Position Summary:

This role is seeking an Associate General Counsel – Imports, Tariffs, and Duty Drawback to provide strategic legal guidance on customs, trade, and tariff matters across the company’s U.S. operations.

This position is mission-critical, supporting the company’s efforts to strengthen compliance, mitigate regulatory risk, and ensure alignment with U.S. import and trade laws. The successful candidate will oversee the legal framework for imports, tariff compliance, and duty drawback programs, helping the company implement robust, auditable processes that meet regulatory expectations and support global manufacturing and supply chain operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the lead legal counsel on import compliance, customs valuation, tariff classification, country of origin, and duty drawback programs.
• Lead and develop a team of legal and compliance professionals, providing mentorship, guidance, and career development.
• Lead the duty drawback program, including identification of eligible imports/exports, claim validation, process controls, and oversight of external brokers or consultants.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations to design and implement process controls that maximize drawback recoveries and ensure audit readiness under CBP rules.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures for manufacturing and unused drawback claims, integrating automation or ERP tracking where applicable.
• Provide guidance on classification and country-of-origin determinations, preferential trade programs, and customs valuation methodologies (transaction value, first sale, computed/fallback).
• Advise on Section 301 tariffs, exclusions, and mitigation strategies to optimize costs and compliance.
• Oversee import documentation review, broker management, bonded warehouse compliance, and foreign trade zone (FTZ) operations.
• Represent the company in interactions with CBP and other U.S. regulatory authorities regarding audits, inquiries, and compliance reviews.
• Lead and advise on compliance remediation efforts, addressing gaps, implementing corrective measures, and embedding sustainable internal controls.
• Monitor and interpret emerging trade legislation, CBP rulings, and regulatory developments impacting the product lines and operations.
• Draft and review agreements impacting imports, including supplier declarations, bonded arrangements, and related contracts.
• Develop and deliver training for internal teams on import compliance, tariffs, duty drawbacks, and related regulatory obligations.

Qualifications:

• Education: Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active license to practice law in at least one U.S. state.
• Experience: Minimum 7+ years advising on import law, customs compliance, tariffs, and duty drawback in a law firm, corporate legal department, or government agency.
• Demonstrated expertise in U.S. Customs law, HTS classification, valuation methodologies, country-of-origin marking, and compliance program design.
• Proven experience managing duty drawback programs, Section 301 mitigation, and related tariff recovery initiatives.
• Experience implementing compliance enhancement or remediation programs under regulatory scrutiny preferred.
• Ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal guidance and partner cross-functionally with Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and Executive leadership.
• Familiarity with CBP systems (ACE portal), post-entry corrections, and prior disclosure practices.
• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency required to meet ITAR regulatory requirements.

Preferred Attributes:

• Familiarity with manufacturing operations
• Familiarity with bonded operations, FTZ compliance, and global trade optimization strategies.
• Knowledge of ERP-based compliance systems for tracking duties, tariffs, and drawback claims.
• Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement governance frameworks to mitigate regulatory risk.