Trade Compliance Lead, US market

A leading global furniture manufacturer is seeking a Trade Compliance Lead to oversee the full spectrum of US regulatory requirements for imported furniture. This newly created position offers you the opportunity to become the central authority on trade and product safety compliance, managing everything from customs classification to tariff exposure.

You will play a pivotal role in ensuring that products meet all US standards from production in Asia through to sale in the United States. The organisation values flexibility, inclusivity, and professional development, providing a supportive environment where your expertise will be recognised and nurtured. If you are passionate about regulatory affairs and thrive in a collaborative setting, this is your chance to make a significant impact within a dynamic supply chain network.

• Take ownership of both trade and product safety compliance for premium furniture imported into the US, becoming the single point of accountability across multiple disciplines.
• Enjoy flexible working arrangements and access to ongoing training opportunities, allowing you to grow your skills while maintaining work-life balance.
• Join an inclusive team with supportive leadership, where your knowledge and experience will be valued as you help shape compliance processes for a multi-country supply chain.

What you'll do:

As Trade Compliance Lead – Furniture (US Market), you will be responsible for orchestrating every aspect of trade and product safety compliance throughout the supply chain. Your day-to-day activities will involve collaborating closely with factory partners in Asia to embed compliance requirements at the point of production. You will manage complex regulatory frameworks covering tariffs, antidumping duties, timber legality under the Lacey Act, fire/flammability standards across multiple states, chemical restrictions under Proposition 65, federal mattress regulations, and more. You will act as the internal authority on compliance questions across operations, sourcing, product development, sales, marketing, and finance. By maintaining audit-ready documentation systems with clear version control and retention policies—and producing periodic risk briefings for senior leadership—you will ensure that every SKU released for sale meets stringent US requirements. Your success will be measured by your ability to build defensible classification files covering all active SKUs; mitigate AD/CVD exposure; verify timber legality at factory level; deploy compliant warning frameworks; embed CPSC eFiling into new product introduction processes; and maintain single-source-of-truth records per SKU.

• Oversee Harmonised Tariff Schedule (HTS) classification for the entire US product range, including finished goods, components, replacement items, cushions, soft goods, and packaging sourced from Vietnam, China, and Indonesia.
• Maintain a controlled classification database with documented rationale for each ruling and manage binding ruling requests to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when necessary.
• Monitor and interpret Section 232, Section 301, IEEPA-based tariffs, reciprocal tariff actions, and successor measures; model duty exposure by SKU and origin while briefing senior leadership on landed-cost consequences.
• Determine country-of-origin status and substantial transformation analysis across all sourcing countries, ensuring accurate mill certificates, material certificates, and origin documentation to support claims for exemptions or preferential treatment.
• Ensure accuracy of customs entry documentation by acting as primary liaison with customs brokers and freight forwarders; review entry summaries and reconcile duty paid against expected exposure.
• Manage post-entry activities such as Post Summary Corrections, protests, prior disclosures, duty recovery or drawback opportunities; ensure compliance with Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) including supply chain traceability documentation.
• Screen products against active and pending antidumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders relevant to the furniture sector; maintain scope assessments for affected SKUs and track Department of Commerce proceedings.
• Own Lacey Act compliance for all imported products containing plant material by maintaining species-level data, country of harvest records, due care programs, legality documentation from suppliers, and alignment between declarations and customs entry data.
• Manage fire and flammability compliance for upholstered furniture sold into the US market by overseeing smoulder resistance testing, labelling obligations under SB 1019/AB 2998, state law label registration/licensing requirements, federal mattress flammability standards, and hospitality-specific requirements.
• Lead Proposition 65 chemical compliance efforts by assessing exposure to listed chemicals through component-level material disclosure/testing; implement compliant warnings on products/packaging/e-commerce channels; manage supplier warranties/indemnities; respond to notices of violation with legal counsel.

What you bring:

The ideal candidate for Trade Compliance Lead – Furniture (US Market) brings proven expertise in navigating complex US import regulations for consumer goods. Your background demonstrates hands-on experience managing customs classification databases—liaising with brokers/freight forwarders—and reconciling duty payments against expected exposures. You have successfully implemented due care programs under the Lacey Act—verifying timber legality at factory level—and maintained alignment between declarations/invoices/customs entries. Your familiarity with fire/flammability standards enables you to oversee testing/labelling obligations across multiple states while ensuring federal mattress requirements are met. You have led chemical compliance initiatives under Proposition 65—assessing exposure risks—deploying compliant warnings—and managing supplier warranties/indemnities contractually. Your interpersonal skills allow you to collaborate effectively across teams—supporting onboarding/new supplier reviews—and producing risk briefings that inform mitigation strategies as business scales. With strong attention to detail in recordkeeping/audit readiness/version control—you ensure every SKU released meets rigorous US standards.

• You have at least five years’ experience in trade compliance or regulatory affairs with direct involvement importing consumer products into the United States.
• Your working knowledge includes HTS classification procedures, customs valuation principles, country-of-origin rules, CBP entry processes—and you are comfortable managing binding ruling requests when needed.
• You possess practical experience in at least two areas: antidumping/countervailing duty management (AD/CVD), Lacey Act declarations for timber legality verification, US flammability standards for upholstered furniture/mattresses or Proposition 65 chemical compliance.
• You are adept at managing third-party testing laboratories—interpreting test reports against ANSI/BIFMA standards—and coordinating sample logistics/re-test triggers on any material or construction change.
• You have worked directly with overseas manufacturing partners—ensuring documentation quality across language/time-zone barriers—and supporting onboarding of new suppliers through compliance due diligence.
• Your ability to read regulations critically allows you to translate legal requirements into operational processes without over- or under-reading obligations; you maintain strong documentation discipline using ERP/document management systems (NetSuite experience advantageous).
• Your written communication skills enable you to brief senior leadership concisely—quantifying exposure/risk—and defend positions with evidence-based reasoning.
• Preferred qualifications include Licensed Customs Broker status or CCS/CES certification; experience in furniture/home furnishings/textiles/durable consumer goods categories; direct familiarity with ANSI/BIFMA standards/hospitality specifications; responding to Prop 65 notices/CBP detentions/EAPA allegations/CPSC inquiries; knowledge of EU/UK/AU regulatory frameworks (GPSR/EUDR/UKCA/AS/NZS); sourcing from Vietnam/China/Indonesia with VNTLAS/SVLK legality frameworks.

What sets this company apart:

This organisation stands out as a global leader in premium outdoor furniture manufacturing with a multi-country supply chain spanning Vietnam, China, Indonesia—and direct sales channels into the United States. Employees benefit from flexible working opportunities that accommodate hybrid arrangements tailored to individual needs. The company fosters an inclusive culture where supportive leadership encourages professional growth through ongoing training opportunities. You will join a knowledgeable team committed to sharing expertise across operations/sourcing/product development/sales/marketing/finance—ensuring that every product meets exacting US regulatory standards before reaching customers. Generous pension contributions further enhance your long-term financial security while you contribute meaningfully within a dependable network dedicated to excellence in trade/product safety compliance.

What's next:

If you are ready to take ownership of trade compliance for premium furniture imports into the US market—and want your expertise valued within an inclusive team—this is your opportunity!

Apply today by clicking on the link provided.

Due to the high volume of applications we are experiencing, our team will only be in touch with you if your application is shortlisted.