Director of Global Trade Compliance

Martinrea International Inc. is a diversified and global automotive supplier, a diversified and global automotive supplier engaged in developing and manufacturing highly engineered, value-added Lightweight Structures and Propulsion Systems. We employ approximately 16,000 skilled and currently operate in 57 locations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, China, South Africa, and Japan. Martinrea's vision is making lives better by being the best supplier we can be in the products we make and the services we provide.Our Mission is to make people's lives better by:Delivering outstanding quality products and services to our customers.Providing meaningful opportunity, job satisfaction, and job security for our people.Providing superior long-term investment returns to our stakeholders.Being positive contributors to our communities.Martinrea's success is globally shown through its core sustainable culture. Focused on entrepreneurship, lean manufacturing principles, and the Golden Rule philosophy, Martinrea believes in dignity and respect for its people, communities, customers, and investors. Our strength is in our people, embracing a diverse culture, giving employees opportunities to help grow our footprint and expand product offerings and areas of expertise with discipline, dedication and determinationWe invite you to follow your dreams and explore a challenging and rewarding career at Martinrea.The Director of Global Trade Compliance serves as the company’s most senior authority on global trade compliance, with full enterprise accountability for compliance with customs, export controls, economic sanctions, and related trade regulations worldwide. This role sets the global vision, governance model, and risk posture for trade compliance and directly advises executive leadership on trade-related risk, cost, and strategic implications.The Director leads the global trade compliance organization, establishes enterprise-wide standards and controls, and partners with Legal, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, IT, Product Development, and executive leadership to enable compliant growth, protect the company’s license to operate, and optimize total landed cost across the global supply chain.Key ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Leadership & StrategyOwn and set the company’s global trade compliance vision, strategy, and governance framework across all regions, business units, and legal entities.Serve as the executive sponsor for the global trade compliance program, ensuring scalability, consistency, and alignment with corporate strategy and risk tolerance.Advise executive leadership on trade policy, geopolitical developments, supply chain disruption risks, and the business impact of regulatory change.Establish and measure enterprise trade compliance KPIs, reporting regularly to senior leadership on compliance posture, risks, trends, and remediation progress.Regulatory Compliance & GovernanceEnsure company-wide compliance with all applicable U.S., Canada and international customs and trade laws, regulations and multilateral agreements/regimes.Provide final authority on commodity classification, jurisdiction and licensing determinations, country-of-origin, valuation methodologies, PGA requirements, and sanctions screening practices.Establish and maintain a global trade compliance governance structure, including policies, procedures, internal controls, escalation protocols, and recordkeeping standards.Risk Management, Investigations & AssuranceLead enterprise trade compliance risk assessments, internal audits, and investigations; oversee corrective action plans and systemic control improvements.Act as the senior executive accountable for government inquiries, enforcement matters, disclosures, and consent management related to trade compliance.Serve as the primary trade compliance advisor for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures, including due diligence, risk assessment, and post‑transaction integration.Operational Enablement & Cost OptimizationOversee enterprise tariff classification governance (HS/HTS), country-of-origin programs, and customs valuation standards to ensure consistency and audit defensibility.Drive global tariff mitigation strategies including FTAs, drawback, special customs programs, sourcing strategies, and trade preference utilization.Partner with Supply Chain, Sourcing, Legal and Product Development leadership to embed trade compliance and tariff efficiency into sourcing, design, and footprint decisions.Balance regulatory compliance with operational efficiency to reduce landed cost while maintaining audit-ready controls.Free Trade Agreements & Customs ProgramsProvide executive oversight of all Free Trade Agreement programs, including supplier engagement, qualification methodology, audit readiness, and risk mitigation.Sponsor data governance initiatives related to import/export systems, master data, and analytics to ensure accuracy, traceability, and compliance assurance.Organizational Leadership & External EngagementLead, develop, and retain a high-performing global trade compliance team; define organizational structure, capability needs, and succession planning.Establish governance and policy expectations for customs brokers, freight forwarders, screening providers, and other third-party trade partners.Represent the company externally with government agencies, auditors, industry groups, and trade associations as the senior trade compliance executive.Education & ExperienceBachelor’s degree in International Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree and relevant professional certifications (e.g., CCS, LCB, CTPAT expertise) strongly preferred.12+ years of progressive experience in global trade compliance, customs, export controls, or regulatory leadership within a multinational manufacturing or industrial environment, professional advisory services.Demonstrated success designing, scaling, and governing enterprise-level trade compliance programs across multiple regions and business units.Significant experience advising executive leadership on regulatory, geopolitical, and supply-chain‑related trade risks.Proven leadership in M&A trade compliance due diligence, integration, and transformation initiatives.Core CompetenciesEnterprise-level expertise in U.S. and international customs and export control regimes.Executive presence with the ability to influence C‑suite, senior leaders, and boards on complex regulatory and risk topics.Strong judgment, discretion, and credibility in managing regulatory exposure and enforcement matters.Strategic thinker capable of balancing compliance rigor with commercial and operational realities.Experience governing compliance in complex, matrixed, global organizations.Strong leadership, coaching, and organizational development capabilities.