Trade Compliance Manager

CHAOS Industries•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$130,000 - $165,000

About The Position

CHAOS Industries is seeking an experienced Trade Compliance Manager to support the full scope of its export compliance program as the company scales production and delivery of dual-use products to U.S. Government, allied, and commercial customers. This is a hands-on role requiring direct advice to program teams, independent judgment with limited oversight, and the development of compliance processes. The role works closely with Program, Engineering, Business Development, Contracts, and Security teams to turn export control requirements into practical guidance for international opportunities, foreign partnerships, and customer deliveries. The position supports export authorizations and agreements, shipment and travel reviews, classification determinations, restricted-party screening, recordkeeping, audits, training, regulatory analysis, temporary exports and field deployments, and controls on foreign national access to technical data and facilities. It requires access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled technology. Applicants must be a U.S. person under the cited regulations or eligible to obtain any export authorization or license required for the role. CHAOS Industries is headquartered in Los Angeles and has offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. The posting includes an onsite-related perk and the hashtag #LI-onsite, but does not explicitly state the work location type. The salary range is $130,000–$165,000 in base compensation, excluding additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and at least 7 years of trade compliance experience emphasizing export controls, preferably in aerospace/defense, government contracting, or a related technology sector; or a master's degree and at least 5 years of experience.
Strong knowledge of the ITAR and EAR, with demonstrated ability to research, interpret, and advise internal stakeholders on compliance requirements.
Experience preparing, submitting, and administering export license applications and agreements, and validating the applicability of ITAR exemptions and EAR license exceptions.
Working knowledge of customs fundamentals, including HTS classification, valuation, and country of origin, sufficient to recognize issues and coordinate with the customs lead and brokers.
Experience reviewing and approving shipments, travel, or visitor requests in a compliance capacity.
Strong judgment and ability to operate with significant autonomy and limited day-to-day oversight.
Must be a U.S. person as defined in 22 C.F.R. §120.62 and 15 C.F.R. §772.1, or eligible to obtain any export authorization or license required for the role.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in a defense, aerospace, or sensors/radar business handling ITAR- and EAR-controlled hardware and technical data.
Experience filing through DECCS and SNAP-R.
Experience supporting temporary exports, demonstrations, or international field work under ITAR exemptions and EAR license exceptions.
Experience with trade compliance or screening systems such as NetSuite, SAP GTS, OCR, or Descartes.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance.

Responsibilities

Prepare, submit, and administer ITAR and BIS export authorizations through DECCS and SNAP-R, tracking provisos, expirations, and reporting obligations.
Draft and administer ITAR agreements, including Technical Assistance Agreements and Manufacturing License Agreements, and advise program teams on operating within their scope.
Review and approve exports, imports, foreign travel, and foreign visitor requests; advise teams on conducting those activities within applicable licenses, exemptions, exceptions, and regulations.
Determine and document the applicability of ITAR exemptions and EAR license exceptions for shipments, technical data transfers, and travel.
Support ECCN and USML classification determinations and maintain a classification database linking parts to export classifications.
Manage restricted-party and sanctions screening, resolve escalations, and obtain and review end-user, end-use, and consignee documentation.
Maintain complete, audit-ready export records, including license decrementing and exemption and exception logs.
Develop and maintain export compliance procedures and training; conduct periodic shipment and license audits and take corrective action where needed.
Research, analyze, and interpret the ITAR and EAR, monitor regulatory developments, and advise stakeholders on business impacts.
Support international demonstrations, field deployments, and hand carries, including temporary export authorizations, equipment return tracking, and pre-travel briefings.
Review and approve foreign national access to controlled technical data and facilities, and support technology control plans and visitor procedures with Security.