Join Mars as a Trade Compliance Regional Manager - Asia Pacific based in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. This full-time role involves leading a regional team, driving strategic change projects, and ensuring expert-level compliance with import and export customs regulations.
Requirements
Law Degree or Customs Brokers license required.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in complex CPG, legal, or consulting environments.
Expert knowledge of trade and customs compliance regulations for the Asia Pacific region.
Food manufacturing experience and relevant compliance degrees preferred.
Skills & Responsibilities
Trade Compliance Expertise: Apply and interpret import and export laws, customs valuation, and risk assessment programs to ensure regional compliance.
Team Leadership: Manage, mentor, and develop a regional team of compliance associates across multiple functional organizations.
Project Management: Lead high-value change projects related to customs and trade compliance on time and within budget.
Stakeholder Engagement: Liaise with customs authorities and partner with departments such as Supply Chain, Legal, and Finance.
Potential transition routes: People from Trade Compliance Consultant or Customs Legal Counsel roles may bring regulatory expertise and project management skills, alongside meeting the mandatory degree or license requirements.
Job description
Job Description:
This incumbent will be responsible for the following key areas: Expert knowledge of, & ability to apply laws and regulations related to trade compliance business activity in the designated region, including valuation, classification, ruling requests, interpretation and application of customs law, both import and export, and other trade and customs compliance risk assessment including cost avoidance/duty deferral programs, AEO maintenance, and application of other governmental agency requirements. Must be able to lead teams to implement successful programs of change, drive to deadline completion, and ensure robust compliance with regional trade and customs requirements. This position is expected to have expert decision making capabilities and highly advanced trade compliance knowledge. This position will lead a regional team of compliance associates and will be accountable for ongoing development of their associates. Must be able to lead high value and volume change projects related to customs/trade compliance, influence without authority and deliver results on time and on budget.
Develops programs to align compliance requirements with legal and ethical standards of the organization.
Leads team activities through managing resourcing, status reporting, resolving issues, identifying project risks and accountability for deliverables across multiple functional organizations within their region.
Manages the regional Trade Compliance team, provides mentoring and coaching, work to enhance engagement, and ensures ongoing development in accordance with the associate concept
Proactively provides import/export compliance advice, investigates concerns and verifies deficiencies are corrected for strategic change plans
Maintains current knowledge of import/export laws, regulations, and industry guidance that impact the company's compliance program.
Liaises with customs authorities on behalf of Mars
Conducts Horizon scans and monitors evolution of customs and trade compliance laws to anticipate required change to business practices
Creates and develops strategic projects related to disruptive trade - due to new regulations, complexity or speed required to deliver change, or cross segment transformative initiatives, etc, for their region.
Partners with and work closely with other departments, including but not limited to Quality, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Finance to ensure program execution to achieve business goals within internal and external compliance requirements.
Responsible for regional team performance, risk management, escalation, and Issue resolution.
• Other duties as assigned.
Law Degree or Customs Brokers license, specialized, advanced knowledge in trade and customs compliance regulations required for extended Asia Pacific region. Minimum some Secondary Education. Degree/ Certificate in Compliance, International Logistics, Customs Work or International Studies preferred
Minimum 10 years progressive experience in complex CPG, legal, or consulting environments. Food manufacturing experience preferred
Customs Valuation, Trade/Customs Law, Effective Communication, English +, other language skills preferred, Food/CPG experience preferred, prior people or project leadership experience preferred.
