Senior Counsel, Global Trade Services - Americas

Job Overview

Global Trade Services (GTS) is a function within the Law Department encompassing strategic and operational compliance services for TE Connectivity (TE) worldwide. We are building a world class GTS organization. This counsel role will provide legal advice and counseling on trade laws and regulations in the region relating to customs, export controls, economic sanctions matters.   

This role reports to the Associate General Counsel for GTS who heads the GTS function’s Legal group. GTS Legal is growing its team by hiring counsel in the regions in which TE operates: APAC, EMEA, and Americas. The successful candidate will be able to participate and thrive in a global environment while maintaining integrity, taking accountability, promoting teamwork, and championing change.  This role requires strong business acumen and the ability to work as a collaborative business partner across geographies, functions, and product lines to provide legal, policy, and strategic support to the businesses and the compliance teams. The successful candidate will have the ability to work independently, while ensuring connectivity with stakeholders and teammates.   

Responsibilities:

• Provide legal oversight on trade matters in the Americas region (United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil) leveraging a combination of personal expertise and outside resources as needed 
• Provide expertise and oversight on a broad range of customs, import, anti-dumping and countervailing duties, exports, sanctions, and other trade law compliance laws and regulations in the region 
• Provide legal advice to businesses and GTS operational trade compliance teams on trade compliance matters, business trade strategies, and trade elements in contracts and transactions as related to import, export, and sanctions laws and regulations 
• Conduct and navigate trade compliance risk assessments, investigations, and audits, and develop remediation or corrective action plans 
• In partnership with the GTS program management office, ensure that TE’s trade compliance program development – including policies, procedures and automated systems – comports with regulatory requirements and the GTS trade transformation strategy  
• Monitor and keep current on the rapidly evolving global trade environment and trade-related regulatory and legislative changes in the region; communicate with businesses on the impact of changes and develop risk mitigation strategies; aid GTS operational trade compliance teams with any required changes to policies and procedures based on changes in trade laws and regulations 
• In coordination with TE’s government affairs function, steer interactions with trade-related government regulators; prepare and manage responses to internal and external audits and government inquiries 
• Deal with diverse constituencies of internal and external parties including regulators, external counsel, customers and vendors, and business and functional leaders; identify, retain and manage outside counsel as necessary 
• Assist with TE’s merger, acquisition and divestiture activities as related to trade compliance 
• Talent Development & Leadership 
• Contribute to GTS’s culture of engagement and performance in alignment with TE’s core values  
• Lead by example and mentor colleagues within the GTS function and the company 
   

What your background should look like:

• 7+ years of experience in trade controls and policy, which can be satisfied through a mix of law firm and in-house or government experience  
• Deep and thorough understanding of US customs and trade remedies law 
• Significant experience with United States and Mexico customs regulatory regimes, especially related to the U.S. Foreign Trade Regulations and Mexican IMMEX programs 
• Preferably substantial knowledge of trade compliance laws and regulations of Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, and other countries in the Americas region 
• Demonstrates an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively both verbally and in writing 
• Experience navigating complex trade law issues and dealing with key trade regulatory agencies 
• Ability to manage projects independently and work within cross-functional teams to resolve legal questions and implement long-term mitigation strategies 
• Experience managing and conducting complex investigations and assessments 
• Ability to manage trade experts and trade matters involving multiple countries’ laws and regulations  
• Experience in trade compliance program development and implementation, preferably with a global perspective; capacity to partner with the GTS leadership team 
• Willingness to adapt to a flexible schedule to accommodate multiple time zones 
• Dedication to the success of a diverse, global team 
• Patience, curiosity, tenacity, good humor, and a commitment to excellence and team-work 

Competencies