Manager, Trade Compliance – Aerospace & Defense

Location: Rochester, New York
Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite
Employment Type: Full-Time
Schedule: 9/80 – Every Other Friday Off
Relocation Assistance: Available

Northwest Talent Solutions (NWTS) is conducting a confidential search for an experienced Manager, Trade Compliance to join a leading aerospace and defense organization in Rochester, NY.

This is an opportunity for an accomplished trade compliance professional to step into a visible leadership role supporting sophisticated international business activity while leading a team of compliance professionals.

If you bring strong ITAR/EAR expertise, defense-industry licensing experience and people leadership, we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity:

Reporting to senior Trade Compliance leadership, you'll serve as a key advisor to the business while ensuring international activities are executed in accordance with U.S. trade laws and regulations.

You'll:

• Lead and support a team of trade compliance professionals
• Review and approve Department of State license applications
• Review ITAR exemptions and EAR exceptions
• Prepare, review and manage export authorizations and associated records
• Manage and track DoS licensing approvals
• Provide practical ITAR, EAR and OFAC guidance to business and functional leaders
• Partner with licensing, operations, customs, technical teams and other stakeholders
• Support compliant execution of international business opportunities
• Coordinate product and technical information required for government licensing
• Author DSP-5 technical data letters for electronic exports
• Review consultants, distributors and representative agreements
• Support export-control recordkeeping and related financial reporting
• Participate in Insider Threat Program activities
• Help maintain a collaborative, accountable and solutions-oriented compliance culture

What You Bring:

We're particularly interested in candidates with:

• 5+ years of ITAR and EAR experience
• 5+ years working with U.S. trade sanctions programs, including OFAC
• Strong export/import licensing experience, ideally within aerospace and defense
• Demonstrated knowledge of U.S. Government trade laws and regulations
• Experience preparing and managing export licenses and authorizations
• Strong judgment and the ability to assess regulatory and business risk
• Experience leading people or contributing to high-performing compliance teams
• Excellent written, verbal and executive communication skills
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information
• Strong organizational skills and comfort managing competing priorities
• Ability to operate independently while remaining highly collaborative
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret security clearance

Experience with OCR EASE is highly valued.

Candidates typically will have a bachelor's degree and approximately 9+ years of relevant export/import trade compliance experience, a graduate degree with 7+ years of relevant experience, or substantial equivalent professional experience.

Why This Role Stands Out:

You'll be operating at the intersection of regulatory strategy, international business and national-security technology.

This role offers meaningful influence—not simply processing transactions, but advising the business, developing people, interpreting complex regulatory requirements and helping create compliant solutions that enable international growth.

The organization offers comprehensive benefits, retirement programs, education assistance, paid time off and parental leave, as well as a 9/80 schedule that provides every other Friday off.

Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates.

Why Work With Northwest Talent Solutions?

NWTS brings 20+ years of executive and specialized search expertise to complex, highly regulated talent markets.

We combine AI-enabled talent intelligence with experienced human recruiting to create a process that is targeted, confidential and efficient. We focus on understanding what you've actually led and accomplished—not simply matching keywords on a résumé.

For this search, we're particularly interested in hearing from experienced aerospace and defense trade compliance professionals who may not be actively looking but would consider the right leadership opportunity.

If ITAR/EAR, defense licensing and people leadership are core strengths in your background, we'd like to speak with you.

Apply confidentially through Northwest Talent Solutions.