LATAM Trade Compliance Consultant at Corteva… · Barueri

The LATAM Trade Compliance Consultant provides strategic and operational trade compliance leadership for Corteva Agriscience business activities across Latin America, with primary accountability for Brazil and support for other LATAM countries as business needs, risk, and regional priorities require. This role serves as a key regional trade compliance focal point, helping ensure that import, export, customs, classification, duty optimization, trade security, and regulatory governance activities are executed in alignment with Corteva global trade policies, local legal requirements, and enterprise risk expectations. The position requires strong technical trade compliance expertise, disciplined execution, and the ability to influence across functions to protect business continuity, support growth, maintain audit readiness, and drive continuous improvement.

LATAM Trade Compliance Operating Model

The LATAM trade compliance operating model includes two dedicated regional Trade Compliance roles that report through the Global Trade Compliance Director as part of Corteva’s broader Global Trade Compliance organization. These roles are supported by the Global Classification team, global trade governance leadership, and other regional trade leaders to promote consistent execution of global trade policies, import and export requirements, classification processes, duty optimization strategies, audit programs, trade security expectations, and escalation protocols across the region.

Core Responsibilities

• Serve as the regional trade compliance lead for Brazil, while providing scalable support to other LATAM countries, including Mexico and Colombia as required by business priorities and compliance risk.

• Design, implement, and continuously improve regional trade compliance frameworks, procedures, and controls that align with Global Trade Governance policies across Crop Protection platforms.

• Act as the escalation point for LATAM Trade Compliance, Trade Operations, Logistics, and business leaders on customs, import/export, Partnering Government Agency, and trade governance matters.

• Oversee customs broker governance, including broker relationships, powers of attorney, operating guidelines, performance expectations, and broker bids or transitions, as needed.

• Manage official communications with customs and regulatory authorities through applicable government platforms, including responses to formal notifications, legal inquiries, and administrative proceedings.

• Maintain active oversight of customs, tax, and administrative matters, including disputes, penalties, refunds, retrospective reviews, and historical cases that require multi-year follow-up.

• Maintain structured case management tools and control files to ensure deadlines, evidence, documentation, regulatory responses, and follow-up actions are completed accurately and on time.

• Review, interpret, and respond to complex and often retrospective customs requests related to imports, exports, royalties, and contractual obligations.

• Coordinate required documentation and business input across Legal, Finance, ITO, Procurement, R&D, Supply Chain, Tax, customs brokers, and external service providers to meet regulatory timelines and business requirements.

Compliance Programs and Certifications

• Lead or support Authorized Economic Operator (AEO/OEA) and related trade security program activities, including evidence maintenance, audit preparation, external consultancy support, and government inspection readiness.
• Support internal and external audits of import and export sites, ensuring country-specific program requirements, global policy expectations, and corrective action plans are effectively implemented.
• Partner with global trade governance leadership to align regional practices with global trade compliance policies, particularly for high-risk transactions, sensitive destinations, and regulatory escalation scenarios.
• Manage quarterly trade compliance self-assessments for assigned countries, drive continuous improvement in audit performance, expand assessments to additional sites, and track corrective actions to closure.
• Support regional advocacy efforts with internal stakeholders, customs authorities, and relevant government agencies to address claims, notifications, penalties, audits, and other trade-related inquiries.

Import and Export Operations

• Provide compliance oversight for import and export operations involving commercial, production, and R&D materials.

• Implement and maintain compliant import workflows, including required permits, registrations, system records, and controls to support timely and accurate customs clearance.

• Manage product catalogs and master data required for customs declarations, including manual uploads from internal control files into government portals.

• Provide guidance on sample shipments, courier processes, exemptions, Incoterms, and special shipment scenarios while ensuring regulatory requirements and internal controls are maintained.

• Monitor export-related risks, including transactions led by technical, R&D, or business teams, and provide corrective guidance when potential compliance issues are identified.

• Partner with Trade Operations, Logistics, Finance, Tax, and business leaders to evaluate regional duty spend, duty savings opportunities, special customs regimes, drawback, suspension, exemption, free trade agreement, and other duty optimization programs.

• Prepare and communicate regional updates on duty savings, duty spend, compliance risks, audit results, and significant trade matters for global trade leadership on a quarterly or as-needed basis.

Government Systems, Tools, and Data Management

• Operate government customs and compliance systems using Power of Attorney credentials granted through internal tax workflows.

• Maintain SharePoint repositories and structured digital records for trade compliance matters, ensuring traceability, version control, and audit readiness.

• Manage spreadsheets, control tools, product catalogs, and master data inputs used to support customs declarations, certifications, audits, and government system submissions.

• Coordinate with third-party service providers were applicable for supporting certifications and compliance-related submissions.

• Ensure regional and country-specific procedures, evidence records, control files, and compliance repositories are maintained in an audit-ready manner and aligned with global documentation expectations.

• Manage regional use of global classification systems in coordination with the Global Classification team to support accurate NCM/HSN, export control, and other product classification requirements.

Stakeholder Coordination and Training

• Serve as a central connector across business teams, Legal, Finance, ITC, ITO, Supply Chain, Procurement, R&D, customs brokers, external consultants, and global trade stakeholders.
• Provide practical, business-oriented guidance on trade governance topics, including Incoterms, sensitive destinations, classification, regulatory escalations, import/export controls, and documentation expectations.
• Develop, support, and deliver trade compliance training, including localized regional training, to address knowledge gaps, recurring issues, regulatory changes, and business process needs.
• Engage global trade governance leadership on escalations, decision-making, and policy interpretation for high-risk, complex, or sensitive matters.
• Lead or coordinate LATAM Trade Governance network meetings with Crop Protection stakeholders, including R&D, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Supply Chain, Tax, Trade Operations, and other teams involved in international transactions.
• Communicate international trade updates, regulatory changes, customs authority developments, Incoterms guidance, sensitive destination requirements, and other topics of regional importance to impacted stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, International Trade, Business, Logistics, Finance, Law, or a related field; licensed customs broker status or relevant industry certification preferred.

• Minimum of five years of experience in international trade compliance, customs, logistics, import/export operations, or a related function within a global organization, with strong Brazil expertise and practical understanding of broader LATAM trade requirements.

• Demonstrated knowledge of customs regulations, export controls, sanctions, Partnering Government Agency requirements, international trade compliance frameworks, trade security programs, and global trade governance policies.

• Fluent written and spoken English and Portuguese required; Spanish capability preferred for broader LATAM support.

• Strong understanding of Incoterms and their operational, financial, and risk implications.

• Knowledge of HTS classifications, export classification concepts, free trade agreements, free trade zones, duty drawback, duty suspension, exemption programs, and duty optimization opportunities.

• Experience with SAP GTS, SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, government customs portals, and structured data control tools preferred.

Key Skills and Capabilities

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder issues under tight deadlines while maintaining high standards for accuracy, evidence quality, and documentation.
• Strong organizational discipline, process ownership, and ability to maintain reliable long-term records across multiple countries, systems, and years.
• Advanced comfort working with government systems, structured data, spreadsheets, SharePoint-based documentation, and manual controls where system automation is limited.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for business and functional teams.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority, mobilize cross-functional resources, and collaborate effectively with global trade leadership, regional leaders, Trade Operations, Logistics, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Tax, Legal, and external partners.
• Strong project management, coaching, training, negotiation, conflict resolution, issue identification, and continuous improvement capabilities.