VP- Trade Compliance

EssilorLuxottica Group•McDonough, GA

About The Position

The Vice President Trade, Customs & Compliance leads customs, international trade, export controls, regulatory affairs, and compliance activities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The role protects the organization from customs, trade, tax, and regulatory risks while enabling growth across manufacturing, distribution, retail, e-commerce, and supply chain operations. It is the senior authority for customs law, international trade regulations, USMCA, Regional Value Content (RVC), IMMEX/Maquila programs, Toll Manufacturing structures, customs valuation, transfer pricing, government audits, and regulatory investigations. The position develops North American trade and customs compliance strategy and governance; advises executive leadership on trade policy, tariffs, sanctions, export controls, geopolitical developments, and regulatory risk; and oversees compliance programs, risk management, audits, investigations, disclosures, remediation, and regulatory defense. It also leads trade optimization, technology governance, performance measures, reporting, and process improvement. North American travel of 25–40% may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in international trade, law, business, finance, supply chain, economics, or a related field.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in customs, international trade, legal compliance, regulatory affairs, or global trade management.
Deep expertise in USMCA, Rules of Origin, RVC, IMMEX, Maquiladora operations, Toll Manufacturing, Annex 24, Annex 30, customs valuation, transfer pricing, FTAs, FTZs, Duty Drawback, export controls, and sanctions compliance.
Proven experience managing audits, investigations, disclosures, compliance remediation, and interactions with government agencies.
Experience leading large multinational teams and working effectively with Legal, Tax, Finance, external law firms, consulting firms, and government authorities.
English language proficiency required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (JD, LLM, master’s, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
Licensed attorney or significant trade law expertise preferred.
Spanish language proficiency preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the North American Trade & Customs Compliance strategy in alignment with corporate objectives and global governance requirements.
Lead customs, trade compliance, regulatory affairs, and export control activities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Advise executive leadership on trade policy changes, tariffs, sanctions, export controls, geopolitical developments, and regulatory risk.
Establish governance frameworks, policies, procedures, internal controls, and compliance monitoring programs.
Ensure compliance with customs, trade, export, and regulatory requirements and applicable programs, including USMCA, FTAs, IMMEX, Annex 24, Annex 30, FTZ, Duty Drawback, EAR, ITAR, OFAC, C-TPAT, AEO, CBP, CBSA, and SAT.
Oversee tariff classification, customs valuation, country of origin, USMCA qualification, RVC calculations, transfer pricing interactions, export controls, sanctions compliance, restricted party screening, customs reconciliation, and recordkeeping.
Lead prior and voluntary disclosures, audit responses, investigations, remediation programs, and regulatory defense strategies.
Direct enterprise-wide trade risk management and support customs audits conducted by CBP, CBSA, SAT, BIS, OFAC, and other authorities.
Lead USMCA, Rules of Origin, RVC, IMMEX, Maquila, and Toll Manufacturing compliance programs and certification processes.
Drive customs duty optimization, trade technology implementation, GTMS governance, operational KPIs, compliance reporting, and process improvements.