Description

Job Description

Rare in-house counsel opportunity for an experienced international trade and customs attorney seeking new challenges and professional development in a dynamic interdisciplinary work environment. Counsel will be responsible for advising, representing, and managing the organization on all international trade law and policy issues, matters, and risks, including customs compliance and enforcement. Counsel will lead key aspects of customs compliance in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Key Responsibilities
Assist senior legal leadership in overseeing trade action, budgets, governance, strategy, and internal/external communications.
Serve as subject matter expert on U.S. trade and customs law and policy.
Brief and advise officials on trade and customs law and policy matters, issues, and risks.
Represent the organizations interests before the federal government regarding trade and customs law and policy issues.
Proactively anticipate issues and provide internal clients with timely and value-added counsel.
Participate in committees and strategy groups for trade action, budgets, and executive briefings.
Advise commercial, procurement, logistics, and raw materials teams on customs compliance, tariffs, duties, and fees across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico (including coordination with local counsel).
Manage strategy, substance, and budgets of outside counsel and advisors on trade and customs law and policy matters.
Act as liaison on trade matters with outside counsel, business and operational teams, government officials, and industry stakeholders.
Prepare internal and external documents (e.g., memos, presentations, public comments, white papers) on trade and customs matters.
Review and evaluate trade action and customs compliance strategies, submissions, and budgets.
Maintain trade action trackers, data, and matrices.
Stay current with developments in international trade and customs law and assist internal clients with implementing policies and procedures accordingly.
Substantive Areas of Law
Antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD): case assessments, petitions, investigations, reviews, appeals, questionnaire responses, enforcement, and anti-circumvention proceedings.
Customs compliance and enforcement: U.S. customs, duties, tariffs, and import compliance; USMCA compliance (certifications, rules of origin, labor value content, melt and pour, etc.); Canadian surtax, remission, drawback; Mexican customs and certifications.
Section 232 and IEEPA: defense, enforcement, negotiations, litigation, and compliance with national security trade laws.
Section 301 and related import laws: negotiations, policy advocacy, and litigation.
WTO disputes and trade policy issues.

Requirements

Education, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required:

Juris Doctor and admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia, or ability to transfer.
Minimum 5 years of concentrated experience in international trade law, policy, and customs compliance, especially in the areas noted above.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and Adobe.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines.
Strong issue-spotting skills and ability to brief senior counsel on critical matters.
Strategic thinking, attention to detail, and creative problem-solving.
Strong research, writing, and presentation skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication abilities across all levels of the organization and externally.
Strong interpersonal skills, with ability to build cooperative relationships and act as an authoritative advocate on trade issues.
Preferred:

Prior experience with law firms, in-house, or U.S. federal government (e.g., CBP, DOC, ITC, USTR, or U.S. Court of International Trade).
Experience managing outside counsel and project budgets.
Familiarity with customs and trade databases (e.g., Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis, ITC DataWeb, or proprietary tools).
Experience with trade associations or industry coalitions.
Knowledge of accounting, business, economics, or government affairs.
Familiarity or interest in applying artificial intelligence tools to trade and customs work.