Senior Director or AVP of Global Trade Operations

Role Description

Vigilant Global Trade Services is seeking an individual to serve as a critical extension of executive leadership, with primary responsibility for the operational performance, production consistency, and quality of our global managed services delivery model. This role is accountable for ensuring that all client-facing services are delivered with precision, consistency, and in alignment with the client’s regulatory requirements, while building a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement across a globally distributed team. This position will serve as a direct extension of the VP of Global Operations, partnering to translate strategic direction and disciplined execution, while actively engaging in and supporting the team to ensure successful outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, or related field.
• Customs Brokers License and/or other Industry Certifications are an added benefit.
• Minimum 10+ years of experience in operational leadership, supply chain and/or global trade compliance operations.
• Demonstrated success in managed services, consulting and/or outsourcing environments.
• Deep expertise in Global Trade compliance processes, policies and controls.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills, with a proven ability to adapt to a dynamic environment.
• Strong customer relationship and sales skills.

Requirements

• Demonstrated Operations experience with a strong understanding of project management, operations, throughput, and business analysis.
• Strong understanding of data privacy and security requirements.
• Ability to effectively communicate, both verbally and written, with clients, coworkers and senior leadership.
• Proven ability to effectively collaborate across cross-functional teams – Including Sales, Finance, IT, Operations and Legal.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities in Mentoring and Conflict/Issue resolution.

Benefits

• Exempt Salary + Bonus
• Moderate Travel

Primary Responsibilities

• Responsible for end-to-end operational performance of managed services accounts, ensuring consistent, high quality production output across all service lines.
• Ensure all client work is delivered in accordance with contractual, regulatory, and quality expectations, proactively mitigating risks and managing escalations.
• Lead and develop global teams, establishing clear accountability, performance standards, and a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
• Oversee daily production operations, including volume management, SLA adherence, and optimal resource utilization.
• Implement and enforce standardized processes, workflows, and quality control mechanisms to drive consistency and scalability.
• Establish and maintain operational governance, including audit programs, data privacy, and security compliance.
• Translate executive priorities into disciplined operational execution, ensuring alignment across teams and successful delivery of key initiatives.

Functional Requirements and Specific Responsibilities

• Provide subject matter expertise in global trade compliance, including classification, screening, and regulatory interpretation.
• Stay current on regulatory changes and ensure timely communication and implementation across teams.
• Support complex client scenarios and escalations requiring deep compliance expertise.
• Partner with Sales and leadership on proposals, presentations, and solution design.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with IT, Finance, Legal, and other teams to support operational effectiveness.
• Identify and drive opportunities for process improvement, efficiency gains, and service enhancement.
• Support recruiting and onboarding programs.
• Organize, prioritize and manage work in a dynamic and complex environment to meet deadlines and daily requirements, independent of supervision.
• Coordinate and manage internal training and employee development worldwide to strengthen team capability.
• Ensure proper quality controls are in place, tracked and measured.
• Work with the account teams and clients to assist in identifying new opportunities to provide value for our clients.
• Responsible for communicating all client and/or vigilant policy and procedural changes.
• Other duties as assigned.