Director Foreign Trade

Robert Bosch Group; Oakbrook Terrace (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Robert Bosch Group seeks a Director of Foreign Trade to shape global trade compliance and customs strategy. You will lead a team of professionals, optimize duties, and enable efficient international supply chains while advising executive leadership on regulatory changes.

The role covers global trade programs, FTAs, and trade technology platforms, with collaboration across procurement, manufacturing, logistics, finance, and legal teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead programs to minimize trade costs while maintaining full regulatory compliance.
• Oversee import and export operations across multiple business units and legal entities.
• Drive process standardization and operational excellence in cross-border transactions.
• Monitor KPIs related to compliance, customs clearance performance, duty savings, and operational efficiency.
• Assess emerging trade risks resulting from regulatory changes, tariff actions, sanctions, and supply chain disruptions.
• Develop mitigation plans to address customs exposure and compliance vulnerabilities.

Job description

Do you want beneficial technologies being shaped by your ideas? Whether in the areas of mobility solutions, consumer goods, industrial technology or energy and building technology– with us, you will have the chance to improve quality of life all across the globe. Welcome to Bosch.

Position your career for long term success by joining the world's most admired motor vehicle parts supplier as ranked by Fortune for the third consecutive year.

Job Description

The Director of Foreign Trade is responsible for leading the organization's global trade compliance and customs strategy, ensuring adherence to import/export regulations while optimizing duty costs and enabling efficient international supply chain operations. This role provides strategic direction for trade programs, free trade agreement utilization, customs compliance, duty optimization, trade technology platforms, and cross-border operational excellence.

The Director serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, supply chain, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, finance, and legal teams, balancing compliance obligations with business objectives and growth initiatives. The position leads a team of foreign trade professionals and manages relationships with customs authorities, brokers, trade consultants, and external service providers.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the organization's foreign trade and customs strategy.
• Align trade compliance programs with corporate growth, sourcing, manufacturing, and logistics objectives.
• Advise executive leadership on trade risks, tariffs, geopolitical developments, and international regulatory changes.
• Lead trade-related initiatives supporting localization, nearshoring, global sourcing, and supply chain transformation.
• Ensure compliance with all import, export, customs, sanctions, and trade regulations.
• Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and internal controls governing international trade activities.
• Oversee import/export classification, valuation, country of origin determinations, and customs documentation.
• Direct internal and external compliance audits and implement corrective actions when required.

Customs & Duty Optimization

• Lead programs to minimize trade costs while maintaining full regulatory compliance.
• Maximize utilization of:
  • Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
  • Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs)
  • Bonded Warehouses
  • Drawback Programs
  • Duty Suspension Programs
  • IMMEX/Maquiladora Programs
  • Other trade incentive programs
• Identify opportunities for duty savings and tariff mitigation strategies.

Operational Oversight

• Oversee import and export operations across multiple business units and legal entities.
• Ensure efficient management of customs brokers, freight forwarders, and trade service providers.
• Drive process standardization and operational excellence in cross-border transactions.
• Monitor KPIs related to compliance, customs clearance performance, duty savings, and operational efficiency.
• Assess emerging trade risks resulting from regulatory changes, tariff actions, sanctions, and supply chain disruptions.
• Develop mitigation plans to address customs exposure and compliance vulnerabilities.
• Support investigations, disclosures, and interactions with customs authorities when necessary.
• Ensure effective business continuity planning for global trade activities.
• Lead implementation and optimization of trade management systems and customs technologies.
• Promote automation, data analytics, and AI-enabled solutions to improve trade compliance effectiveness.
• Ensure integrity of trade master data supporting classification, origin, and compliance processes.

Stakeholder & Team Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing team of foreign trade professionals.
• Develop talent, succession plans, and training programs within the trade function.
• Partner with procurement, logistics, manufacturing, finance, legal, tax, and government affairs teams.
• Represent the organization in dealings with customs authorities, trade associations, and external stakeholders.

Mandate Mand mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mand

Mandate Mand mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory mandatory ...