Import Compliance Specialist

The Opportunity:

At Avantor, people are the most important part of our success because they drive our global performance. That’s why our Operations, Lab Services, Sales, and many other Avantor teams rely on our talent acquisition initiatives to attract, engage and hire the right talent. Avantor’s Trade Compliance vertical is a crucial part of this mix, enabling all our internal teams worldwide to grow beyond their limits.

The Import Trade Analyst is responsible for supporting the oversight of key import operational activities. This role is a subject matter expert on import regulations, ensuring efficient and compliant controls and processes are in place. This role focuses on the AMR region (North and South America, Mexico, and Canada).

What we’re looking for:

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in a science-related field or equivalent experience
• Experience: 3+ years’ experience in a dynamic Trade Compliance or Brokerage environment
  • Licensed Customs Broker highly preferred.

Who you are:

• Demonstrated solid analytical skills and a history of identifying and reducing complex and systemic risks within systems or large organizations.
• Strong command of Free Trade, Duty Drawback, and other relevant trade programs.
• Strong knowledge of HTS, origin rules, recordkeeping, export regulations, and a broad understanding of risk assessment and mitigation processes.
• Demonstrated intermediate computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access
• Demonstrated knowledge of US and Canadian product regulations, including but not limited to FDA, Health Canada, EPA/CEPA, DEA, and TTB.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results and a high level of compliance while managing multiple projects, priorities, and daily workflow.

How you will thrive and create an impact:

• Support the customs compliance program for US business units to ensure compliance with US and international customs regulations, internal/external controls, operating policies, and procedures.
• Interface with custom brokers, forwarders, carriers, etc., to resolve day-to-day operational issues impacting imports and exports.
• Deliver cost-saving and duty avoidance through continuous improvement.
• Resolve issues pertaining to documentation discrepancies, valuation, import of record, etc., to ensure successful and timely customs clearance.
• Conduct compliance reviews, custom entry audits, and export audits. Perform after-action review for root cause determination. Developing key KPIs to measure against and establishing QBRs with current brokers.
• Participate in Quarterly Business Review (QBR) with custom broker to evaluate performance, review compliance to broker SOP, review trends, and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Acts as an SME for Trade Compliance systems, specifically within SAP- GTS, offering guidance to the team on troubleshooting, setup, and maintenance.
• Act as an SME within the operations team, helping to remediate operations errors and eliminate border delays and risks.
• Determines HTS and ECCN classifications while ensuring proper maintenance within internal systems.
• Analyze import and export data to identify trends, minimize risk, and identify cost-saving/duty-avoidance opportunities.
• Implement internal and external SOPs to document policies and procedures and deliver training to internal stakeholders and providers.
• Execute procedures, best practices, and internal controls to ensure compliance and minimize risk.
• Manage record-keeping program to ensure compliance with governmental record retention policies and procedures.
• Participate in due diligence, post-acquisition assessments, and other efforts to build trade compliance programs for new acquisitions.
• Provides operational support to the business units on matters pertaining to imports and exports.
• Monitor changes in the trade and supply chain communities, identify risks and/or opportunities, and communicate the impact of environmental changes on the business.
• Interfaces with governing agencies, suppliers, and customers and responds to inquiries and requests.
• Complies with federal, state, and local requirements by studying existing and new security legislation, enforcing adherence to requirements, and advising management on needed actions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor?

Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.



The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.


We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!

Pay Transparency:

The expected pre-tax pay for this position is

Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.

EEO Statement:

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the Know Your Rights poster.

Privacy Policy:

We will use the personal information that you have submitted to us in order to consider your application for the relevant role.

Your privacy is important to us. Please click here for our Privacy Policy which explains the purposes for which we will use your personal information and the ways in which we will handle and retain your information. It also explains the rights you have in relation to your information, and how to contact us with any queries or requests.

3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy:

By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.

Avantor offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness programs, health savings and flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with company match, and an employee stock purchase program. Employees also receive 11 paid holidays, accrue 18 PTO days annually, are eligible for volunteer time off and 6 weeks of 100% paid parental leave (except in states that offer paid family leave). These benefits may not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement or those subject to other eligibility rules.