Global Trade Compliance Senior Specialist
Company Overview
Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.
Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Position Summary
The Global Trade & Customs (GTC) team is responsible for the compliance execution of global export controls, sanction laws, and regulations. The preferred candidate will work closely with GTC, Legal, and programs to apply international trade laws and regulations to support and drive international business.
What You'll Do
Ensure compliance with international trade regulations, including ITAR, EAR, U.S. Customs regulations, and applicable foreign customs laws
Independently interpret and apply export control requirements to business operations and transactions
Provide timely guidance and escalation support for high-risk, complex, or ambiguous compliance scenarios
Independently prepare and/or lead complex export authorization workflows, ensuring documentation accuracy, completeness, and timeliness
Develop and execute licensing strategies as applicable, including interpretation and communication of license provisos/conditions.
Conduct complex export classification determinations and produce defensible classification rationales suitable for audit/regulatory scrutiny
Lead and coordinate export control/sanctions investigations, including scoping, data collection support, root cause analysis, and corrective action planning
Draft and/or review investigation reports and support voluntary disclosure preparation when required , ensuring clarity and factual accuracy
Develop, implement, and continuously improve compliance policies, SOPs, and governance frameworks across licensing, classification, and related controls
Monitor regulatory changes and translate them into actionable business guidance, while delivering training and mentoring to build team capability
What You Bring
Strong commitment to compliance, integrity, and ethical standards
Excellent judgment and analytical problem-solving skills; ability to distinguish what is known vs. assumed in ambiguous scenarios
Effective communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder relationship management skills
Demonstrated proactive, organized, and detail-oriented execution—especially in high-stakes compliance work
Dedicated to continuous learning, self-development, and professional growth
Ability to manage multiple priorities in high-pressure environments while maintaining quality and documentation rigor
Experience in defense and aerospace industry is ( preferred )
Additional Eligibility Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent professional experience) with minimum 4 years of relevant experience in trade compliance or related fields
Practical knowledge and experience applying export control/customs/trade compliance requirements such as ITAR, EAR, and Customs regulations
Proficient in the following software/tools: DECCS, SNAP-R, Microsoft 365
Practical knowledge of Customs ACE or OCR EASE acceptable
Benefits
Comprehensive medical plan options
HSA/FSA accounts
Dental and vision coverage
6% employer 401(k) match
Fully paid parental leave for all new parents
Generous PTO
Life and disability insurance
Long-term and Short-term disability coverage
AD&D Coverage
Pet Insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Subsided gym membership / plans through Wellhub
Work Authorization / Security Clearance
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
AAP/EEO Statement
This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color , religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
Position Type and Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require.
Work Environment
This job operates in an office setting.
Travel
Approximately, 15% travel required. Our Firmware
At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.
Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.