Trade Compliance Specialist

Trade Compliance Specialist

Firestorm is hiring a Trade Compliance Specialist to execute the day-to-day mechanics of our trade compliance program. You will be in a high-autonomy, execution-focused individual contributor role responsible for screening, licensing administration, classification intake, training delivery, audits, and recordkeeping with the discipline required in a heavily regulated, ITAR/EAR environment. This is not a strategy or program-design role. You will report directly to the General Counsel, ensuring tight coordination on regulatory and licensing matters, and you will work closely with outside export compliance legal counsel, who will provide ITAR/EAR legal interpretation and guidance on complex classification, licensing, and enforcement questions. Your job is to take that guidance and execute it so Firestorm remains fully compliant, which will include keeping records audit-ready, keeping employees trained, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. You will work closely with the COO, engineering, and program teams to ensure trade compliance tasks are handled accurately and on time not buried in a policy binder nobody opens. We are looking for someone who can move fast, stay organized under regulatory pressure, and execute compliance tasks with rigor and consistency. You are an operator first someone who keeps the day-to-day running smoothly, escalates legal judgment calls to the General Counsel and outside export counsel, and makes sure the basics never slip.

What You'll Do

Screening, Licensing & Classification

• Perform and maintain records for restricted/denied party screening across customers, partners, vendors, and visitors, escalating any potential matches to the General Counsel and outside export counsel immediately
• Prepare and track export related submissions (e.g., DSP-5/748P, TAA/MLA, CJ/C-CATS, etc.) through DDTC's DECCS and Commerce's SNAP-R systems; maintain a clean status log of all active, pending, and expiring licenses and agreements
• Manage the classification process for items, technical data, software and technology under the U.S. Munitions List (USML) and Commerce Control List (CCL)/ECCN framework, including coordinating with engineering to obtain technical information, maintaining configuration-specific classification records, routing close-call or ambiguous determinations to outside export counsel for classification
• Administer use of EAR license exceptions and ITAR exemptions, including required eligibility reviews, certifications, notices, acknowledgments and recordkeeping, under guidance from the General Counsel and outside export counsel. Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation for all licenses, classifications, screenings, and authorizations
• Track license conditions, provisos, and reporting obligations to ensure ongoing compliance after a license is granted

Training & Awareness

• Deliver Firestorm's export control and trade compliance training to employees, contractors, and relevant third parties using materials provided by the General Counsel and outside export counsel
• Help keep training content current as regulations or company practices change, flagging needed updates to outside export counsel
• Maintain training completion records and follow up on gaps to ensure full coverage across the workforce
• Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on export control basics, escalating anything beyond routine guidance to the General Counsel.

Visitor & Foreign Person Access Control

• Maintain visitor and foreign person access control logs in coordination with facilities and security
• Screen and process visitor requests for compliance with ITAR/EAR deemed export restrictions prior to facility access
• Coordinate with the Information System Security Officer (ISSO), IT, and program teams to ensure access controls for controlled information and restricted areas are properly documented and enforced

Audits, Recordkeeping & Program Administration

• Conduct internal audits and self-assessments of the trade compliance program on a regular schedule; document findings and track corrective actions to closure
• Maintain Firestorm's Export Management Compliance Program (EMCP) documentation, keeping policies and procedures current under guidance from the General Counsel and outside export counsel
• Maintain the recordkeeping systems, trackers, and checklists that keep the program organized and inspection-ready at all times
• Support responses to government inquiries, audits, or compliance reviews by assembling documentation as directed by the General Counsel and outside export counsel
• Flag recurring issues or process gaps to the General Counsel; help implement practical fixes forms, checklists, or workflow changes as directed
• Coordinate with engineering, IT and security to identify and appropriately mark/segregate ITAR technical data and EAR-controlled technology, and maintain access-control matrices consistent with applicable licenses, license exceptions, exemptions and provisos

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work with engineering and product teams to identify design, performance, payload, software, end-use, and configuration changes that may affect existing jurisdiction or classification determinations, and ensure classifications are reviewed and updated before affected products or technical data are exported
• Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for routine trade compliance questions from engineering, program, BD, and operations teams
• Coordinate with the COO's team on operational logistics and with the General Counsel on anything requiring legal interpretation or risk judgment
• Translate guidance from outside export counsel into clear, practical next steps for the teams who need to act on it
• Stay current on regulatory changes and proactively flag relevant updates to the General Counsel and outside export counsel
• Coordinate export-control review of foreign customer demonstrations, technical diligence, facility visits and exchanges of drawings, CAD files, specifications and other technical information before release.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, International Business, Finance/Economics, Legal Studies or a related field.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoW security clearance
• 5+ years of hands-on experience executing tasks within U.S. export/import compliance programs (ITAR/EAR), with direct, practical experience in screening, licensing administration, and classification intake
• Working knowledge of the U.S. Munitions List (USML), Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN), the Commerce Control List (CCL), and deemed export concepts
• Hands-on experience preparing and tracking DDTC license applications (e.g., DSP-5, TAA, MLA) and familiarity with DECCS and SNAP-R
• Experience performing restricted/denied party screening and maintaining associated documentation
• Demonstrated ability to operate and continuously improve a trade compliance program in a fast-moving engineering or manufacturing environment. Comfortable operating under the direction of the General Counsel and outside export counsel, escalating judgment calls rather than making independent legal determinations
• Experience delivering compliance training to a non-specialist workforce
• Strong organizational skills and meticulous recordkeeping habits; comfortable maintaining trackers, logs, and audit-ready documentation

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, International Trade, Finance, or a related field
• Certifications such as Certified Export Compliance Professional (CECP) or Licensed Customs Broker (LCB)
• Experience supporting U.S. and international sanctions compliance (e.g., OFAC, UN)
• Experience working in a defense contractor or ITAR-regulated manufacturing environment
• Familiarity with EMCP/ICP program documentation and internal audit processes
• Experience coordinating with outside counsel on regulatory matters
• Prior experience at a fast-growing or venture-backed company

Work Environment

• Based onsite at our San Diego, CA Headquarters
• We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate
• Willingness to travel up to 10% domestically & internationally

This position typically operates in a standard office setting and manufacturing environment. This role requires use of standard office equipment and may involve exposure to loud noise, heat, cold, dust, or chemicals (with PPE). The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Ability to sit, stand, bend, reach, climb, and move about regularly throughout the day. Must have manual dexterity to operate standard office equipment.

Who We Are

At Firestorm, we are building the future of expeditionary defense manufacturing and autonomous systems. Modern