Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for International Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The International Specialist is responsible for managing international trade processes, ensuring compliance with export/import regulations, coordinating cross-border logistics, and supporting market entry and global partner management. This role works closely with legal, procurement, sales, finance and operations teams to mitigate compliance and supply chain risk, optimize cost-to-serve for international shipments, and deliver timely, audit-ready documentation for customs and regulatory authorities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

International Coordinator / Export Coordinator
Customs Brokerage Clerk or Logistics Coordinator
Global Logistics Analyst or Trade Compliance Analyst

Advancement To:

International Operations Manager / Global Trade Manager
Head of Global Trade Compliance
Director, Global Supply Chain or Director, Global Operations

Lateral Moves:

Trade Compliance Specialist
Global Sourcing Specialist
Country Manager or Regional Operations Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage end-to-end import and export operations for assigned regions, including preparing, reviewing and submitting commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading/air waybills, certificates of origin, and any country-specific documentation to ensure timely clearance and delivery.
Ensure full compliance with applicable export controls and sanctions programs (e.g., ITAR, EAR, OFAC, EU sanctions), conducting classifications, screening of parties and goods, and preparing license applications or commodity jurisdiction (CJ) requests when required.
Classify products using HS/HTS and schedule B codes, maintain a validated tariff classification database, and collaborate with customs brokers to optimize tariff treatment and duty mitigation strategies.
Coordinate day-to-day relationships with freight forwarders, customs brokers, carriers and 3PLs to negotiate rates, manage bookings, consolidate shipments, and ensure on-time delivery while minimizing freight spend and risk.
Conduct export control and restricted party screening for customers, vendors and intermediaries using automated screening tools, investigate potential matches, document findings and escalate to legal/compliance when necessary.
Prepare and maintain export/import compliance documentation and recordkeeping in line with statutory retention requirements and audit readiness, including transaction-level justification for classification, valuation and license determinations.
Lead international trade compliance initiatives such as internal audits, process improvements, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) creation, and remediation of findings from customs or regulatory investigations.
Support global sales and business development teams by reviewing contractual terms for international transactions, advising on Incoterms, customs duties, VAT implications, and cross-border payment considerations to protect margin and compliance.
Manage customs clearance processes proactively, resolving customs holds, penalties, claims and disputes; interface with customs authorities and lead response to notices, seizures or penalty assessments.
Implement and maintain export control licensing strategies, track license validity and license conditions, prepare and submit license renewals, and ensure transactional adherence to license terms.
Conduct country and market risk assessments, identifying regulatory, tariff, political, and sanctions-related risks that could impact supply chain continuity or market entry decisions.
Maintain and update country-specific import requirements such as product certifications, labeling, packaging, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules, and coordinate with product and quality teams to ensure compliance prior to shipment.
Partner with procurement and supplier quality teams to onboard and qualify international suppliers, verify supplier compliance documentation (e.g., ISO certifications, test reports), and secure necessary export authorizations or supplier declarations.
Lead cross-functional incident response for international shipping disruptions (e.g., customs detentions, port congestion, force majeure), coordinating corrective actions, rerouting, and communication to stakeholders to minimize business impact.
Monitor regulatory developments across target markets and translate legislative changes into actionable process updates, training and system configuration adjustments.
Provide subject matter expertise and training to internal teams (sales, operations, finance) on trade compliance requirements, customs procedures, documentation best practices, and Incoterms to reduce delays and mis-declared shipments.
Optimize landed cost calculations and advise commercial teams on duty optimization, free trade agreement (FTA) utilization and preferential origin claims, including preparation of origin documentation and origin verification processes.
Manage VAT/goods and services tax (GST) registration and compliance for international operations, including coordination with tax advisors, filing of returns and handling of VAT refunds or import VAT recovery where applicable.
Draft, review and manage commercial and logistics clauses in international contracts, master service agreements and letters of credit to align terms with operational feasibility and regulatory constraints.
Reconcile trade-related invoice and shipment data with finance and accounts payable teams to ensure accurate customs valuation, duty payments and proper accounting for cross-border transactions.
Maintain and improve trade systems, including ERP, customs filing software, trade management platforms and EDI integrations; define data validation rules and support technical teams in system enhancements.
Lead vendor and carrier performance reviews, KPI tracking (on-time delivery, clearance time, cost per shipment), and implement corrective plans to improve service levels and reduce cost-to-serve.
Coordinate international employee travel and work authorization logistics for business-critical assignments, including visas, work permits, local registrations and compliance with immigration regulations as needed.
Conduct supplier and distributor due diligence for anti-bribery, anti-corruption and sanctions exposure, prepare risk-based assessments and recommend contractual and operational mitigations.
Drive continuous improvement projects to streamline customs processes, reduce clearance times, and standardize global shipping procedures across regions to achieve scalable and auditable trade operations.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc trade and market data requests, preparing shipment analytics, landed cost models and regulatory impact assessments for leadership and sales teams.
Contribute to the organization's global trade strategy and roadmap by identifying technology, process and organizational gaps that affect cross-border operations and compliance posture.
Collaborate with business units to translate commercial needs into operational requirements, including establishing SOPs, checklists and system fields to improve trade data accuracy and automation.
Participate in cross-functional project planning and governance, advising on trade risk, customs implications, and logistics timelines for product launches and market entries.
Provide mentorship to junior trade and logistics staff, supporting development of classification skills, customs documentation accuracy and export control awareness.
Coordinate with the legal team to support investigations, internal audits, and remediation activities related to export or import non-compliance.
Maintain the vendor and partner directory for international shipments, ensuring service-level agreements, insurance coverage, and data privacy provisions are current and compliant.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep knowledge of international trade regulations: ITAR, EAR, OFAC, EU sanctions, and country-specific import/export laws.
Proficiency in tariff classification (HS/HTS) and export control classifications (ECCN), including practical experience preparing classification memos.
Expertise with customs brokerage processes, customs declarations, and electronic filing systems (e.g., ACE in the U.S., CHIEF/ CDS in the UK, NCTS, Import Control System).
Experience with trade management and logistics platforms (e.g., SAP GTS, Amber Road/ARGO, Descartes, Integration Point, Oracle Global Trade, MIC).
Strong working knowledge of Incoterms, customs valuation methodologies, preferential origin rules and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) claim processes.
Experience with restricted party and sanctions screening tools and workflows, plus familiarity with automated screening engines.
Familiarity with freight forwarding, carrier contract negotiation, rate benchmarking, and international shipping documentation (bill of lading, AWB).
Competence in landed cost modeling, duty and tax optimization strategies, VAT/GST handling and coordination with tax advisors.
Working knowledge of export licensing processes, license condition management and submission portals for regulatory bodies.
Ability to read and interpret international commercial contracts, letters of credit, and trade finance documents.
Strong Excel and data manipulation skills; experience with SQL, Power BI/Tableau or other reporting tools is a plus.
Experience managing cross-border HR logistics: visas, work permits, and immigration compliance for business travel assignments.

Soft Skills

Excellent stakeholder management across regional teams, suppliers, carriers, customs brokers and regulatory agencies.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with meticulous attention to detail and documentation accuracy.
Clear written and verbal communication skills, able to translate complex regulatory requirements into business-friendly guidance.
Proactive mindset with strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize multiple international shipments and compliance tasks under tight deadlines.
Cultural sensitivity and adaptability for working across multiple time zones and diverse market practices.
Negotiation skills for carrier/vendor agreements and dispute resolution with customs or partners.
Leadership and mentoring ability to train junior staff and lead cross-functional initiatives.
High integrity and ethical judgment when managing controlled goods, sanctions exposure and supplier due diligence.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in International Business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Political Science, Economics, Law or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in International Trade, Global Supply Chain, MBA or advanced legal degree (LLM/JD) or recognized trade/compliance certification.
Professional certifications preferred: Certified Export Specialist, Certified Customs Specialist, CGBP (Certified Global Business Professional), CITT, or related trade/compliance accreditation.

Relevant Fields of Study:

International Business
Supply Chain / Logistics
International Law or Trade Law
Economics / Finance
Political Science / International Relations

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in international trade operations, customs brokerage, export control compliance, freight management or related roles.

Preferred:

5+ years managing international trade compliance and logistics with demonstrated experience in classification, licensing, customs interactions and global stakeholder coordination.
Experience working with multinational teams and in at least one regulated industry (defense, aerospace, tech/hardware, life sciences, chemical, or aerospace) is highly desirable.
Prior exposure to global ERP/trade systems, customs filing portals and experience leading audits or regulatory interactions.
Multilingual abilities (Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, Portuguese, or Arabic) are a strong plus for regionally focused roles.