

MBA a plus
Professional certifications a plus (LCB, CGTLP, CUSECO®, CECO)

Responsibilities

SAP S/4HANA + SAP GTS Stabilization & Optimization
Serve as the acting value stream leader for SAP S/4HANA & GTS regional deployments, overseeing requirement gap closure, end‑to‑end system alignment, and cross‑functional readiness.
Stabilize SAP GTS in North America and prepare EMEA for go‑live, applying lessons learned, guiding process adoption, and defining KPIs to validate system and business performance.
Drive continuous improvement by identifying enhancements across GTS and S/4HANA, supporting change initiatives, and ensuring alignment with business transformation leaders.
Own the global SAP GTS product roadmap and represent the GTS workstream in leadership and steering committee meetings to ensure scalable, future‑ready capabilities.
Global Trade Compliance Leadership
Lead and fully manage Tennant’s global trade compliance and import/export operations, including a team of seven analysts and a long‑tenured SME (25+ yrs).
Develop and execute Tennant’s end‑to‑end global trade compliance strategy, including Free Trade Agreements, duty exemptions, duty drawback, tariff engineering, valuation processes, first sale, returned goods, and free trade zones.
Ensure full compliance with EAR, OFAC, ITAR, and global customs regulations, serving as Tennant’s primary global point of contact for trade scenario assessment and regulatory interpretation.
Monitor global trade actions, regulatory changes, and tariff impacts, analyze performance data, and drive corrective actions to maintain compliance and cost efficiency.
Global Process & Policy Governance
Standardize and harmonize trade compliance processes, policies, and controls across NA, EMEA, and APAC, ensuring consistency, scalability, and operational readiness.
Maintain and continuously improve global SOPs, governance frameworks, and IOR/EOR partnerships to support compliant and efficient cross‑border operations.
Embed trade compliance requirements into key business initiatives across Supply Chain, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Transportation, and Finance.
Establish proactive audit and monitoring programs, supporting compliance visits and ensuring timely investigation, documentation, and resolution of import/export issues.
Data, Reporting & Tariff Strategy
Oversee global trade data accuracy, including HTS/ECCN classification, country‑of‑origin, FTA data, and Section 232 materials content.
Partner with Tennant’s Data Engineering team to develop automated reporting, dashboards, and performance metrics to drive transparency and decision‑making.
Identify and execute duty‑savings opportunities, tariff mitigation strategies, and cost‑optimization initiatives across Tennant’s global supply chain.
Support preparation, review, and management of export authorizations, trade records, and customs documentation.