Trade Compliance Officer

AeroVironment, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 127,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. seeks a senior Trade Compliance professional to oversee licensing and compliance with ITAR/EAR regulations. The role coordinates with security, contracts, and legal teams and leads risk assessments in line with DDTC guidelines.

You will work with external consultants and auditors, maintain records, develop export training, and support international business development and proposal reviews. Occasional supervision of team members is possible.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent is required.
• Minimum of 12+ years of export administration experience with an aerospace firm, defense contractor or government entity.
• Experience dealing with U.S. Government entities (e.g., DOD, Department of Commerce), international customers or international brokers / freight forwarders.
• Experience working with outside Trade Compliance consultants.

Responsibilities

• Oversee licensing compliance and coordinate with Security, Purchasing, P&C, Contracts, and Legal for compliance with trade regulations.
• Perform quarterly and annual self-assessments and advise on corrective actions for risk mitigation.
• Perform annual risk assessment program in accordance with DDTC Risk Assessment Guidelines.
• Work with outside Trade Compliance consultants, external auditors and legal counsel as directed by TC Leadership.
• Maintain Trade Compliance records in full compliance with USG Export Regulations.
• Participate in Export Training curriculum development and maintenance of training logs.
• Oversee international visitors and travelers’ policies and control.
• Maintain TC processes and procedures and audit compliance to company procedures.
• Train company employees and communicate findings to AV Sr. management.
• Identify improvement opportunities and provide guidance to AV Sr. management; implement approved solutions and report progress.
• Provide guidance to Int’l BD and PM organizations in pursuing new business; participate in gated proposal reviews and coordinate trade show/demo support.
• Conduct contract reviews for trade compliance requirements.
• May supervise others within the team; handle significant/unique issues requiring evaluation of intangibles.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business, International Trade, Law or related field, or equivalent

Tools

OCR EASE

DECCS

SNAPR Systems

Job description

Position Responsibilities

• Responsible for overseeing licensing compliance and coordinating with cross functional areas (Security, Purchasing, P&C, Contracts, Legal) for assurance with relevant trade compliance regulations.
• Perform quarterly and annual self-assessments and advise on corrective actions for ongoing risk mitigation.
• Perform annual risk assessment program in accordance with DDTC Risk Assessment Guidelines.
• Outside TC Consultants – Work with outside Trade Compliance consultants, external auditors and legal counsel as directed by the TC Leadership.
• Document retention – Maintain excellent Trade Compliance records in full compliance with USG Export Regulations.
• Export Compliance Training – Participation in Export Training curriculum development, curriculum presentation, maintenance of company training logs.
• Oversee international visitors and travelers’ policies and control.
• Procedures and auditing – Maintain TC processes and procedures.
• Train company employees.
• Audit compliance to the company procedures.
• Continuous Improvements – Identify improvement opportunities and problems, then provide guidance to AV Sr. management for solutions.
• Implement solutions when approved by Sr. management, and report on progress.
• International Business Development and Program Management Support – Provide expert guidance to the Int’l BD and PM organizations in their pursuits of capturing and performing on new business for AV.
• Active participation in gated proposal process reviews during all 6 stages.
• This also includes coordination necessary for Trade Show and Demo support.
• Conduct contract review for trade compliance requirements.
• Acts independently to determine methods and procedures on new or special assignments.
• May supervise the activities of others within the team.
• Works on significant and unique issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, International Trade, Law or related field, or equivalent is required.
• Minimum of 12+ years of overall export administration experience with an aerospace firm, defense contractor or government entity.
• Experienced in dealing with entities such as U.S. Government entities (e.g., DOD, Department of Commerce), international customers or international brokers / freight forwarders.
• Experienced in working with outside Trade Compliance consultants.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Expert understanding of OCR EASE, DECCS and SNAPR Systems.
• Expert knowledge of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and applicable International regulation, with the ability to understand, interpret and communicate compliance-related language.
• Having broad expertise, uses skills to contribute to development of company objectives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with direct involvement in writing and implementing trade compliance policies and procedures, Technical Assistance Agreements, Warehouse Distribution Agreements and Manufacturing License Agreements.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment and work with minimal supervision.
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, where small teams share a broad variety of duties.
• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products.
• Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company.
• Has effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Focuses on teamwork, collaboration and puts the success of the team above one's own interests.

Physical Demands

Ability to work in an office environment (Constant) Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent) Must be located within 50 miles of an AV office location.

Salary

The salary range for this role is: $126,500 - $192,750.

ITAR Requirement

ITAR Requirement: This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

ITAR U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) or a person approved for an export license from the appropriate governing agency.

Benefits

• AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.
• For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.
• We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

About AV

AV isn't for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don't just build defense technology—we redefine what's possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we're not building history, we're building what's next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there's no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

About AV:

AV isn't for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don't just build defense technology—we redefine what's possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we're not building history, we're building what's next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there's no better place to do it than AV.

Careers at AeroVironment