Director, Global Trade Compliance

Job Description:

Director, Trade Compliance

Reports To: VP/GVP Transportation

Location: New Albany, OH (Hybrid)

Role Summary

The Director, Trade Compliance leads A&F’s global trade compliance and Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) strategy, governance, and execution. This role ensures compliance with U.S. Customs and international trade regulations while improving operational efficiency, speed to market, supply chain resilience, and landed cost.

As A&F’s primary trade expert and a strategic advisor to executive leadership, this leader partners across Finance, Tax, Technology, Sourcing, Transportation, Planning, International, Franchise, and Wholesale to incorporate trade considerations early, balance compliance with commercial agility, and support evolving sourcing and growth strategies. The Director builds scalable capabilities and future leaders while using analytics, automation, and process modernization to reduce risk, strengthen business continuity, and identify financial opportunities.

What Will You Be Doing?

- Trade Strategy, Governance & Risk Management

- Develop and lead the company's enterprise-wide global trade compliance strategy, governance framework, and operating model.

- Advise executive leadership on trade risks, regulatory and tariff developments, sourcing impacts, and optimization opportunities, translating complex issues into clear business recommendations.

- Monitor geopolitical, regulatory, tariff, and trade developments continuously; assess their potential impact on sourcing strategies, business continuity, growth initiatives, and supply chain risk; and translate emerging risks and opportunities into timely business recommendations.

- Lead enterprise-wide trade compliance governance, audit readiness, internal controls, and corrective action initiatives to proactively mitigate risk and ensure regulatory compliance.

- Assess and leverage artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and automation capabilities to identify compliance risks, monitor regulatory changes, improve trade program efficiency, and strengthen decision-making across global trade operations.

Trade Compliance & FTZ Operations

- Ensure compliance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations and other applicable import/export requirements across global sourcing operations.

- Oversee product classification, customs valuation, country of origin determination, broker management, recordkeeping, and post-entry compliance processes.

- Direct FTZ operations, administration, inventory controls, admissions, weekly entries, regulatory reporting, recordkeeping, and audit readiness across the distribution network.

- Identify and implement opportunities to optimize FTZ utilization, duty savings, tariff mitigation strategies, and landed cost performance

Business Partnership & Trade Optimization

- Partner closely with Sourcing, Product Development, Logistics, Transportation, Finance, Tax, Planning, Technology, Inventory, International, Franchise, Wholesale, and Distribution Center teams to incorporate trade considerations early and support sourcing diversification, market expansion, inventory flow, and operational execution strategies.

- Lead trade program utilization strategies, including free trade agreements, duty drawback, First Sale opportunities, and supply chain security initiatives such as C-TPAT.

- Balance compliance requirements with business enablement, helping the organization improve speed to market, reduce landed cost, and strengthen supply chain resiliency.

- Manage relationships with customs brokers, FTZ authorities, consultants, carriers, government agencies, and external compliance partners.

Technology, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

- Establish performance metrics, dashboards, controls, and reporting capabilities that provide executive visibility into trade compliance, FTZ performance, savings opportunities, liabilities, and risk; improve duty liability forecasting; and ensure duty data loaded in systems is accurate and trusted by Planning and Finance.

- Lead the implementation and optimization of GTM and FTZ transformation initiatives, including automation, systems integration, workflow redesign, control development, and data-quality improvements that reduce manual work and create scalable trade operations.

- Define and monitor key performance indicators for compliance, controls, audit readiness, duty accuracy, savings realization, broker performance, and operational effectiveness; use results to identify gaps, assign corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement.

People Leadership & Organizational Capability

- Build, develop, and lead a high-performing trade compliance and FTZ team through coaching, mentoring, exposure opportunities, succession planning, and a culture of accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.

- Create documented, repeatable processes, robust controls, and cross-functional knowledge sharing that reduce tribal knowledge and key-person dependency.

- Provide guidance, education, and training to internal stakeholders on trade compliance requirements, FTZ operations, and evolving global trade regulations.

What Do You Need To Bring?

- 10+ years of progressive experience in global trade compliance, customs, international logistics, or related functions.

- Deep global trade compliance expertise, including U.S. import regulations, customs regulations, HTS classification, customs valuation, country of origin, tariff strategy, duty optimization programs, FTZ operations, broker management, audit and controls, regulatory interpretation, and international trade program administration.

- Experience supporting international sourcing operations within retail, apparel, footwear, consumer products, or other high-volume global supply chain environments.

- Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide compliance programs and influencing executive stakeholders across complex, matrixed organizations.

- Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives that balance compliance rigor with business enablement, operational agility, and speed to market.

- Strong understanding of sourcing strategies, merchandise flow, inventory management, and supply chain operations, with the ability to translate regulatory requirements into business solutions.

- Experience managing customs brokers, audits, regulatory inquiries, disclosures, and compliance investigations.

- Demonstrated curiosity, continuous learning, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and rapidly changing regulatory environments while balancing compliance risk with business growth.

- Demonstrated success leading the transformation or modernization of a trade compliance capability, including process redesign, technology implementation, systems integration, control framework development, and change management.

- Demonstrated success building, developing, and leading high-performing teams.

- Exceptional executive communication, presentation, collaboration, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to simplify complex trade and tariff issues, connect them to financial and business outcomes, and influence decisions across a matrixed organization.

Preferred Qualifications

- Licensed Customs Broker certification preferred.

- Experience with apparel and textile trade compliance requirements strongly preferred.

- Knowledge of free trade agreements, duty drawback, tariff mitigation programs, and First Sale methodologies.

- Experience implementing or optimizing FTZ programs within distribution center operations.

- Familiarity with trade compliance and supply chain systems such as SAP, Descartes, GTM platforms, or automation tools.

- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, International Business, Logistics, or a related field.

Company Description

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) is a global, digitally led omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories catering to kids through millennials with assortments curated for their specific lifestyle needs.

The company operates a family of brands, including Abercrombie brands and Hollister brands, each sharing a commitment to offer products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that support global customers on their journey to being and becoming who they are. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites abercrombie.com, abercrombiekids.com and hollisterco.com.

Learn more about A&F Co. by visiting our corporate website here.

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.