Senior Compliance Specialist, Trade

Job Description

Job Description

About MATSYS

MATSYS is an innovation driven advanced manufacturing company developing and producing specialty engineered materials that power next generation aerospace, defense, and energy applications. Our technologies enable breakthroughs in performance, efficiency, and reliability—solving some of the most complex materialsengineering challenges in the world.

We are in a period of rapid growth and scaling, and we thrive on collaboration, technical excellence, and a culture of continuous improvement. At MATSYS, you will have the opportunity to directly influence the success of mission‑critical programs and build a supply chain designed for resilience, agility, and world‑class execution.

If you are excited by complex materials, advanced manufacturing, and high‑impact technical problem‑solving, you’ll feel right at home here.

Position Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Senior Compliance Specialist – Trade Compliance to support the Company’s trade-compliance program and broader regulatory compliance initiatives. This role serves as a technical resource for export controls, import compliance, sanctions, licensing, restricted-party screening, and regulatory recordkeeping.

The successful candidate will help ensure that business activities comply with applicable U.S. trade regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requirements, and applicable customs and import/export requirements.

Working collaboratively with cross-functional teams, the Senior Compliance Specialist will support licensing activities, compliance assessments, employee training, audits, internal controls, policy development, and corrective-action tracking. The role requires strong analytical judgment, sound regulatory knowledge, and the ability to translate complex requirements into practical business processes.

This is a senior individual-contributor position with no direct supervisory responsibilities. The Specialist supports designated program owners, license holders, Responsible Persons, and leadership in maintaining effective compliance programs and escalating potential regulatory risks.

Key Responsibilities

Trade Compliance and Export Controls

• Support compliance with EAR, ITAR, OFAC, customs, import/export, sanctions, and other applicable trade regulations.
• Assist with export jurisdiction and classification determinations for products, software, technical data, technology, services, and related activities.
• Prepare, coordinate, track, and maintain export license applications, agreements, exemptions, exceptions, provisos, renewals, amendments, and supporting documentation.
• Conduct and document restricted-party screening, sanctions screening, embargo reviews, end-use and end-user assessments, and diversion-risk evaluations.
• Evaluate proposed exports, imports, shipments, technical-data transfers, foreign-person access, international travel, demonstrations, marketing activities, customers, suppliers, and business opportunities for potential trade-compliance implications.
• Support the development and implementation of trade-compliance procedures, technology-control measures, internal controls, training, and documentation practices.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready trade-compliance records in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
• Monitor regulatory changes and communicate relevant requirements, risks, and recommended actions to appropriate stakeholders.
• Identify, document, and promptly escalate potential violations, high-risk transactions, and matters requiring management review, including potential disclosure considerations.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Shipping and Receiving, Program Management, Business Development, Human Resources, Information Technology, Security, Finance, and executive leadership to support compliant operations.

Licensing and General Compliance Support

• Support the administration and maintenance of assigned regulatory licenses, permits, registrations, certifications, and approvals, including ATF-related requirements, as applicable.
• Maintain license and permit inventories, compliance calendars, renewal schedules, training records, required documentation, and open action items.
• Coordinate documentation for license applications, renewals, amendments, inspections, audits, regulatory submissions, changes in responsible personnel, and facility changes.
• Assist designated license holders, Responsible Persons, program owners, and functional leaders with regulatory inspections, audits, agency requests, corrective actions, and compliance documentation.
• Support broader compliance initiatives, including policy and procedure development, employee training, risk assessments, internal reviews, audit preparation, ethics and conflicts-of-interest matters, and process improvement.
• Develop and maintain practical compliance tools, checklists, guidance documents, training materials, tracking logs, and recordkeeping systems.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in International Trade, Business, Compliance, Law, or a related field; equivalent relevant professional experience may be considered.
• Five or more years of experience in trade compliance, export controls, import/export operations, customs, regulatory compliance, or a closely related field.
• Strong working knowledge of EAR, ITAR, OFAC requirements, export classifications, licensing processes, restricted-party screening, trade documentation, and regulatory recordkeeping.
• Experience working in a regulated environment, preferably within defense, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, dual-use technology, government contracting, or a related industry.
• Strong analytical, organizational, documentation, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret regulatory requirements, exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, manage competing priorities, and escalate issues appropriately.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams, business stakeholders, program owners, and senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Seven or more years of experience in trade compliance or export controls.
• Experience supporting ATF-regulated activities and/or Arms, Ammunition, and Explosives (AA&E) operations, including regulatory licenses, permits, registrations, inspections, and associated recordkeeping.
• Familiarity with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), customer flow-down requirements, procurement integrity, ethics, cybersecurity, supply-chain compliance, quality requirements, or other government-contracting compliance obligations.
• Experience supporting internal and external audits, government inspections, corrective-action plans, investigations, or voluntary-disclosure assessments.
• Relevant export-control, customs, international-trade, or compliance certifications.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will help strengthen the Company’s compliance posture by maintaining reliable trade-compliance processes, supporting timely and accurate licensing activities, improving regulatory documentation, identifying potential risks early, and enabling business teams to operate efficiently within applicable regulatory requirements.

The ideal candidate combines technical regulatory expertise with practical problem-solving skills, strong attention to detail, and a collaborative approach to compliance.

Why Join MATSYS

• Competitive salary and performance incentives
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with employer contribution
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Support for certifications, training, and career development
• The opportunity to directly shape the facilities infrastructure powering breakthrough technologies

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to characteristics protected by law or irrelevant to performance, unless otherwise required by law.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Company is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. Employment decisions are made in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

MATSYS uses E-Verify to verify right-to-work.  MATSYS is a Drug-Free Workplace. Candidates are required to pass a pre-employment background investigation and drug test prior to following receipt of a conditional job offer.

Security Clearance Requirement: Employment in this position is contingent upon the ability to obtain and maintain the required U.S. Government security clearance, subject to applicable eligibility and adjudication requirements.