Export Compliance & Contracts Lead

Fortress Recruit Limited; Poole; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Fortress Recruit Limited is supporting a Defence Manufacturer in Poole in the appointment of a Contracts & Export Manager. The role will own the Contracts & Export function, ensuring orders are loaded, exported, delivered and invoiced.

You will lead a small team of Contracts & Export Coordinators, manage workloads, oversee end-to-end order handling, ensure compliance with UK and US export controls, licensing and documentation, and drive continuous improvement across the function.

Qualifications

• Experience within export compliance, export administration or international trade.
• Experience managing export licences and export documentation.
• Understanding of UK export controls and US export controls and ITAR.
• Experience leading a small team.
• Knowledge of Incoterms and international delivery factors.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and support a team of Contracts & Export Coordinators.
• Oversee end-to-end management of customer orders from loading to invoicing.
• Provide strategic oversight of export compliance, licences and documentation.
• Manage relationships with freight forwarders and logistics providers.
• Input on Incoterms and delivery considerations for bids and orders.
• Monitor KPIs across order loading, invoicing and export compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and efficiency.
• Prepare the department for regulatory audits and maintain records.

Skills

Export compliance

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Organisation and prioritisation

Proactive ownership

Commercial risk awareness

Tools

ERP systems

MRP systems

Job description

Fortress Recruit Limited is supporting a Defence Manufacturer in Poole in the appointment of a Contracts & Export Manager. The role will own the Contracts & Export function, ensuring orders are loaded, exported, delivered and invoiced.

You will lead a small team of Contracts & Export Coordinators, manage workloads, oversee end-to-end order handling, ensure compliance with UK and US export controls, licensing and documentation, and drive continuous improvement across the function.