Trade Compliance Specialist

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

16h•$95,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Firestorm is seeking a Trade Compliance Specialist to manage the day-to-day operations of its trade compliance program. This is an execution-focused, individual contributor role requiring high autonomy within a heavily regulated ITAR/EAR environment. The specialist will be responsible for screening, licensing administration, classification intake, training delivery, audits, and recordkeeping. This role is not focused on strategy or program design but on executing guidance provided by legal counsel to ensure Firestorm remains compliant. The specialist will work closely with the General Counsel, outside export compliance legal counsel, the COO, and engineering and program teams to ensure trade compliance tasks are handled accurately and efficiently.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, International Business, Finance/Economics, Legal Studies or a related field.
U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoW security clearance.
5+ years of hands-on experience executing tasks within U.S. export/import compliance programs (ITAR/EAR), with direct, practical experience in screening, licensing administration, and classification intake.
Working knowledge of the U.S. Munitions List (USML), Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN), the Commerce Control List (CCL), and deemed export concepts.
Hands-on experience preparing and tracking DDTC license applications (e.g., DSP-5, TAA, MLA) and familiarity with DECCS and SNAP-R.
Experience performing restricted/denied party screening and maintaining associated documentation.
Demonstrated ability to operate and continuously improve a trade compliance program in a fast-moving engineering or manufacturing environment.
Comfortable operating under the direction of the General Counsel and outside export counsel, escalating judgment calls rather than making independent legal determinations.
Experience delivering compliance training to a non-specialist workforce.
Strong organizational skills and meticulous recordkeeping habits; comfortable maintaining trackers, logs, and audit-ready documentation.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Business, International Trade, Finance, or a related field.
Certifications such as Certified Export Compliance Professional (CECP) or Licensed Customs Broker (LCB).
Experience supporting U.S. and international sanctions compliance (e.g., OFAC, UN).
Experience working in a defense contractor or ITAR-regulated manufacturing environment.
Familiarity with EMCP/ICP program documentation and internal audit processes.
Experience coordinating with outside counsel on regulatory matters.
Prior experience at a fast-growing or venture-backed company.

Responsibilities

Perform and maintain records for restricted/denied party screening across customers, partners, vendors, and visitors, escalating any potential matches to the General Counsel and outside export counsel immediately.
Prepare and track export related submissions (e.g., DSP-5/748P, TAA/MLA, CJ/C-CATS, etc.) through DDTC’s DECCS and Commerce’s SNAP-R systems; maintain a clean status log of all active, pending, and expiring licenses and agreements.
Manage the classification process for items, technical data, software and technology under the U.S. Munitions List (USML) and Commerce Control List (CCL)/ECCN framework, including coordinating with engineering to obtain technical information, maintaining configuration-specific classification records, routing close-call or ambiguous determinations to outside export counsel for classification.
Administer use of EAR license exceptions and ITAR exemptions, including required eligibility reviews, certifications, notices, acknowledgments and recordkeeping, under guidance from the General Counsel and outside export counsel. Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation for all licenses, classifications, screenings, and authorizations.
Track license conditions, provisos, and reporting obligations to ensure ongoing compliance after a license is granted.
Deliver Firestorm’s export control and trade compliance training to employees, contractors, and relevant third parties using materials provided by the General Counsel and outside export counsel.
Help keep training content current as regulations or company practices change, flagging needed updates to outside export counsel.
Maintain training completion records and follow up on gaps to ensure full coverage across the workforce.
Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on export control basics, escalating anything beyond routine guidance to the General Counsel.
Maintain visitor and foreign person access control logs in coordination with facilities and security.
Screen and process visitor requests for compliance with ITAR/EAR deemed export restrictions prior to facility access.
Coordinate with the Information System Security Officer (ISSO), IT, and program teams to ensure access controls for controlled information and restricted areas are properly documented and enforced.
Conduct internal audits and self-assessments of the trade compliance program on a regular schedule; document findings and track corrective actions to closure.
Maintain Firestorm’s Export Management Compliance Program (EMCP) documentation, keeping policies and procedures current under guidance from the General Counsel and outside export counsel.
Maintain the recordkeeping systems, trackers, and checklists that keep the program organized and inspection-ready at all times.
Support responses to government inquiries, audits, or compliance reviews by assembling documentation as directed by the General Counsel and outside export counsel.
Flag recurring issues or process gaps to the General Counsel; help implement practical fixes — forms, checklists, or workflow changes — as directed.
Coordinate with engineering, IT and security to identify and appropriately mark/segregate ITAR technical data and EAR-controlled technology, and maintain access-control matrices consistent with applicable licenses, license exceptions, exemptions and provisos.
Work with engineering and product teams to identify design, performance, payload, software, end-use, and configuration changes that may affect existing jurisdiction or classification determinations, and ensure classifications are reviewed and updated before affected products or technical data are exported.
Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for routine trade compliance questions from engineering, program, BD, and operations teams.
Coordinate with the COO’s team on operational logistics and with the General Counsel on anything requiring legal interpretation or risk judgment.
Translate guidance from outside export counsel into clear, practical next steps for the teams who need to act on it.
Stay current on regulatory changes and proactively flag relevant updates to the General Counsel and outside export counsel.
Coordinate export-control review of foreign customer demonstrations, technical diligence, facility visits and exchanges of drawings, CAD files, specifications and other technical information before release.

Benefits

Relocation assistance is available
Comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including holiday hiatuses in July & December.
Generous Parental Leave
Lifestyle Spending Account
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Hospital Indemnity insurance
Critical Illness insurance
Accident insurance
Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.